What is New

1 Tokyo has just become a whole lot more convenient: Haneda Airport is once again serving international routes. Only 30 minutes out of downtown Tokyo and within reasonable taxi distance, Haneda is much closer to the city than Narita, which remains Tokyo’s main international entry point.

2 First held in 2010, this festival is slated to be held every three years, with the next one coming in 2013 (July to October). Events are centred on the island-cum-art-museum of Naoshima.

3 Shinkansen (bullet train) lines have been extended north to the city of Aomori, at the northern tip of Honshū, and south to the city of Kagoshima, in Kyūshū. You can now cross almost all of Kyūshū and Honshū by bullet train.

4 Jetstar, Australia’s budget airline, launched service to Japan (Kansai and Narita) in 2007. This makes Japan a much more reasonable destination for Australian backpackers, skiers and families.

5 Local food is all the rage in Japan and locavores can sample the fare in cities and villages across the archipelago.

6 Designed by Andō Tadao, this new museum (named after Korean-born artist Lee Ufan) is a great new addition to the museums and galleries on Naoshima.

7 Capsule hotels used to be the refuge of sozzled salarymen who missed the last train home. Not anymore. A wave of cool designer capsule hotels has swept the country. A good example of this is the Capsule Ryokan Kyoto.

8 Scheduled to open in spring 2012, the Tokyo Sky Tree will soar to 634m and feature two observation decks.

9 New bus routes and more frequent departures make climbing Mt Fuji easier.

10 Local tourism authorities have been working hard to open the Kumano Kodō pilgrimage trails to foreign tourists and their work has paid off in a big way