Start your day in eastern Shinjuku, a buzzing district that epitomizes modern Tokyo. The area is full of restaurants and cafés, so pick whatever breakfast option catches your eye as you stroll through the busy city streets. Head for the Samurai Museum, where visitors can try on lacquered armor while the enthusiastic English-speaking guides give regular demonstrations of sword moves including terrifying battle cries. For lunch, grab some ramen at Tenkkaippin (www.tenkaippin.co.jp); this small but lively restaurant is popular with ramen geeks who obsess over the high-fat kotteri (rich) broth. In the evening, head to Shinjuku’s Golden Gai area, home to hundreds of atmospheric izakaya (taverns) where you can sit cheek to cheek with Japanese people unwinding after work.

Take a morning walk through the grounds of Tokyo’s oldest Shinto site, Meiji Shrine, which feels like an oasis of tranquility compared to the busy city around it. Here you can buy yourself some beautiful good luck charms, known as omamori, which make great souvenirs. In the afternoon head to the Shimokitazawa district and explore this cool suburb full of independent boutiques and avant-garde theaters. It’s also the perfect place to spend the evening, as the area is particularly famous for its cutting-edge, live music scene, epitomized by venues such as THREE (www.toos.co.jp/3). For dinner, Food Therapy Diner Chabuzen (food-therapy-diner-chabuzen.business.site) is a vegan restaurant that specializes in yakuzen cuisine – food believed to have medicinal properties.

In the hip Roppongi district, spend the morning exploring contemporary artwork at the Mori Art Museum, making sure you stop in at the open-air rooftop observation deck for breath-taking views of the sprawling Tokyo metropolis. Drop into Afuri (www.afuri.com) for a lunch of delicate yuzu-scented ramen and then head to 21_21 Design Sight, the brainchild of fashion designer Issey Miyake and architect Tadao Ando. This museum dedicated to Japanese design is the epitome of the Roppongi art scene: cool, modern, and bursting with the artists’ passion for art and design. In the evening, enjoy Roppongi’s famously vibrant nightlife, choosing from the huge selection of bars, restaurants, and clubs.

Located at the northern foot of Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture, the Fuji Five Lakes area has some of the best views of Japan’s sacred mountain, as well as beautiful rural landscapes. Start with one of the region’s absolute must-sees: a visit to the hillside Chureito Pagoda for, arguably, the best vantage point to view Mount Fuji. Have lunch at Houtou Fudou, where you can try hoto: the rich, thick udon dish beloved by the residents of Yamanashi. Next head to the Itchiku Kubota Museum, home to one of the finest collections of kimonos in Japan. After rediscovering a traditional technique for dying kimonos, Itchiku Kubota made it his life’s work to design and create a collection of kimonos that is unparalleled in Japan. Dine at one of the restaurants in the Lake Kawaguchi resort area, then relax on the two-hour coach trip back to the big city.

Catch a train to Kamakura, a town famed for its ancient shrines and temples. For an introduction to the highlights, visit the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine, then admire the town’s famous Great Buddha statue. For lunch, try vegan-friendly Sairam (www.sairam-kamakura-en.link) before taking the 40-minute journey to Enoshima. This little island is packed with interesting sights and enchanting views to discover as you stroll its winding paths. Aim to be at the spiraling Sea Candle tower – a lighthouse with an observation deck – to watch the sunset, and then dine at the harbor front Café Tobiccho (www.tobiccho.com) to sample Enoshima’s specialty, shirasu (fresh whitebait). After that, it’s just a 90-minute return journey to Tokyo.