Japan Travel Guide

Japan travel rewards almost every kind of interest, and it is one of the easiest big destinations to get around once you know a few basics. The country has more than 14,000 islands and about 378,000 square kilometres, but most visitors focus on the main island of Honshu, where Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and the Japanese Alps sit within a few hours of each other by train. Temples, castles, gardens and craft traditions sit beside robotics, anime culture and some of the world’s most advanced transport.

Japan suits first-time visitors to Asia as well as seasoned travellers, because the transport network is reliable, streets are clean and crime is low. It is especially good for food lovers, since quality is high from convenience stores and ramen counters up to multi-course dinners. English signage is common in cities and on trains, but expect less English in small towns. The trade-offs are crowds at famous sites, a weak yen that changes costs from year to year, and the need to plan popular rail and restaurant bookings ahead.

The best places to visit in Japan are linked by the Shinkansen bullet train, so you can combine a big city, a heritage town and some countryside without flying.

Tokyo

The capital is a collection of distinct districts: Shibuya and Shinjuku for neon and crowds, Asakusa for Sensō-ji temple and old-town streets, and Ueno for museums and parks. Allow at least three days, and use the subway and an IC card to move around.

Kyoto

Kyoto was the imperial capital for over a thousand years and has 17 UNESCO-listed sites, including Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji and the Fushimi Inari shrine with its rows of red gates. Go early in the morning to avoid the crowds, and allow three days.

Osaka and Nara

Osaka is Japan’s food capital, known for street food around Dotonbori, plus Osaka Castle. Nara, about 45 minutes away, has friendly deer in its park and Tōdai-ji’s giant bronze Buddha.

Hiroshima and Miyajima

Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park and museum are sobering and well presented. Nearby Miyajima has the floating torii gate and hiking trails.

Hakone, Mount Fuji and the Alps

Hakone offers hot springs and views of Mount Fuji on clear days, about 90 minutes from Tokyo. Takayama and Shirakawa-go show mountain village life and thatched farmhouses.

Hokkaido and Okinawa

Hokkaido has skiing, volcanic landscapes and seafood in winter and cool summers. Okinawa has beaches and a distinct island culture.

The top things to do in Japan combine culture, food and scenery, and many can be done in a single day from a city base.

• Walk the Fushimi Inari gates: the trail up the hill in Kyoto is open day and night and is quietest before 8 am.
• Cross Shibuya and visit Meiji Shrine: see the famous crossing, then walk through the forest to Tokyo’s major Shinto shrine.
• Ride the Shinkansen: the Tokyo to Kyoto bullet train takes about 2 hours 15 minutes, with views of Mount Fuji on the right in clear weather.
• Soak in an onsen: hot-spring baths in Hakone, Kinosaki or Beppu suit tired legs. Learn the rules on tattoos and washing first.
• Eat in Osaka’s Dotonbori: takoyaki, okonomiyaki and kushikatsu are the local specialities.
• Stay in a ryokan: traditional inns offer tatami rooms, futon beds and multi-course dinners.
• Visit Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial: the museum and A-Bomb Dome tell the city’s story.
• See Nara’s deer and Tōdai-ji: an easy half-day trip from Kyoto or Osaka.
• Hike a section of the Kumano Kodo or Nakasendo: historic pilgrimage and post-town trails with guesthouses along the way.
• Watch cherry blossoms or autumn leaves: parks and temples fill with picnickers during the short seasons.

The best time to visit Japan is late March to April for cherry blossom and October to November for autumn colour, when weather is mild and clear. Both seasons are busy and expensive, especially around Golden Week (late April to early May) and the blossom peak in Kyoto. Summer is hot and humid, with a rainy season from June to mid-July, and typhoons can affect travel from August to October.

Blossom and leaf dates shift each year, so check forecasts and keep hotel bookings flexible where possible.

