Japan is considered to be the most "Western" among the Eastern countries. Is it really so?

A modern country with its rich historical heritage, Japan has long been very popular with tourists. Even though it is one of the most expensive planet's travel destinations, it doesn't mean that a visit to Japan must be a costly one.

Japan is the insular country in the Eastern Asia which consists of four main islands: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and more than 4000 small islands. About three fourth of Japan is a mountainous area that is unsuitable for living, that is why the main part of Japanese population is concentrated on 10 % of its land, whereas the rest part of it is occupied with agricultural holdings.

Without any doubt, Japan will leave you really impressed. From Tokyo city attractions to such nature wonders as Fuji mountain and Onsen hot springs, this country has everything to meet all the tourist's needs and tastes. However unusual it may seem, Japan manages to combine firm traditional social order with exceptionally high development of technologies. 

Honshu is the country's most important island with such large cities as Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kyoto – the cultural centre and the ancient capital of Japan. The latter is a real must for tourists. 

Hokkaido island in the north of Japan is an excellent destination for those who are fond of active sports as well as clubbing and partying. It is also becoming more and more popular among the ski enthusiasts – the amount of "powder" snow impresses greatly. 

Sapporo is the brewery capital of Japan and the place where world famous ice and snow sculpture festival is held in the beginning of February. The summer main events are dance and beer festivals.

Shikoku is the smallest, the least known and the least developed of the four Japanese islands. However, it also has its attractions such as 88 Buddhist temples, Ritsurin Park in Takamatsu, Matsuyama castle and Dogo Onsen spa-centre – one of the oldest Japanese hot springs.

Kyushu is the most western of all the other large islands. The island's main attraction – Nagasaki – for a long time had been the only city that the foreigners were allowed to enter. Fukuoka administrative centre is the relaxing and calmer version of Tokyo, mostly famous for its food sold outside. Kagoshima city offers lots of museums – it is therefore a rich cultural centre.

For an exterior spectator Japan is the intricate mixture of the East and the West. Some cities do really look so "western" that can disappoint somebody seeking for exotics from the first sight. But following the first impression there appears a feeling that there are not so many western features in Japan, even though it is very different from its Asian neighbours.

Even though in its early stage of development the country borrowed a lot from China – including Buddhism and the letter system, for years and years of its history the "insular nation" was isolated from the rest of the world. Prior to the Second World War, the country had never been conquered or occupied and for more than 200 years Japan was fully closed for other countries.

That is why a Western person can hardly understand what Japan is. When lifting the veil of culture you discover another world and it is always hard to tell whether you really found out or not what Japan is.

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