Japan

Nippon, Japan’s native name, literally means ‘origin of the sun’ or commonly ‘land of the rising sun’. And just half an hour from Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture in the east of Honshu – the largest of four main islands in this 4000-strong archipelago – is about as east coast as it gets: the mountainous interior can often disrupt the wind, and groundswell is reliant on the tail end of winter storms or the occasional summer typhoon. But adopt some Japanese ‘wabi-sabi’ – relishing the simple beauty of transient imperfection, epitomised by the celebrated falling of cherry blossom in spring – and you’ll appreciate Chiba’s fleeting magic.