Yokohama, Japan

YOKOHAMA feels far more spacious and airy than neighbouring Tokyo, thanks to its open harbour frontage and generally low-rise skyline. Locals are proud of their city's international heritage, and there's definitely a cosmopolitan flavour to the place, with its scattering of Western-style buildings, Chinese temples and world cuisines, and its sizeable foreign community.Though it can't claim any outstanding sights, Japan's second most populous city (home to 3.6 million people) has enough of interest to justify a day's outing from Tokyo.

It might seem strange to come all this way to look at nineteenth-century European-style buildings, but the upmarket suburb of Yamate is one of the city's highlights, an area of handsome residences, church spires and bijou teashops. Yamate's "exotic" attractions still draw Japanese tourists in large numbers, as do the vibrant alleys and speciality restaurants of nearby Chinatown. There's a clutch of assorted museums along the seafront, and north to where Kannai boasts a few grand old Western edifices, in complete contrast to Minato Mirai 21's hi-tech skyscrapers in the distance. A tour of these central sights will easily fill a day, but with a little extra time Sankei-en, just south of Yokohama, makes a good half-day excursion. This extensive Japanese garden provides a perfect backdrop for its collection of picturesque temples and other ancient buildings.

Kyoto, Japan

The capital of Japan for more than a thousand years, KYOTO is endowed with an almost overwhelming legacy of ancient Buddhist temples, majestic palaces and gardens of every size and description, not to mention some of the country's most important works of art, its richest culture and most refined cuisine. For many people the very name Kyoto conjures up the classic image of Japan: streets of traditional wooden houses, the click-clack of geta (traditional wooden sandals) on the paving stones, geisha passing in a flourish of brightly coloured silks, and temple pagodas surrounded by cherry blossom trees.

While you can still find all these things, and much more, first impressions of Kyoto can be disappointing. Decades of haphazard urban development and a too-visible industrial sector have affected the Kyoto landscape; in some areas you could be anywhere in Japan. However, new ordinances passed by the city government in 2007, limiting the height of new buildings and banning rooftop advertising, indicate that more serious thought is being given to preserving Kyoto's visual environment. Yet, regardless of all the trappings of the modern world, Kyoto remains notoriously exclusive, a place where outsiders struggle to peek through the centuries-thick layer of cultural sophistication into the city's secretive soul.

The vast amount of culture and history to explore in Kyoto is quite mind-boggling, yet despite this, it's perfectly possible to get a good feel for Kyoto even within just a couple of days. Top priority should go to the eastern, Higashiyama district, where the walk north from famous Kiyomizu-dera to Ginkaku-ji takes in a whole raft of fascinating temples, gardens and museums. It's also worth heading for the northwestern hills to contemplate the superb Zen gardens of Daitoku-ji and Ryōan-ji, before taking in the wildly extravagant Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji. The highlight of the central sights is Nijō-jō, a lavishly decorated seventeenth-century palace, while nearby Nijō-jin'ya is an intriguing place riddled with secret passages and hidey-holes.

Tokyo

One of the world's most exciting cities, TOKYO is a fuel-injected adrenaline rush into a neon-bright future. But for all its cutting edge modernity, this ceaseless metropolis remains fiercely proud of its ancient heritage. Lively neighbourhood festivals are held virtually every day of the year, people regularly visit their local shrine or temple and scrupulously observe the passing seasons in lovingly tended gardens. And at this hyperactive city's centre lies the serene and mysterious Imperial Palace – the inviolate home of the emperor and a tangible link to the past.

But at first glance the city's beauty and traditions are not readily apparent. Filled with eyeball-searing neon and messy overhead cables, plagued by incessant noise, its freeways often clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic, this concrete-and-steel sardine can – the heart of which is home to at least eight million people – can come across as the stereotypical urban nightmare. Yet step back from the frenetic main roads and chances are you'll find yourself in a world of tranquil backstreets, where dinky wooden houses are fronted by neatly clipped bonsai trees; wander beyond the hi-tech emporia, and you'll discover temples and shrines where the trappings of contemporary Japan dissolve in wisps of smoking incense.

Tokyo's reputation as an expensive city is ill-deserved and you'll be pleasantly surprised by how affordable many things are. Cheap-and-cheerful izakaya (bars that serve food) and casual cafés serving noodles and rice dishes are plentiful, the metro is a bargain, and tickets for a sumo tournament or a Kabuki play can be bought for the price of a few drinks. Many of the city's highlights are free; among these you can choose from a stroll through Asakusa and the major Buddhist temple, Sensō-ji; a visit to the tranquil wooded grounds of Tokyo's premier shrine Meiji-Jingū and the adjacent fashion Mecca of Harajuku; the frenetic fish market at Tsukiji; or the crackling, neon-saturated atmosphere of Shinjuku or Shibuya. Simply walking the streets of this hyperactive city can be an energizing experience.

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Singapore

Singapore

A city as small as Singapore can be toured in just three days, many would say, but to see all the highlights and get beneath the skin of this charming place definitely warrants a longer stay. A tour planned around the major districts allows one to appreciate its history, people and rich cultural diversity in an optimal period of time. Here is the best of Singapore not to be missed.

Colonial Core

Singapore's architectural goldmine. Let yourself be whisked back in time to 1819, when Sir Stamford Raffles first stepped ashore and the Union Jack was raised. Still exuding a strong air of colonialism, are well restored government buildings, cathedrals and churches, notably Singapore Cricket Club , once a sports center for the British colonists. Esplanade Park makes for a pleasant stroll, while learning about the martyrs and heroes, for whom the various memorials in the park have been built. The city's finest museums also lie nestled in and around the district including the Singapore Art Museum , Asian Civilisations Museum , Singapore Philatelic Museum and Singapore History Museum . Just at the eastern outskirts of the colonial core stands the renowned Raffles Hotel . A modest museum on the third floor retells its legend.

