The Land of the Rising Sun’s eight female rulers are all but forgotten, but their lives and reigns were filled with drama

Hall of Fame

From island-hopping in southerly Okinawa to farm experiences in rural Aomori and skiing in far northern Hokkaido, this diverse archipelago offers intriguing local culture, ancient history and epic wilderness experiences around every corner — and deeper exploration reaps huge rewards

Johannes Vermeer brightened his native Delft with luminous pictures of women caught in intimate moments, but the serenity of his work, of which he produced remarkably little, is at odds with a life mired in debt, as Carla Passino discovers

The Tale of Genji , the Japanese novel that dazzled the West

Exhibition of the week Turner & Constable: Rivals ...