Is Japan safe? Yes, it is one of the safest countries for travellers, with very low rates of violent crime and petty theft. Lost wallets and phones are regularly returned. The main risks are natural: earthquakes, typhoons, heavy rain and summer heat. Check your government’s travel advice, such as the UK FCDO or US State Department pages, before you book.

Earthquakes. Japan sits on several tectonic plates and has frequent small tremors. Learn the evacuation instructions in your hotel, and use the official alert app. Tsunami warnings are taken seriously on the coast.

Weather. Typhoons between August and October can cancel trains and flights. Summer heat can be dangerous, so drink water and take breaks indoors. Mountain weather turns quickly, so carry appropriate gear on hikes.

Crime and scams. Targeting of tourists is uncommon, but drink-spiking and overpriced bars occur in nightlife districts such as Kabukichō in Tokyo. Be careful with touts who offer free entry. Pickpocketing is rare but possible in crowded stations.

Health and rules. Medical care is excellent but can be costly, so take travel insurance. Some common medicines, including certain stimulant-containing cold remedies, are restricted, so check before you pack.

Japan visa rules depend on your nationality. Citizens of many countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most EU states, can enter visa-free for tourist stays of up to 90 days, while others need a visa or an e-visa obtained in advance. Because this can change, confirm the current rule for your passport with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan or your nearest Japanese embassy.

Bring a passport valid for your whole stay. At immigration you are fingerprinted and photographed. Japan has offered an online service called Visit Japan Web that lets you pre-register immigration and customs details, which can speed up arrival, so check whether it is available when you travel. Keep proof of onward travel and accommodation.

Customs rules are strict on some items, including certain prescription medicines and drugs that are legal elsewhere. Declare large amounts of cash if required. For heritage planning, the UNESCO page for Japan lists the country’s World Heritage sites, but it does not cover entry rules.

Most international visitors land at Tokyo’s Narita or Haneda airports, or at Osaka’s Kansai International Airport. Haneda is closer to central Tokyo, about 30 minutes by train, while Narita takes around an hour. Long-haul flights also serve Nagoya, Fukuoka and Sapporo.

Trains are the best way to travel. The Shinkansen links Tokyo with Kyoto in about 2 hours 15 minutes, Osaka in about 2.5 hours and Hiroshima in about 4 hours. Local and regional lines serve almost everywhere else. The Japan Rail Pass became considerably more expensive in 2023, so compare it with point-to-point tickets for your route; for a Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka trip, individual tickets are often cheaper.

In cities, use subway and rail lines with a rechargeable IC card such as Suica or Pasmo, which also work in many shops and vending machines. Taxis are clean but expensive. Driving is on the left and is worth considering only in rural areas such as Hokkaido, Kyushu or Okinawa, where you need an International Driving Permit under the 1949 convention. Domestic low-cost flights help reach Hokkaido and Okinawa.

A trip to Japan costs less than many visitors expect, especially when the yen is weak against your home currency. The currency is the Japanese yen (JPY). Figures below are rough per-person guides for 2026, excluding international flights, and prices spike during blossom season and Golden Week.

• Budget: around JPY 8,000 to 13,000 per day, with hostels or capsule hotels, ramen and conveniences stores, and regional trains or buses.
• Mid-range: around JPY 15,000 to 25,000 per day, with business hotels or small inns, restaurant meals and some Shinkansen travel.
• High-end: from JPY 40,000 per day, with ryokan stays, kaiseki dinners and reserved train seats.

Accommodation is the main variable, with Tokyo and Kyoto costing most in peak season. Intercity trains are the next biggest cost, so book a route that avoids backtracking. Food is the best bargain, since a good ramen, curry or set lunch often costs JPY 1,000 to 1,500. Temple and museum entries are usually a few hundred to JPY 2,000. Tax-free shopping is available for visitors in many stores.

Japan food is regional, seasonal and taken seriously, and some of the best meals cost very little. Many restaurants specialise in one dish, so choosing a place means choosing what to eat.