Singapore River

This is the very origin of Singapore's prosperity, with the Merlion (the city's tourism icon) steadfastly standing guard at the mouth of the river. Quaint bridges span the river, ranging from the elegant Anderson Bridge to the simple Ord Bridge. Boat Quay , an excellent reincarnation of Peranakan shophouses and godowns, is a pleasant place to dine alfresco, with its long slew of chic cafes, restaurants and pubs. Further upstream is Clarke Quay , yet another series of restored shophouses, where a carnival atmosphere prevails at the fall of dusk. Come Sunday, a flea market thrives here, displaying an appealing range of old treasures, curios and collectibles. Other dining and entertainment attractions along the river include the Riverside Point, Riverside Village and Robertson Quay at the uppermost end.

Financial District

Home to the towering skyscrapers that lend Singapore its distinctive skyline. Over the years, building after building has battled to be the tallest; today, three have tied for the honors—OUB Building, UOB Building and Republic Plaza, all standing at the maximum permissible height of 280 meters. At one end near the mouth of the Singapore River is The Fullerton Singapore , a hotel built in the classical architecture that once dominated the district. Further south is Clifford Pier , built in 1931 and is today the embarkation point for cruises to neighboring islands. Another piece of old Singapore is the Lau Pa Sat Festival Market , a complete reconstruction of the first municipal market of 1894 that has been transformed into a thriving food centre—the perfect venue for relishing Asian cuisines at rock-bottom prices.

Chennai, India

Chennai,india

In the northeastern corner of Tamil Nadu on the Bay of Bengal, CHENNAI (still commonly referred to by its former British name, Madras) is India's fourth largest city, with a population nudging six and a half million. Hot, fast, congested and noisy, it's the major transportation hub of the south, and most travellers stay just long enough to book a ticket for somewhere else. The attractions of the city itself are sparse, though it does boast fine specimens of Raj architecture, pilgrimage sites connected with the apostle Doubting Thomas, superb Chola bronzes at its state museum, and classical music and dance performances.

As capital of Tamil Nadu, Chennai is, like Mumbai and Kolkata (Calcutta), a comparatively modern creation. It was founded by the British East India Company in 1639; a fortified trading post, completed on St George's Day in 1640, was named Fort St George. By 1700, the British had acquired neighbouring territory including Triplicane and Egmore, while over the course of the next century, as capital of the Madras Presidency, the city mushroomed to include many surrounding villages.

The city's renaissance began after Independence, when it became the centre of the Tamil movie industry, and a hotbed of Dravidiannationalism. Rechristened Chennai in 1997, the metropolis has boomed since the Indian economy opened up to foreign investment. The flip side of this rapid growth is that Chennai's infrastructure has been stretched to breaking point: poverty, oppressive heat and pollution are more likely to be your lasting impressions than the conspicuous affluence of the city's modern marble shopping malls.

Central Chennai is sandwiched between the Cooum and Adyar rivers, and crossed diagonally by the city's main thoroughfare, Anna Salai, the modern, commercial heart of the metropolis. To the east, this gives way to the atmospheric old Muslim quarters of Triplicane and a long straight Marina where fishermen mend nets and set small boats out to sea, and hordes of Indian tourists hitch up saris and trousers for a quick paddle. South of here, near the coast, Mylapore, inhabited in the 1500s by the Portuguese, boasts Kapalishvara Temple and San Thome Cathedral, both tourist attractions and places of pilgrimage.

Mumbai

Mumbai

Ever since the Suez Canal opened in 1869, the principal gateway to the Indian Subcontinent has been MUMBAI(Bombay). Many travellers regard time spent here as a rite of passage to be survived rather than savoured. But as the powerhouse of Indian business, industry and trade, and the source of its most seductive media images, the Maharashtrian capital can be a compelling place to kill time. Whether or not you find the experience enjoyable, however, will depend largely on how well you handle the heat, humidity, hassle, traffic fumes, relentless crowds and appalling poverty of India's most dynamic, Westernized city.

First impressions tend to be dominated by Mumbai's chronic shortage of space. Crammed onto a narrow spit of land that curls from the swamp-ridden coast into the Arabian Sea, the city has, in less than five hundred years metamorphosed from an aboriginal fishing settlement into a megalopolis of over sixteen million people – the biggest urban sprawl on the planet.

While it would be misleading to downplay its difficulties, Mumbai isn't always an ordeal. Once you've overcome the major hurdle of finding somewhere to stay, you may begin to enjoy its frenzied pace and crowded, cosmopolitan feel. The defining landmark is the Gateway of India. A five-minute walk north, the Prince of Wales Museum should be your next priority, for its flamboyant architecture as much as the art treasures inside. Up the road, the commercial hub of the city, Fort, is great for aimless wandering, with old-fashioned cafés, department stores and street stalls crammed between its Victorian piles. For a sense of why the city's founding fathers declared it Urbs Prima in Indis, press further north still to visit the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerely the Victoria Terminus, the high-water mark of Raj architecture.

Possibilities for an escape from the crowds include: an evening stroll along Marine Drive, bounding the western edge of the downtown area; the Muslim tomb of Haji Ali; and Elephanta, a rock-cut cave on an island in Mumbai harbour.