The Gobi desert, Inner Mongolia.

No tricks, just magic

The Traveller team recounts some of the people, places and surprises that filled the year with unforgettable moments.

  • Contains:
  • This article contains a photo gallery
Mask play ... a noh actor performs the play Hagoromo in Tokyo.

Scenes of a sacred script

Melancholy landscapes, wild waterfalls and the noh theatre tradition inspire Tom Yarwood on a spiritual quest.

  • Contains:
Mount Fuji

Ups, downs and a little respect

A wise man climbs Fuji once in his life, goes the proverb. Adrian Bridge discovers the truth behind it on a trek to the sacred summit.

  • Contains:
Lost In Translation. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson.

48 hours in Tokyo

Futuristic, frustrating and fascinating sum up Tokyo, a city of contrasts.

  • Contains:
Time to contemplate ... Hoshinoya in Kyoto offers the best of East and West.

Back in the inn crowd

Traditional ryokans are adopting Western elements to create a cool 21st-century style, writes Sybil Kapoor.

  • Contains:
Theme-park reality ... cosplay girls at Harajuku.

Strangely familiar

Pico Iyer is fascinated by the shape-changing quality of Tokyo, where tradition, next-century fashion and order co-exist.

  • Contains:
A world unto itself ... Tokyo's famous Tsukiji fish market.                        Veronique  Mandray  Picture Editor  ...

24 Hours In Tokyo

If you want to make the most of a day in Tokyo, you've got to start early, writes Nicole Bittar.

  • Contains: