The Japanese tourism industry, battered just as badly as the rest of the world since the Covid-19 pandemic brought travel to a screeching halt before last winter was out, has been buoyed by fresh talk of a “ travel bubble ”. With new cases of the coronavirus holding relatively steady in Japan, the industry is discussing the possibility of a bubble for a limited number of leisure visitors from certain markets – including, critically, Hong Kong. Tourism has been booming in Japan in recent years and the nation was on course to welcome a record 40 million visitors in the year in which Tokyo was to host the Olympic Games. Ambitions will be far more conservative after the travel bans are relaxed, but for anyone contemplating a visit, here are some suggestions for destinations in Japan that will enable a visitor to preserve a degree of social distancing. For history: Ohara, Kyoto prefecture While the crowds flock to the sights of Kyoto , the equally historic town of Ohara, just 20km to the north, provides an equally impressive overview of Japanese history, culture and design, both of structures and traditional gardens. Once considered a distant outpost, in centuries gone by Ohara attracted some of the most holy men of the Buddhist faith and offered refuge to members of the imperial family escaping internecine rivalries. The town sprawls over the valley floor alongside the Takano River, which flows on to Kyoto. Smaller valleys branch off and were often chosen as the locations for the community’s temples and shrines. One of the oldest temples in the area is Jakko-in, a convent established in AD594 and where Kenreimon-in Tokuko, the wife of Emperor Takakura, sought refuge after his death in battle in 1181. Sanzen-in Temple is famous for its two formal gardens, which are particularly impressive when the leaves are changing colours in the autumn, while nearby Hosen-in Temple has a rather gruesome section of ceiling panels that were once floorboards in Fushimi Castle. Rather than surrender when they were besieged in 1600, hundreds of samurai committed hara-kiri and their bloodstains – along with footprints, scrabbled fingerprints and the outline of a face – are still visible in the wood. Many of the town’s wooden structures have been lost to fires over the centuries; those that survived or were rebuilt are regarded as being among the finest examples of temple architecture, design and art in Japan. For culture: Toba, Mie prefecture Just south of the city of Nagoya, Mie prefecture is famous for its female ama divers, who free-dive the rocky inlets for sea urchins, octopus, oysters, sea cucumber, scallops and other Pacific delicacies. The tradition is dying out, primarily because young women are reluctant to accept the rigours of the job, but older divers operate a number of “ama huts” on their favourite beaches, where visitors can sample the fruits of the sea. Locals say the lobsters of Ise Bay are the best in Japan. A short distance along the coast, Mikimoto Pearl Island is a brief boat ride off the town of Toba. In 1893, it was here that Kokichi Mikimoto succeeded in culturing the first pearl in an oyster. For years the process was such a closely guarded secret that the island was off-limits to outsiders. Visitors to the museum can see how Mikimoto – a name now synonymous with high-end pearl jewellery – managed to culture a perfect pearl and peruse displays of art from around the world that incorporate pearls into their designs. For urban exploration: Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture Yokohama was the first place in Japan to open to the outside world when the shogun decided to end the nation’s self-imposed isolation. Today, 167 years after United States Navy commodore Matthew Perry anchored offshore, a surprising amount of the city’s history has been preserved. The heart of the city is all skyscrapers, shopping malls and a thriving business district, but the Bluff district has reminders of the city’s origins. The most prominent landmark is the towering grandstand of the former Negishi Racecourse, which opened in 1866 and was the first Western-style horse-racing track in Japan. The emperor was reportedly a visitor before the war. The racecourse was taken over by the US military and it served as a base until being returned to the community in the 1970s. Today, Negishi Shinrin Park, the former racetrack, is one of the biggest in the city – and is popular for its cherry blossoms in the spring. Following the line of the bluff to the east leads to the Yokohama Sacred Heart Cathedral, built in 1862 and one of the oldest churches in Japan. Immediately behind the cathedral is the Yokohama International Tennis Community, where the game was introduced to Japan by English expatriates in 1878 – and where then crown prince Akihito and crown princess Michiko played a match in 1981. The early decades of the last century were marked by rapid economic growth in Yokohama, although that temporarily came to a halt on September 1, 1923, when the Great Kanto earthquake rattled eastern Japan. The magnitude 7.9 tremor caused widespread damage and much loss of life, with many of the city’s victims buried in the Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery, which slopes down from the top of the bluff towards the city. To walk between the headstones is both sobering and fascinating, with entire families entombed together. In the streets at the bottom of the cemetery, the city is once again abuzz with life. For adventure: Shiretoko, Hokkaido The Shiretoko Peninsula, on the far northeast tip of Hokkaido , is best visited in the bitter winter months of January and February – although the cooler temperatures also make it a pleasant escape from the heat of a Japanese summer. This finger of rocky land points north, towards the visible islands of the Russian Far East, and is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in Japan. It has also been recognised as one of the richest terrestrial and marine ecosystems on the planet. Shiretoko means “the end of the Earth” in the local Ainu dialect and its 71,100 hectares of wilderness were listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2005. Trekking companies take hikers out on day-long expeditions year-round, using snowshoes in the winter, with frequent sightings of deer, migratory birds and seals on the coast. The region is also home to bears, some of which can be aggressive. To the west of the peninsula is the vast sweep of the Sea of Okhotsk, which in winter becomes encased in ice that has floated out of the mouths of Russian rivers and drifted south. A popular pastime involves slipping on a dry suit, over your regular clothes, and bobbing about between the small icebergs that litter the bay. Be careful if you try to climb onto one as they are notoriously unstable and can tip over. And that water is cold! For families: Hatsushima, Shizuoka prefecture Just 90 minutes by train south of Tokyo is the resort town of Atami, which locals rather optimistically describe as the “Monaco of Japan” for its hotels and the cruisers and luxurious sailing boats moored in its harbour. Pass through, and a regular ferry takes less than 30 minutes to reach the island of Hatsushima. Home to about 200 people, the island is less than 1 sq km in size and its highest point is dominated by a luxury hotel. Many people come for the day and stay overnight back on the mainland. Hatsushima is perfect for families, with an area around the dock roped off for swimmers and snorkellers. A shop close to the slipway for fishermen’s boats rents out all the gear that is needed. Even within the port, the water is gin-clear – and teeming with life. Schools of tiny, electric-blue fish dart between the rocks, with larger but equally colourful fish flitting between the strands of sea-weed. Crabs as large as a human hand busy themselves, both claws picking morsels off rocks and feeding them into their mouths. Camouflaged moray eels ripple across the seabed. Scuba divers explore the depths from the rocky beach on the other side of the port, beside which restaurants serve seafood caught in these very waters – and do a roaring trade in shaved ice for the kids and ice-cold beer for the adults.