Am going to be visiting Japan at the end of March, and was wondering if anyone could let me know if they'd reccommend anywhere to go? Am flying in to Tokyo, and might spend a night there, then stopping in Matsumoto, but if anyone has any suggestions of anywhere, I would be very grateful.

I have a colleague who is from Osaka, I' ll ask for some info/tips/ideas.

You'll love it!! tokyo is brilliant - very friendly and mindblowing how much is crammed into every square inch of space...there are beautiful tranquil places even within the city though...the best way is to do a bus tour early on, they combine them with a river cruise - then you can pick what you want to see from there and go back. they're not so expensive...

i went up north near mt fuji too - very beautiful - but if you're in your 20's(???) i would agree that osaka sounds like the place to go. i didn't make it there but it's supposed to be very hip, good music scene, and pretty much based on youth culture.

great time of year to go too...have fun!!

Kyoto has some beautiful temples, shrines and monkey parks. Just a direct train ride from Tokyo.

Whatever you do, make sure you get the Japan Rail Pass beforeyou go, otherwise travelling between cities can get very expensive. Once you are in Japan, you can't get the pass (its for travellers only)

Cheers, yeah I'm in my 20s or rather I am 20. Thanks for all the advice much appreicated.

Japan is the best holiday I ever had. It's a fabulous, exhilarating, friendly country with so many sites and other great experiences (bullet trains, wonderful food etc). It's very easy to be a tourist.

I did the classic route - Tokyo, Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima (and back to Tokyo) in 10 days.
It's a wonderful trip.

Tokyo's an amazing and exhilarating place. The mix of traditional temples and parks and the museums and modernity is great. Kyoto's a stunning place, just beautiful, unmissable temples. You should also do a half day to nearby Nara, one of the holy cities.

Fuji is a day trip from Tokyo (or en route to elsewhere). As well as the mountain itself, it's a fantastic lakeside setting.

Hirsohima is a port town and, of course, the focus is on the history of the second world war. It's a very emotional experience. The nearby temple island of Miya-jima is also not to be missed.

We got a one week rail pass (which cost about £160). It's expensive but the train journies are so fast.

We booked ryokans (traditional japanese hotels with futons etc) on the web in advance for about £20 per head. Food is also cheap as noodle and sushi is the local "fast food" so you can easily eat a main meal plus drink for £5 a head.

With the rail pass, get a voucher in the UK. You hand it in to a rail station in Japan which then gives you the ticket.