Tokyo
Japan's capital is a collection of very different neighbourhoods linked by one of the world's most efficient rail networks — from Asakusa's old temple streets to Shibuya's scramble crossing.
Japan destination guides
Detailed guides to 25 of Japan's most-visited cities and regions — neighbourhoods, top sights, food, where to stay, getting around, day trips and the best time to go.
Kyoto
Japan's imperial capital for over a thousand years, Kyoto is home to many of the country's most famous temples, shrines and gardens, plus a refined food culture.
Osaka
Friendly, loud and food-obsessed, Osaka is famous for street food, the neon of Dotonbori and an easy-going attitude — and it's a convenient base for Kyoto, Nara, Kobe and Himeji.
Sapporo & Hokkaido
Japan's northern island offers world-famous ski resorts and a snow festival in winter, lavender fields and national parks in summer, and outstanding seafood, dairy and ramen year-round.
Hiroshima & Miyajima
Rebuilt after the 1945 atomic bombing, Hiroshima is a lively, welcoming city whose Peace Memorial Park is a profound visit. Nearby Miyajima island is home to the 'floating' torii of Itsukushima Shrine.
Nara
Compact and walkable, Nara packs huge historic temples, ancient shrines and a park full of free-roaming deer into an easy day trip from Kyoto or Osaka.
Okinawa
Japan's southernmost prefecture is a chain of subtropical islands with beaches, diving, a culture shaped by the former Ryukyu Kingdom, and important WWII history.
Fukuoka
Kyushu's largest city is compact, easy-going and close to its airport, with open-air yatai food stalls, Hakata ramen, beaches and quick connections to Nagasaki, Beppu and Kumamoto.
Nagoya
Often overlooked, Nagoya offers a famous castle, industry and railway museums, Ghibli Park and its own distinctive 'Nagoya meshi' cuisine — and it's the gateway to Takayama, Ise and the Kiso Valley.
Kanazawa
A beautifully preserved castle town on the Sea of Japan coast, Kanazawa is famous for Kenroku-en garden, samurai and teahouse districts, crafts, and superb seafood.
Hakone & Mt Fuji
Two classic escapes from Tokyo: Hakone's onsen resorts, art museums and volcanic valley, and the Fuji Five Lakes area right at the foot of Mt Fuji — plus the option of climbing the mountain itself in summer.
Nikko
North of Tokyo, Nikko combines the extravagantly decorated Toshogu Shrine with a national park of waterfalls, lakes, hot springs and hiking — one of Japan's best autumn-colour destinations.
Yokohama
Japan's second-largest city sits just south of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. It grew from a small fishing village into Japan's main gateway to the West after its port opened in 1859, and today it has a breezy waterfront, historic Western-style districts and a big food scene.
Kamakura
Kamakura was the seat of Japan's first shogunate from the late 12th century. Today this seaside town is packed with temples and shrines, with forested hiking trails and surf beaches close by, making it Tokyo's most popular cultural day trip.
Takayama
Hida-Takayama is a small mountain city with one of Japan's best-preserved old towns, famous sake breweries, morning markets and a spring and autumn festival rated among the most beautiful in the country.
Shirakawa-go
Shirakawa-go's village of Ogimachi is famous for gassho-zukuri farmhouses, whose steep thatched roofs resemble hands pressed together in prayer. Together with Gokayama it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.
Kobe
Squeezed between the Rokko mountains and Osaka Bay, Kobe is a stylish, cosmopolitan port with a historic foreigners' quarter, a lively Chinatown, great food and easy access to one of Japan's oldest hot spring towns.
Himeji
Himeji Castle, nicknamed the 'White Heron Castle', is the largest and best-preserved of Japan's original castles and one of the country's first UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city around it is compact and easy to visit in half a day.
Miyajima
Miyajima (officially Itsukushima) is a sacred island near Hiroshima whose vermilion shrine and great torii gate appear to float on the sea at high tide. It's one of Japan's classic views and an easy half-day or overnight trip.
Matsumoto
Matsumoto is a relaxed, walkable city in Nagano Prefecture, home to one of Japan's few original castle keeps, a lively crafts and café scene, and easy access to the Northern Alps.
Kawaguchiko & Fuji Five Lakes
The Fuji Five Lakes area on Mt Fuji's northern side offers some of the closest, clearest views of the mountain, with Lake Kawaguchiko as the main base for ropeways, lakeside walks, onsen hotels and the iconic Chureito Pagoda.
Naoshima & the Art Islands
Naoshima and its neighbours Teshima and Inujima form Benesse Art Site Naoshima, where architect Tadao Ando's museums, installations by artists such as Yayoi Kusama and James Turrell, and village art projects blend with island life.
Sendai
Sendai is the largest city in northeastern Japan, a green, easy-going place founded by the famous one-eyed warlord Date Masamune. It's the natural hub for Matsushima's islands, the mountain temple of Yamadera and hot spring towns.
Kagoshima
Kagoshima, at the southern tip of Kyushu, faces Sakurajima — one of Japan's most active volcanoes — across a bay. It's a sunny, laid-back city with a big role in the Meiji Restoration, great food and a gateway to Yakushima.
Nagasaki
For more than two centuries Nagasaki was Japan's main window to the outside world. Its hilly streets mix Dutch, Chinese and Portuguese influences, Christian heritage sites and the peace memorials marking the 1945 atomic bombing.
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