Osaka, Japan’s third largest city, is a pulsating commercial hub, famous for its food, and the cityscape rivals Tokyo for neon-lit futurism. If you need respite from the urban sprawl seek out Osaka Castle and the surrounding Nishinomaru Garden, a particularly pretty spot during the cherry blossom season.

The elegant Himeji-jo, with its five-storey main keep, moats and defensive walls, is renowned as Japan’s most beautiful surviving feudal castle. The castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was built in 1580 by the powerful general and samurai warrior Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Osaka, Japan’s third largest city, is a pulsating commercial hub, famous for its food, and the cityscape rivals Tokyo for neon-lit futurism. If you need respite from the urban sprawl seek out Osaka Castle and the surrounding Nishinomaru Garden, a particularly pretty spot during the cherry blossom season.

On 6 August 1945 the world witnessed the terrifying power of nuclear weapons for the first time, unleashed on the unsuspecting Japanese city of Hiroshima. The modern city's sobering Peace Memorial Park commemorates that fateful day, which left more than 140,000 dead.

Fukuoka is the largest city on the southern island of Kyushu, and has long been an important centre for trade due to its proximity to the Asian mainland, closer to Seoul than it is to Tokyo. It’s a friendly, sunny place, and the city was created by a merger of two towns: Fukuoka, the old castle town, and Hakata, the former merchant district.

Busan is South Korea’s second biggest city and one of the world’s busiest container ports, but it’s an easygoing place with a discernibly different character to Seoul. Haeundae beach is a popular summer holiday destination for Koreans, while the pungent Jagalchi market sells every type of fish and sea creature imaginable.

The semi-tropical island of Jeju is one of South Korea’s best kept secrets, a popular holiday destination for domestic travellers but little known outside of Asia. The craggy volcanic landscape, tangerine groves and beautiful beaches make this a lovely place to spend some time exploring.

Incheon serves as a transport hub for Seoul, South Korea's captivating capital. Seoul is a dynamic metropolis where you can still find tea shops and temples amongst the skyscrapers and neon signs, and the culinary scene is superb, from street food to world class haute cuisine.

The friendly southern Japanese city of Kagoshima enjoys a balmy climate, and sits just across the bay from the very active Sakurajima volcano, which erupts so regularly that an ‘ash forecast’ is included in local weather reports.

Shimizu is one of the most spectacular ports in Japan, a sweeping bay in the shadow of the iconic Mount Fuji. You can spend some time admiring the views and wandering through peaceful pine groves, or visit the unique Shimizu Sushi Museum at the S-Pulse Dream Plaza shopping mall.