Plan your Japan trip
Travel guides, curated places and city overviews for your trip to Japan — all in one place to make planning easier.
Cities
Tokyo
Where hyper-modern design meets ancient tradition. Tokyo rewards the curious — from Shibuya's energy to Yanaka's quiet lanes.
Kyoto
A city that breathes with the seasons. Temples, tea houses, and gardens — Kyoto is Japan at its most contemplative.
Osaka
Japan's kitchen. Direct, generous, and unapologetically delicious. Osaka is where you eat your way through neighborhoods.
Hakone
Hot springs, mountain air, and views of Fuji. A short escape from Tokyo that feels like stepping into a woodblock print.
Nara
Ancient capital, gentle deer, and massive wooden temples. Nara has a stillness that Kyoto has mostly outgrown.
Kanazawa
A compact city of tea districts, craft traditions, and calm streets that still feel lived in.
Featured guides
Kanazawa First Trip: When Is the Detour Worth It?
Kanazawa works when you want culture, gardens, craft and calmer pacing without fragmenting the route.
Shopping in Japan First Trip: What Is Actually Worth the Time?
Shopping works better when planned by area, luggage and what is hard to find at home, not as scattered lists.
Hakone and Fuji with Children: Day Trip or Overnight?
The Fuji area with children needs weather margin, realistic transport and a clear choice between views, onsen and family energy.
Where to Stay in Kyoto with Family: Choose an Area Without Friction
For families, Kyoto accommodation is less about the prettiest district and more about walking distance, food, buses and easy exits.
Nara or Kamakura: Which Day Trip Fits Your Japan Route?
Nara and Kamakura play different roles. Choose the right day trip by base, pace, culture and trip length.
Osaka as a Kansai Base: When It Works Better Than Kyoto
Osaka can be the smarter Kansai base when evenings, price, day trips and transport matter more than temple atmosphere.
Stays
Stay · TokyoTrunk Hotel
Shibuya's design-forward boutique with a social conscience.
Stay · TokyoMUJI Hotel Ginza
Sleep inside the MUJI catalogue, then shop downstairs.
Stay · TokyoAman Tokyo
Paper, wood, and silence in the middle of the financial district.
Stay · TokyoPark Hyatt Tokyo
Floating above Shinjuku with the restraint of a Nordic living room.
Stay · HakoneHakone Retreat Fore
A forest onsen retreat with Scandinavian clarity.
Stay · OsakaW Osaka
Tadao Ando's crystalline tower on Osaka's main boulevard.
Food
Eat · NaraTsukihitei
Kaiseki in a thatched-roof cottage in Nara's ancient forest.
Eat · OsakaMizuno
Dotonbori's yamaimo okonomiyaki, fluffy and golden since 1945.
Eat · OsakaEndo Sushi
Market sushi at dawn, standing elbow to elbow with fishmongers.
Eat · OsakaAjinoya
Namba's okonomiyaki institution, griddling since 1965.
Eat · KyotoSteak Otsuka
Omi beef on a teppan, cooked by one man for forty years.
Eat · KyotoOmen Nippon
Hand-cut udon in a quiet room on the Philosopher's Path.
Sights
Sight · TokyoNezu Museum
Kengo Kuma's bamboo-screened museum hiding a secret garden.
Sight · TokyoteamLab Borderless
Digital art that dissolves walls, floors, and your sense of space.
Sight · TokyoMeiji Shrine
A century-old forest in the centre of Tokyo, planted by volunteers.
Sight · HakoneHakone Open-Air Museum
Sculpture and mountains in open conversation since 1969.
Sight · NaraNara Park
1,200 sacred deer roaming freely through temple grounds and forest.
Sight · NaraTodai-ji
The world's largest wooden building, holding a 15-metre bronze Buddha.
Guide categories
- 13 guides
Stays
Hotels, neighborhoods, and stay choices that make the trip easier.
- 26 guides
Planning
Transport, pacing, and practical trip-planning choices.
- 4 guides
Food & drink
Meals, cafes, and addresses worth the detour.
- 3 guides
Seasons
Dates, seasons, and recurring happenings to plan around.
- 28 guides
Itineraries
Ready-made routes for putting the days together more smoothly.
Updates
Tokyo Autumn Festival Guide
Tokyo Autumn Festival Guide.
- 25/04/2026
“Go, go go! Team Ōkyo – Maruyama Ōkyo and the Artists he Mentored” Exhibition
“Go, go go! Team Ōkyo – Maruyama Ōkyo and the Artists he Mentored” Exhibition. Date: 25 Apr 2026 - 27 Sep 2026. Venue: Saga Arashiyama Museum of Arts and Culture.
- 28/04/2026
TV Anime "Nihon Sangoku" Digital Stamp Rally -Four city tour- First installment: Osaka Prefecture
TV Anime "Nihon Sangoku" Digital Stamp Rally -Four city tour- First installment: Osaka Prefecture. Date: 28 Apr 2026 - 31 Dec 2026.