Art direction: Steve Nakamura

Crisp chilly air, clear blue skies − winter in Tokyo is beautiful. Sure, you’d want to soak in an onsen all the time, like the one on the bonkers cover of our winter issue, on shelf from December 21, but you’d be missing out. There's also seasonal seafood – crab, oysters, lobster, buri – hot sake, plum blossoms, winter festivals...

We cover all that and so much more in our guide to winter in Tokyo, highlighting great things to do, eat and drink from January to March. You'll find our picks of the best seasonal events, a rundown of Japan's best winter warmers and tips on catching the clearest views of Mt Fuji, plus insider tips from Cookie, the fearless bathing comedian pictured above.

In addition, we eat our way through an entire yakitori menu, visit some of the city's tiniest bars, learn the art of traditional indigo dyeing and pick out the best indoor spots to visit with kids.