Travel Guides

Traveling can be a hungry endeavor. If you are like many travelers, sampling unique and different foods is an integral part of the journey.

Whether you are looking to grab a quick snack during a train transfer, pass the time as you await your departure, or indulge in traditional or gourmet cuisine, Japan’s train stations offer something for every taste. Extended hours and shorter wait times mean you can count on something to eat almost any time of day, whether you are starting your travels early on returning after a long day of sightseeing. Book your Japan Rail Pass today, and send your taste buds on the journey of a lifetime.

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Japanese fireworks festivals, known as hanabi festivals, are a highlight of summer travel in Japan. Many of the country’s best-known displays take place in July and August, although some major fireworks competitions are held later in the year.

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Across Japan, you will encounter celebrations called matsuri. Matsuri are festivals, ranging from Shinto shrine festivals to government holidays to food festivals. They may celebrate the changing of the seasons, a historical event, or traditional culture. In this travel guide, we will focus on a specific type of matsuri: the food festival.

When traveling abroad, sampling traditional cuisine is one of the best ways to experience authentic culture. Said cookbook author Ronni Lundy, “If you read between the lines of recipes, you can often find the things unspoken, the clues to their lives, the keys to discovering what they value. You see what’s important enough to make for a celebration… it’s all there, just between the lines.”

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The cherry blossom is an iconic symbol of Japan. Encompassing the renewal of spring, the beautiful cherry blossom is celebrated wherever Japanese cherry trees grow, throughout the world. To truly experience the majesty of the annual cherry blossom festivals, however, one must travel to the heart of it all – to Japan itself.

Before you board your international flight, there are a few things you should know, such as the cultural significance of the cherry blossom, when and where to see them, and how to capture the best cherry blossom photographs.

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Golden Week is a series of 4 national holidays that take place within 7 days. It typically falls at the end of April and the beginning of May each year.

Golden Week is one of the longest holiday periods on the Japanese calendar — many locals get time off work to enjoy the bank holidays. 2026 is a bumper year for festivals, as Silver Week also falls this year.

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If you are traveling to Japan for the first time, you may be concerned about something known as the “language barrier” – that inexplicable inability to communicate with others due to speaking a different language. Should you stress if you don’t speak any Japanese? Simply put, the answer is no!

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