Gilles Peterson, 44, was raised in London, where he became a regular DJ in clubs such as Dingwalls. He co-founded the Acid Jazz and Talkin’ Loud record labels, home to artists such as Jamiroquai and Courtney Pine. He hosts a show on Radio 1 and has just released his latest compilation, Bubblers Three, on Brownswood Recordings. He lives in north London with his wife, Atsuko, and their two children, aged 10 and 6

My wife is Japanese and our best holidays have been in Japan. It’s such a fascinating country, and feels very different and exotic, but I also feel totally at home there.

Atsuko is from Kyoto, which is my favourite city. It’s a really beautiful place, surrounded by hills, with a wonderful light and sense of peacefulness. It’s a country town, with traditional buildings and beautiful gardens rather than the skyscrapers and bustle of the big cities. The only downside is that you get a lot of tourists. But, as long as I can avoid wealthy Americans complaining about sea urchins, I’m happy.

The Japanese are masters of relaxation. Their spas, or onsens, are total art forms. Last time we visited, we stayed at Shiroganeya Onsen outside Kyoto. Built in 1624, it was where high-ranking samurais came for rest and relaxation. As soon as you arrive, you get rid of all your clothes and wear traditional Japanese dress between bathing sessions. When you’ve been burning yourself out for a few months, it’s the best possible way to recuperate.

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Shiroganeya was the first place where I could truly say that the waters had magical properties. I felt a total transition as soon as I immersed myself. It was quite a powerful experience.

The one thing we have never done in Japan is to ski. My wife wants to try Sapporo, which hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics. She loves the mountains, but is not so fond of the cheese fondues you have to eat in the Alps, so it would suit her perfectly.

Even so, we go skiing for a week every year in Europe. My 10-year-old is probably better than me: he’s a great skiing partner, although we are about to part company on the slopes, as next year he wants to snowboard. I used to indulge until I broke my ribs in Chamonix. I was showing off and landed flat on my chest on top of the bunch of keys that were in my jacket pocket. It was extremely painful and I was completely out of it for three months. Once you reach the age of 35, snowboarding becomes extremely risky. From now on, it’s strictly skis.

In terms of air miles, I must be one of the busiest British DJs, so when I’m not working I try to avoid polluting the environment any more and stay closer to home. We’ve had some fantastic breaks in Kent and Sussex. We stayed, not long ago, at the Royal Oak, in East Lavant, near West Wittering, a traditional pub with great food, and beautiful rooms with views across the fields. The Witterings have huge, sandy beaches and beautiful coastal walks, and are within an hour’s drive of London.

If you get the weather, it makes you wonder why anyone ever bothers going abroad.

The other place we visit a lot is Normandy. My mum is French: I was born in Caen, and we used to go there every holiday. I am assured we had wonderful times, though my enduring memory was of the nauseating car ferry, which put me off going as an adult.

We ventured on board again a few years ago and the ferry was unbelievable. It had three restaurants, two cinemas and nice cabins with windows. It was lovely, so we started going again. We stay in a little village called Pont d’Ouilly, a peaceful place on the banks of the Orne. The kids go kayaking and fishing, and have the time of their lives.

A place I’ve recently discovered, and become slightly obsessed with, is Bergen, in Norway. In a strange way, it reminds me of Rio: it’s a compact town, surrounded by hills with a beach, although the music scene is entirely different.

At the moment, my sensor is definitely pointing me towards Scandinavia and Iceland for future holidays. The area has beautiful deserted beaches in summer and great skiing in winter, but what I really hanker after is a cruise along the fjords, stopping off at places along the way. That would be entirely suitable for over-35s: much less risky than snowboarding.

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