[MidnightSun]

Thank you John and kujiratyan for your replies, and sorry for the vague questions - there seems to be so much to see in th 4-5 week timeframe and i'm not quite sure where to begin!

Perhaps i should have made my "places of interest" question more specific to ask if there were any places in Japan (particularly shrines, temples, castles) you have been to from personal experience that you would recommend to others?

Thanks again for your time

Alex