15 Jul Hiking poles are a good idea to help avoid knee pain (especially during the descent)

Even travellers with little interest in the war should not leave the city without visiting

Hotels and restaurants From the Fifth Stations up, dozens of mountain huts offer hikers simple hot meals in addition to a place to sleep. Most huts allow you to rest inside as long as you order something. Conditions in mountain huts are spartan (a blanket on the floor sandwiched between other climbers), but reservations are recommended and are essential on weekends. It's also important to let huts know if you decide to cancel at the last minute; be prepared to pay to cover the cost of your no-show. Good choice mountain huts include Fujisan Hotel, Higashi Fuji Lodge and Taishikan. Camping on the mountain is not permitted, other than at the designated campsite near the Fuji Subaru Line Fifth Station (aka Kawaguchi-ko Fifth Station).

Tickets and other practicalities Tickets to enter the museum are 40,000d for adults, and 20,000d for children aged 6-16

To understand the US invasion of Vietnam, and contextualize its devastating impact on the country's civilians, this remarkable and deeply moving museum is an essential visit. Many of the atrocities documented here are already well publicized, but it's rare to visit a museum such as this, where the victims of US military action are given the space to tell their side of the story. While most of the displays are written from a Vietnamese perspective, much of the disturbing photography of war atrocities come from US sources, including the images of the My Lai massacre, where more than 500 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians were brutally killed by US soldiers. Its absorbing exhibits give visitors an invaluable insight into a defining chapter in the country's history – and a deeper understanding of present-day Vietnam as a result.