Sapporo

Sapporo needs 2 days: the city center and its famous historic brewery on one, and a ski trip or the Nijo fish market on the other. June-August is the only truly warm season in this northern Japanese city, since winters are long with extreme snowfall. It's cheaper than Tokyo or Kyoto, with a notably lower cost of living. It's the capital of Hokkaido island and home to Japan's most famous Snow Festival every February, when giant ice sculptures take over the city, though in summer it offers cool weather that makes it a refuge from the humid heat of the rest of the country.