• Watch Japanese martial arts - or take part. Sumo and judo are national sports, both drawing huge crowds. Large sumo tournaments are held in Tokyo (website: www.sumo.or.jp/eng). To try Karate, contact the Japan Karatedo Federation (website: www.karatedo.co.jp). Kendo, Japanese fencing, is practised in numerous clubs.

• Go skiing (website: www.skijaoanguide.com), especially in the Japanese Alps and Hokkaido - where most resorts have hot springs. Various resorts in Nagano offer facilities for night-skiing. The southernmost natural ski slope in Japan is the Gokase Highland Ski, which offers grass skiing out of season.

• Between January and March, go whale or dolphin watching (website: www.h2.dion.ne.jp/~owa/english/e_content.html).

• Enjoy a cherry blossom party when they are in bloom in April and May. During this time, impromptu parties are held under the blossoms where everyone drinks too much. The most famous are in Ueno Park in Tokyo and Maruyama Park in Kyoto.

• Visit Sapporo, Hokkaido's vibrant capital, famous for its great nightlife and the extraordinary Snow Festival (website: www.snowfes.com) in February. The ice party lasts for seven days, and is marked by huge, elaborate snow and ice sculptures.

• Book a seat to see some bunraku, a unique form of puppet theatre, and the very best in traditional entertainment. For more traditional forms of theatre, can noh and kabuki are dramatic forms with participants dressed in medieval costumes (website: www.bunraku.or.jp).

• Witness the Gion Festival in Kyoto, which reaches its climax at the Yasaka Shrine in mid July. A street parade takes place with the participants in costumes and carrying portable shrines.

• Go shopping. In Tokyo, Ginza is one of Asia's shopping paradises. Check out the Sony Shop for the latest gadgets. And get up early to witness the world's largest fish market at Tsukiji (website: www.tsukiji-market.or.jp).

• Visit Sado Island: rural, unspoilt, and home to the Kodo Drummers (website: www.kodo.or.jp). The Kodo Drummers are referred to as 'samurai percussionists', since their world-famous troupe is selected on the basis of a rigorous two-year training apprenticeship in a remote area deep in the mountains.

• Stay out late in Tokyo, especially in Akasaka and Roppongi, which offer vibrant nightlife of every kind, from geisha tea houses to clubs and bars. For a younger scene, head to Harajuku and Shibuya.

• Take part in a Japanese tea ceremony; you can arrange to do so through the tourist information centres in Kyoto and Tokyo. The elegant ritual takes place in a room designed and designated for tea, called a chashitsu, and is steeped in symbolism.