Destinations

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.

Studio Ghibli Museum: Access and tickets

Located in Tokyo’s Mikata district, the Studio Ghibli Museum was established by Hayao Miyazaki, a master of Japanese anime. Miyazaki is the director behind award-winning, acclaimed childhood films such as My Neighbor Totoro (1988), Spirited Away (2001), and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004),

The museum is an interactive experience dedicated to a studio often called the ‘Disney of Japan’ and is suitable for the entire family. It identifies itself as “a portal to a storybook world” and boasts a number of exhibits including enormous statues of Ghibli characters and exclusive short films.
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Ikebukuro Station Travel Guide

Tokyo’s Ikebukuro Station is one of the busiest train stations in the world, second only to Shinjuku Station. The station has a long history, having opened in 1903. In 1903, around 28,000 passengers used the train station each day. Today, that number is over two million, including local commuter as well as tourist traffic.

Ikebukuro is the main station in the north-west of Tokyo. This shopping and entertainment district boasts unique shops and indoor theme parks, many of which cater to the anime and manga fandom. Use this guide to find your way around Ikebukuro Station.

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Shinagawa Station Travel Guide

Shinagawa Station is among the oldest train stations in Japan, having opened its doors in 1872. Interestingly, the station became operational four months prior to the inauguration of the first railway in Japan.

While none of the original structure remains, Shinagawa Station continues to play a role in the rail history of Japan. The introduction of the Shinkansen bullet trains to Shinagawa helped alleviate the congestion of other busy Tokyo stations. In less than a decade, Shinagawa will be among the first stations in the world to host the innovative, gravity-defying maglev train.

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Shinjuku Station Travel Guide

Shinjuku is one of the 23 wards of Tokyo, and it is home to a large shopping and entertainment district surrounding Shinjuku Station. Shinjuku is the busiest rail station in the world, with more than two million passengers gracing its corridors each day.

Shinjuku is a station with a long history. It first opened in 1885 on what is now the Yamanote line. Additional lines brought an influx of commuter traffic, urging the city’s growth.

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Tokyo Station Travel Guide

Tokyo Station is the largest and busiest train terminal in Japan. More than 3,000 trains depart the station each day, providing transportation for over 400,000 passengers. It is located in the Marunouchi business district, not far from the Imperial Palace. During the Edo Period, this area was located within the outer moats of the castle.

Tokyo itself is a bustling metropolis, often the first part of Japan that international travelers experience. Learning how to utilize Tokyo Station as a transportation hub will help make your vacation enjoyable and worry-free.

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Namba Station: Trains, transfers and getting around

Located in south-central Osaka, Namba is one of the city’s most famous neighborhoods. At the heart of the city, Namba pulses with a life uniquely its own. It is an entertainment district with an abundance of shops and restaurants.

When using your Japan Rail Pass to tour Namba, the number of train stations in the area can prove confusing. Why? Because Namba is home to four different train stations: Namba Station, Nankai Namba Station, Osaka Namba Station, and JR Namba Station (formerly Minatomachi Station). Learn to navigate Namba like a pro with this helpful guide.

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