Check our extensive guides to destinations and places to visit all over Japan to help you travel and get around, and find what to do and see in each location.
Find the best points of interest you can visit by train, how to get there, main attractions and off the beaten tracks suggestions in Japan’s four islands.
Traveling from Osaka to Kyoto and back is easier than ever. The two cities are well-connected and there are numerous travel options.
The fastest way to travel from Osaka to Kyoto and back is by rail, and there are 4 different lines you can take. Using your JR Pass, you can catch a Shinkansen bullet train which only takes around 15 minutes.
Osaka might not exude beauty the way Kyoto might, but the city definitely has charm, color, and great food. Set in the Kansai region, Japan’s third largest city is extremely well connected and has plenty of surprises in store.
If you’re a foodie, Osaka is the place to be. Its unofficial slogan is kruidaore which means ‘eat until you drop’. A highly photogenic spot in the city is Dōtombori, here you will find several pedestrian streets and numerous illuminated billboards. One of the most famous signs is the Glico Running Man.
Surrounding JR Tokyo’s Harajuku Station is an area known as Harajuku. It has been called “the center of Japan’s most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles”, and as such draws a youthful crowd from across Japan and around the world. The most prominent area of this Harajuku style is Takeshita Dori, or Takeshita Street, along with its side roads, all of which are lined with shops, restaurants, and food stands.
Harajuku is not only a land of youthful fantasy, however. It is also home to historic sites and shopping venues catering to adults. If you plan on visiting this district of Tokyo, allow the following travel guide to show you the ways in which Harajuku has something to offer for any age group.
Japan has hosted the Winter Olympics twice and holds the world record for the deepest ever snow cover, so it’s no wonder that snowboarding and skiing holidays in Japan are only growing in popularity. There are hundreds of high quality resorts on both Honshu and the northern island of Hokkaido for foreign thrillseekers to explore.
Japan is famed for its large amounts of quality dry powder snow. Many resorts average 10-18 meters of annual snowfall, and four or five days of fresh powder snow a week during the ski season. There are also a ton of exceptionally well-maintained routes, as grooming is heavily practiced on Japan’s pistes.
Niigata Prefecture is well known for its quality rice, summer fireworks, winter skiing, and year-round onsen. The prefecture’s capital, Niigata City, represents the largest port on the Chubu Region’s Japan Sea coast and is home to more than 800 thousand people.
One of Niigata’s most famous landmarks is the six arches of the Bandai Bridge. The bridge was completed in 1929, is illuminated at night, and supports 20,000 dancers during the annual daiminyonagashi, or Folk Dancing Parade. However, the bridge represents just one of the many appealing attractions that Niigata has to offer.
Mount Fuji, Japan’s iconic peak, is a must-visit destination for travelers in Tokyo. Just a short trip from the capital, this UNESCO World Heritage site offers breathtaking views and countless activities.
A day-trip from Tokyo to Mt Fuji and the lesser known Hakone five lakes area is among the favorite experiences of many travelers to Japan.
