Japan

No need for choices here: you can have it all. Glitzy designer boutiques, quirky stationery shops, cutting-edge techno emporia, multi-floored department stores? Head for Tokyo, and get dazzling neon, soaring skyscrapers and sardine commuters on the underground into the bargain.

Traditional temples, all curlicues, manicured gardens, raked gravel and soothed spirits? Kyoto’s got 2000 of them. Too still and soothing? Then take the Shinkansen, the bullet train, and whisk through the country at 300kmh. Too fast and modern? Walk the ancient Tokaido Trail, up close to nature and following the footsteps of Shogun warriors; or hum gently up a mountain on a funicular or cable car for a perfect view of the even more perfect Mt Fuji.

You can get modern history at Hiroshima, preserved as a Peace Park, and unutterably moving and memorable; wallow in a hot spring surrounded by snow and see monkeys do the same thing; or go skiing, or snorkelling.

Japan’s got all this, and plenty more, in a small country with efficient public transport that makes getting around a breeze. And then there’s the food!