Italy

Few places on Earth hold continuity and contrast so easily. Tokyo’s neon towers rise over quiet Shinto shrines, and its neighbourhoods move from the pop culture of Harajuku to the old wooden tea houses of Asakusa.

In Kyoto, thousands of vermilion torii gates wind up the mountainside and bamboo groves whisper of imperial history. Beyond the cities, Mount Fuji frames still alpine lakes, while the subtropical shores of Okinawa offer turquoise water and a famously long, unhurried way of life.

Through it all runs a deep sense of mindfulness, whether you are sharing matcha with a tea master or spending the night in the quiet hospitality of a ryokan.