• Sushi and sashimi: from conveyor-belt shops to counters where a chef serves piece by piece. Tsukiji’s outer market and coastal towns are good for fresh fish.
• Ramen: noodles in soy, miso, salt or pork-bone broth. Order at a ticket machine in many shops.
• Tempura and tonkatsu: light fried vegetables and seafood, or breaded pork cutlet.
• Okonomiyaki and takoyaki: Osaka and Hiroshima savoury pancakes and octopus balls.
• Kaiseki: multi-course seasonal meals in Kyoto, often served at ryokan.
• Wagyu and yakitori: premium beef, plus grilled skewers at evening izakaya bars.
• Drinks: sake, shochu, Japanese whisky, green tea and canned coffee from vending machines.

Convenience stores sell good sandwiches, rice balls and hot meals. Vegetarians and vegans should plan carefully, because dashi (fish stock) appears in many dishes, though shōjin ryōri temple cuisine is fully plant-based. Allergy translation cards help. Eating while walking is frowned upon, and slurping noodles is fine.

Japanese is the national language, written in three scripts. English is spoken in tourist hotels but less in restaurants and small towns, so a translation app and a few phrases such as arigatō (thank you), sumimasen (excuse me) and itadakimasu (said before eating) go a long way. Station and train announcements in major cities include English.

Politeness and consideration for others shape daily behaviour. Remove your shoes in homes, ryokan, temples and some restaurants, and use the slippers provided. Keep quiet on trains, avoid talking on phones, and queue in lines at platforms. Do not tip, because it can cause confusion; if you wish to show thanks, say so with a bow or a word.

Wash and rinse before entering an onsen, and keep towels out of the water. Many onsen restrict visible tattoos, although more are relaxing the rule, so check first. At temples and shrines, follow the signs on purifying and bowing, and do not take photographs where banned. Chopstick etiquette matters: never stand them upright in rice or pass food from chopstick to chopstick. Present business cards and gifts with two hands.

This first-timer route uses the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka and keeps backtracking to a minimum.

1. Day 1, Tokyo: arrive, then walk Shibuya and Shinjuku in the evening and eat at a local izakaya.
2. Day 2, Tokyo: visit Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, and the Asakusa district with Sensō-ji.
3. Day 3, Hakone or Nikko: take a day trip for onsen and Fuji views, or temples and forest, returning to Tokyo.
4. Day 4, Tokyo to Kyoto: take the Shinkansen in about 2 hours 15 minutes, then visit Gion and Kiyomizu-dera.
5. Day 5, Kyoto: walk Fushimi Inari early, then Kinkaku-ji and the Arashiyama bamboo grove.
6. Day 6, Nara and Osaka: see Tōdai-ji and the deer in the morning, then move to Osaka for Dotonbori at night.
7. Day 7, return: visit Osaka Castle if time allows, then take the airport train to Kansai International, about 50 minutes.

With extra days, add Hiroshima and Miyajima. In winter, replace Hakone with a ski or onsen stop in the Japanese Alps.

• Money: the yen is the local currency. Cards are widely accepted in cities, but cash is still needed at small restaurants, shrines and rural inns. Convenience-store and post-office ATMs accept most foreign cards.
• SIM and eSIM: eSIMs and prepaid data SIMs are easy to buy and coverage is excellent. Free Wi-Fi is patchy, so mobile data helps with maps and translation.
• Plugs: types A and B at 100 V, the same plug shape as North America but a slightly lower voltage. Most modern chargers handle it.
• Tipping: not customary and can offend. Service is included.
• Health: bring insurance, sunscreen in summer and any prescription medicine with a doctor’s letter. Pharmacies are common.
• Packing: slip-on shoes for temples and homes, a light rain jacket, and a small bag for rubbish, since public bins are scarce.
• Luggage: large suitcases do not fit well on trains, so use luggage forwarding services between hotels.
• Booking: reserve popular restaurants and rail seats in advance for blossom season and Golden Week.

For more background, see the Wikivoyage Japan guide.