Picking green tea leaves in Japan's Iya Valley

No amount of sushi or drunken karaoke sessions can prepare the first-time visitor for the culture shock that is Japan. A society that places an inordinate emphasis on efficiency, cleanliness and politeness, it is impossible for the boorish Western traveller not to feel like a hurricane blasting through a Buddhist temple. Conversely, most Japanese are notoriously forgiving and courteous, and will go to extreme lengths to help a lost or bewildered gaijin (foreigner).

From sumo to Sony, Kabuki to capsule hotels, Japan offers up an intoxicating mix of the traditional and the modern. Futuristic cities such as Tokyo and Osaka are characterized by cutting edge fashion, neon-lit skyscrapers and the incessant din of pachinko parlours, but this archipelago of 127 million people is also a place of serene temples, painstakingly-painted geishas, lush tropical islands, ancient vine bridges, volcanic mountains and 300 or so ski resorts.

Since opening itself up to the wider world in the mid-1800s, Japanese culture has taken on more contradictions than a sumo wrester has had hot meals.

Whale for sale in the fish markets in Tokyo

Western visitors will be flummoxed to find that tipping is considered rude, or that many people think nothing of going on a whale-watching trip in the morning and then chowing down on kujira (whale meat) in a restaurant that night.

While public displays of affection are frowned upon, sex is ubiquitous businessmen flick through porn magazines on rush-hour trains and 'Love Hotels' where rooms can be rented by the hour, take up rows of city streets.

Although blowing your nose in public is considered filthy (Japanese with colds or allergies wear surgical masks), after a few sakes social mores and inhibitions disappear, and late at night it is not unusual to see drunken businessmen slumped in the corner of subway stations or karaoke booths crammed with co-workers belting out a Bon Jovi medley.

While bullet trains whiz commuters across the country at break-neck speed, people will spend hours melting away the pressures of the 12-hour-a-day work ethic in communal onsen (hot spring bathhouses).

Survival guide

With arguably the world's best public transportation system and super-hospitable ryokan (traditional guest house) hosts, Japan is a joy to travel around.

It is far more expensive than other Asian countries, but not much pricier than Britain or parts of the United States. Armed with a cost-saving Japan Rail pass (these are only available to foreigners and must be purchased before arriving in the country) and an insatiable appetite for cheap but filling udon noodle soup, your Japanese vacation need not blow the bank.

Outside the main tourist cities, it is rare to see signs in English. A few basic words of Japanese will impress people no end and might just get you out of a pickle when you're lost in the vast Tokyo subway system or trying to explain vegetarianism.

Less adventurous palates and those without any Japanese will relish the plastic food displays in restaurant windows - simply point to what you want to eat.

Spring is the best time of year to visit Japan - the temperature is mild and in April the parks and temple gardens are filled with clusters of weeping cherry blossoms.

Come to Japan with an open mind (and possibly a surgical mask) and you'll have one of the most intriguing adventures the planet has to offer.