See Nara's deer among the temples$2–7
Sika deer roam freely around Tōdai-ji and its enormous bronze Buddha, an hour from Kyoto or Osaka.
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East Asia
Things to do in Japan
Precision and calm layered over neon and noise, often on the same block.
Explore Japan on the map →Budget$$$
Best for10-14 days
CapitalTokyo
VisaVisa-free 90 days for most US/UK/EU travelers
CurrencyJapanese yen (¥)
LanguagesJapanese
InternetExcellent
Typical lodging$60–$155/night
Driving sideLeft
Power & voltage100V / 50Hz (east) or 60Hz (west), Type A plug; most non-Japanese devices need a converter
Time zoneUTC+9
Emergency number110 (police) / 119 (fire, ambulance)
Dialing code+81
★★★★★ Culture★★★★★ Food★★★★★ Photography
Visa rules and emergency numbers can change without notice. Confirm the specifics for your nationality and dates before you travel.
Travel smart
Boil or use bottled water. Check locally. Not customary. Tipping can cause confusion.
Japan runs on seasons more than most places: what's worth seeing shifts week by week, tracked nationally. Blossom moves north for a month; autumn colour moves south for two. And volcanic geology means over 2,000 natural hot springs, most of them in small towns rather than resorts.
When to go
Cherry blossomLate March–early April
Tokyo and Kyoto peak roughly 28 March–3 April, later further north. Spectacular, but the busiest and most expensive weeks of the year.
Late springMay
Widely rated the best all-round month: mild, dry, green, and far calmer than blossom season.
SummerJune–August
Hot and humid with a rainy spell in June; festival season, and the only window for climbing Fuji. Hokkaido stays comfortable.
Autumn colourMid-October–early December
Koyo starts in Hokkaido in September and reaches Kyoto and Tokyo from mid-October into November. Second-busiest season, and worth it.
WinterDecember–February
Powder snow in the north, quiet temples in Kyoto, and the best time for onsen, steam and snow together.
21 things to do
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Wildlife & nature
3Sit under the blossom at a hanami party
Parks fill with tarps, food and quiet celebration for the two weeks the trees hold. Some shrines light the trees after dark.
Chase the autumn colour south
Koyo works down the country over two months: Hokkaido first, Kyoto's maples last. Temple gardens are built around the display.
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Culture & history
4Stay a night in a ryokan
Tatami floors, futons laid out while you're at dinner, and a multi-course kaiseki meal built around what's in season locally.
Watch morning prayers at Sensō-ji
Tokyo's oldest temple, in Asakusa. Early morning belongs to people who actually pray there, before the approach fills with stalls and crowds.
Walk the forest path to Meiji Shrine$2–7
A hundred thousand donated trees planted around a shrine in central Tokyo. Weekend mornings often bring traditional wedding processions.
Take the temple circuit in Kyoto$2–7
Kiyomizu-dera's terrace, the vermilion tunnels at Fushimi Inari, the moss and raked gravel of the Zen gardens. Early or late avoids the worst of it.
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Food & markets
3Eat standing up at a market counter
Tsukiji's outer market and Kyoto's Nishiki are lined with single-dish stalls: grilled scallops, tamagoyaki, tuna cut in front of you.
Find a six-seat izakaya
The small alleys, Omoide Yokocho, Golden Gai, Pontocho, hide bars with room for a handful of people and a menu on the wall.
Take a soba or sushi class
Hands-on sessions run in most cities, usually a couple of hours, usually ending with eating what you made.
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Adventure & outdoors
4Walk a stage of the Kumano Kodo
Pilgrimage trails through the Kii Peninsula walked for over a thousand years, linking mountain shrines. The Nakahechi route is the classic; the Iseji sees a fraction of the traffic.
Ride the shinkansen with Fuji on the right
Tokyo to Kyoto in a bit over two hours. Sit on the right leaving Tokyo and watch for Fuji roughly 40 minutes in, on clear days.
Climb Mount Fuji overnight
The official season is short and the mountain is busy within it. Most climb through the night from a mid-mountain station to reach the crater for sunrise.
Ski the powder in Hokkaido or Nagano
Some of the most consistent snowfall anywhere, with onsen at the bottom of the runs and monkeys bathing in them near Nagano.
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Coast & water
1Ferry through the Seto Inland Sea
Slow boats between small islands, olive groves and art sites, on a stretch of water dotted with several hundred islands.
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Cities & design
2Cross the island of Naoshima by bike
A small Seto Inland Sea island turned over to contemporary art: Tadao Ando concrete museums, a Kusama pumpkin on the pier, and old houses rebuilt as installations.
Stand at Shibuya Crossing at rush hour
Several thousand people crossing at once, several times an hour. The upper floors of the surrounding buildings are where you actually see the pattern.
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Slow days
4Soak in a riverside onsen at Kawayu
Hot water rises through the riverbed itself. In winter the river is dammed to make a single enormous open-air bath.
Bathe your way around Kinosaki
A hot-spring town of seven public bathhouses, walked between in a yukata and wooden sandals under willow-lined canals.
See the steam vents at Beppu
More than 2,000 hot springs in one town, including the 'hells': thermal pools too hot to enter, plus mud and sand baths that you can.
Take the waters at Kusatsu
High in the Gunma mountains, with enormous volumes of hot water cooled by hand in wooden channels in a display locals have done for generations.
Common questions
▾Is Japan expensive to visit?
It's moderate to expensive depending on how you travel: hotels and bullet trains add up fast, but convenience-store meals, ramen shops, and business hotels keep daily costs reasonable. A mid-range trip typically runs comparable to Western Europe, not dramatically more.
▾How many days do you need in Japan?
Ten to fourteen days is the sweet spot for a first visit: enough time for Tokyo, Kyoto, and one or two smaller stops like Hakone or Hiroshima without spending every day in transit.
▾Do I need to speak Japanese to travel in Japan?
No. Train stations, menus, and signage in major cities are heavily bilingual, and translation apps cover most gaps. A handful of polite phrases go a long way, but fluency isn't necessary to travel comfortably.
▾When is cherry blossom season in Japan?
Roughly late March to early April in Tokyo and Kyoto, though the exact bloom shifts year to year and moves north through the country over several weeks. It's also the single busiest and most expensive time to visit, so book well ahead.
▾Do I need a visa for Japan?
Most US, UK, and EU passport holders can enter visa-free for up to 90 days for tourism. Always confirm current requirements for your specific nationality before booking.
▾Is the JR Pass worth it?
It depends on your route. If you're covering long distances between regions, Tokyo to Kyoto to Hiroshima, for instance, it usually pays for itself. If you're staying mostly in one city or region, individual tickets are often cheaper.
▾How much do Japan's temples and shrines typically cost to enter?
Most temple and shrine entry fees are modest, typically ¥300-1,000 (about $2-7), with a handful of headline sites like Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji running toward the higher end. Climbing Mt. Fuji during the official season requires a conservation contribution of around ¥2,000-4,000, separate from any hut or trail fees.