JAPAN IS A LAND FULL OF UNIQUE, DIVERSE EXPERIENCES, AND KOKO HOTEL IS THE GATEWAY TO ITS LESSER-VISITED CORNERS.

The buzzing city of Osaka is a real foodie paradise, as well as a gateway to some of the country’s top sights

Milestone anniversaries, a total eclipse, new hiking trails and major cultural projects are just some of the reasons to travel next year. National Geographic’s global community of explorers, photographers and editors have handpicked this year’s list of 25 destinations to inspire your next adventure — covering everything from sports travel to seminal road trips

In winter, Japan’s northernmost main island Hokkaido is a place of snow-covered forests and white-crested volcanoes mirrored in glacial lakes. It’s also the land of the Ainu, an Indigenous people intimately connected to the environment through their hunting, fishing and storytelling traditions, and animist beliefs

For many, Tokyo is top of their travel wish list. But for sewists, it’s a dream destination. A city where ancient craft meets cutting-edge design, where back-alley boutiques hide hand-printed treasure

Winter has a way of slowing life down in the gentlest of ways, setting in like a quiet spell or a morning’s frost. Days feel softer and nights longer, the darkness illuminated by the warm glow of ligh