Tokyo is a bustling metropolis, a busy and populous neon city. If you’re visiting Tokyo but looking to slow the pace and enjoy the great outdoors, nearby Mount Takao may be just the ticket. Mount Takao offers autumn leaf and cherry blossom viewing, hiking, sky lifts, animal encounters, and historic temples.
2018 cherry blossom forecast for Japan
The Japanese cherry blossom, or sakura, has long been adored by people across the globe. It is regarded as a symbol of renewal, vitality, and beauty. During the spring season of each year, thousands travel to Japan to view the wondrous spectacle of these white or pink flowers blooming en masse.
Update: The latest forecast has been released (April 12)! Blooming dates have arrived ahead this year. Please check again for updates on the 2018 forecast in many major cities of Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto.
Golden Week 2018: dates and travel tips
What is Golden Week? In Japan, the Golden Week is a series of four national holidays that take place within one week at the end of April to the beginning of May each year. It is often considered a time of vacation for the Japanese people, and many people receive time off from their secular employment on these bank holidays.
Autumn Colors in Japan: 2018 Fall Foliage Forecast
When many people picture the beautiful scenery of Japan, they imagine the swaying springtime blossoms of ume, or plum, and sakura cherry trees. While the flowering white, pink, purple, and red trees of spring do bespeckle the landscape with breathtaking color, there is another turning of the seasons in Japan that is not to be missed.
5 days in Tokyo itinerary and what to do
You’ve got just five days to explore one of the largest, most vibrant cities in the world – Tokyo, Japan. With the help of this travel guide, you’ll be able to make the best use of your time – and your Japan Rail Pass – to glimpse all that the Neon City has to offer.
This guide is designed to appeal to travelers with a wide range of interests, including anime and manga fans, history buffs, foodies, and nature lovers. If one “day” of this itinerary is more interesting to you than another, feel free to expand that day’s activities while omitting others. You can also check our Tokyo 3-day itinerary if you plan to stay shorter!
Best things to do in Osaka: 3 days itinerary
You’ve got three days – three days to tour the second largest city in Japan. What should you see first? Can you taste the best that Osaka has to offer in just three days? With the help of this travel guide, yes you can. We’ll help you hit the highlights and provide helpful information along the way.
History of the Shinkansen: The Japanese bullet train
The Shinkansen are Japan’s gleaming symbol of technological development, its fast and efficient means of transportation. The Shinkansen are bullet trains that connect cities throughout Japan¡s high speed railways.
Most visitors to Japan desire to experience the Shinkansen trains, which attain top speeds in excess of 320 kilometers per hour (199 miles per hour), although most regular trains don’t go beyond 300 km/h. Tourists may not realize, however, all that has gone into making this unique rapid transportation possible.
Today’s bullet train system is over fifty years in the making. It is also one of the safest means of transportation, one of the few transit systems in the world that can boast of having no fatal accidents across its long history. In this article, we will consider some of the major events that have made Japan’s rail system the one you can today enjoy with the Japan Rail Pass.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics with the Japan Rail Pass
Some would consider it the trip of a lifetime: attending the 2020 Olympic Games in the bustling city of Tokyo, Japan. Tourists are already scrambling find tickets. The games, often simply called Tokyo 2020, are scheduled to take place from July 24 to August 9 of that year. Over twelve thousand athletes from two hundred and seven countries are expected to participate in thirty-three types of summer sports.
The Tokyo Monorail: Haneda Airport Transfer
The Tokyo Monorail Haneda Airport Line, often called simply the Tokyo Monorail, began operation in 1964. It was the first commercial monorail system in the world. The elevated straddle-beam monorail line parallels the coast of Tokyo Bay. Travelers can enjoy seaside views, and on clear days, Mount Fuji is visible in the distance.
Haneda Airport is ideal for travelers wishing to reach Tokyo, as it is much closer to the city center than Tokyo’s Narita Airport. It is also the busiest airport in Japan. The Tokyo Monorail is there to ease this inherent congestion and make travel to and from the airport an excursion in itself.
Plum blossoms in Japan: Best places and 2018 forecast
People throughout the world are familiar with the famous Japanese cherry blossoms. They may have attended any of the numerous cherry blossom festivals held each year in the United States and elsewhere, or they may have thrilled to the sound of “Sakura Sakura”, a traditional Japanese folk song celebrating this beautiful flower.
Before the cherry blossoms emerge, however, another beautiful tree graces the island of Japan. Mid-February marks the start of spring and the beginning of the plum blossom season. If you want to see the plum blossoms in 2018, keep on reading!