Gap Year in Japan
Say hello to Kitty, karaoke, raw fish and frighteningly ordered civilisation. Japan is the home of invention and electronics. But you can fondle the latest games consoles in any country in the world; what is it that brings backpackers to Japan? The neon sparkle of Tokyo, vintage glamour of Osaka, and the infamous Mount Fuji, to name three.
Look outside the cities for a land immersed in beauty: largely mountainous and dotted with temples and volcanoes, this is the scenery that got Memoirs of a Geisha its Oscar in 2006.