One of the most captivating times of year to visit Japan is during sakura (the cherry blossom season). From March until May, the country is swathed in clouds of cherry blossom as they unfurl along the entire length of the archipelago working their way from south to north. This spectacular celebration of spring is said to embody the spirit of samurai warriors, whose time on earth is short-lived but heroic. It can be observed right across the country starting from the most southerly point in Okinawa, from March, and reaching the furthest northern tip in Hokkaido sometime in May. Shops sell sakura-flavoured drinks and snacks to groups of friends and colleagues who are enticed to picnic each year beneath the magical canopy of blooming trees.

Shinjuku Gyoen Park, at the centre of Tokyo, is filled with thousands of blossom-bearing trees providing a sanctuary from the urban skyscraper cityscape beyond, and is a favoured place for Hanami, a word that simply means the beloved and simple custom of appreciating the beauty of flowers, a custom that stretches back over one thousand years. The blossom each year is fleeting, only out for a matter of days in each location, resulting in it being both an enchanting challenge and an art form to catch it in the right place at the right moment.

As a national fascination, there is even a daily cherry blossom forecast.

From sushi to okonomiyaki, Japan is a paradisiacal destination for foodies. Tokyo’s restaurant scene alone makes it one of the world’s top food locations, with the highest concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants of any city in the world. The Rolls Royce of the meat world is Kobe beef. While it may or may not be true that the cows live a happy life being massaged and fed beer and listening to music, before being turned into the world’s finest steak, the sensation of eating Kobe beef as it literally melts in your mouth is an experience not to be overlooked.

Virtually unobtainable outside Japan, if you don’t feel inclined to take a detour to Kobe, the top places in Tokyo to try this mouth-watering cut are at Aragawa or Beefsteak Kawamura, Widely considered to be two of the best steak restaurants in the world.

You can take the convenient and lightning-fast bullet train to wherever you need to go in record time, But maybe you don’t want to simply arrive somewhere, maybe you want to savour the journey and get there in style. Planned for launch in spring 2017, rail companies JR West and JR East will each offer an exclusive sleeper train service, the Twilight Express Mizukaze and the Shiki Shima respectively, for those who want to travel around Honshu, Japan’s main island, with no expense spared.

Passengers will be able to hop off to sightsee in tourist destinations en route, while on-board, carriages of polished interiors crafted by renowned Japanese designers will take just 30 people in opulent accommodation, with an elegant dining car serving haute cuisine by top-class chefs, a sumptuous lounge and an open-air observation deck.

Further south, travellers can leisurely tour Kyushu, Japan’s third-largest island, aboard the deluxe Seven Stars train as it glides through Fukuoka, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima and Kumamoto, In this region, some of Japan’s most remarkable scenery is on display, fractured by active volcanoes and hot springs, and stained with the lush green colour of rice paddies.

Comparable to the Orient Express, Seven Stars is fitted with handsome rosewood and maple interiors, while a floor-to-ceiling glass viewing deck enables passengers to enjoy the delights of Japan’s most dramatic landscape. With only fourteen plush suites on board, the train is equal to that of a moving five-star hotel, with staff on hand to attend to the whim of every guest.

Japan is home to some of the world’s leading boutique and luxury hotels. Yet nothing can quite compare to spending a night or two in a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn).

The refined Nishimuraya Honkan Ryokan in Kinosaki illustrates Japan’s past with tatami mat floors, sliding paper doors, and terraces carved out of Wood that spill out onto gracefully tended gardens. Guests are treated to authentic hospitality, impeccable kaiseki cuisine and access to Kinosaki’s extraordinarily atmospheric onsen.

Tucked into the foothills of Mount Taishi, close to the Sea of Japan, Kinosaki Onsen sits along the willow-lined Otani River.

Afternoons and evenings can be whiled away draped in yukata (delicate kimonos worn with wooden sandals worn by foreigners and locals alike) and ambling around the mostly pedestrianised streets between the various hot-springs bathhouses and shops, or sampling the restaurants, which during winter serve the region’s speciality, the succulent Matsuba crab.

As night falls, glowing paper lanterns light meandering stone pathways dotted with ghostly figures dressed in yukata sauntering between softly illuminated bathhouses, turning Kinosaki into an ethereal utopia.

Whether it’s your first visit or your tenth, the land of the rising sun is a land of dizzying contradictions that continuously elude definition.

From the neon-drenched frenetic nightlife of Tokyo to the red-lipped kimono-dressed geishas of Kyoto, Japan is a country where tradition continues to coexist harmoniously with modernity in a surprising way, and its true character lies waiting to be discovered among the shadows of its many hidden details.