TOKYO, Japan

Bullet trains, skyscrapers, and neon nights are all of a part of the new, very modern Tokyo. But if you come to Japan's mountainous chain of islands looking for the past, it's also here. You just have to look a little harder.

Kyoto, where palaces, temples, and Zen gardens best evoke old Japan, and nearby Nara, ancient home to Todaiji temple, the world largest wooden structure, are good places to start. But Japan is less about place than state of mind. To really see Japan, attend one of the many matsuri, or neighborhood religious street festivals (Tokyo's Asakusa district hosts the traditional Sanja Matsuri in May.Arrive early at a Zen temple garden (Kyoto's Kodaiji is a small gem), and take in the quiet before the crowds show up. Splurge for a stay in a fine ryokan, or traditional inn (Kyoto's are legendary), where a room with tatami mats becomes a small world of its own. Soak in a bath at one of the thousands of hot springs across the country.

And if the past isn't your vision of Japan, you can plan a ski trip to Sapporo or Nagano (both hosted winter Olympics), or simply hit the streets of Tokyo's famous Gion (and somewhat infamous Shinjuku) districts, where shopping and nightlife are the stuff of legends.

SHOPPING Ships first carried cargoes of English china, Irish linens, and Scottish tartans to Bermuda three centuries ago. Today those and other desirable products continue to arrive on the island, where shopping has long been a favored activity. The emphasis is on quality, not bargains, because high tariffs limit discounts. And though British woolens may seem an odd choice for the summer shopper, off-season sales make them a good bet - right along with those all-season favorites, Bermuda shorts.

DINING Kaiseki, a culinary tasting menu of one exquisitely arranged small dish after another, is a specialty of Kyoto that is often served in traditional ryokan throughout the country. The always fresh ingredients are seasonal, and presented on antique pottery and lacquerware; in some ryokan, a guest could come back again and again and never be served the same dish, or see the same plate or bowl in a lifetime. It's unforgettable.

SHOPPING From craft shops to department stores (where even a single small purchase will be beautifully wrapped), shopping in Japan is nothing less than a cultural experience. And if you like garage sales, you love the major flea markets at Tokyo's Togo Shrine and Kyoto's Toji Temple, where a sea of antique ceramics, silk kimonos, and lacquerware attract visitors as well as residents.