Language · 11 published
Country guide
Around three quarters of Japan is mountain and forest, which pushes almost everyone onto the eastern coastal plains and makes the country far narrower in practice than 377,975 km2 suggests. Forty-seven prefectures, eight traditional regions and more than 14,000 smaller islands, and yet a first visit usually runs along a single rail corridor with Tokyo at one end and Kyoto and Osaka at the other. Tokyo is the capital and largest city of a country of almost 123 million people. Hokkaido in the north and Okinawa in the south are different climates rather than day trips, and both need their own week.
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Morio · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photograph · Martin Falbisoner · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Martin Falbisoner · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
100 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン
Universal Studios Japan is a film-themed amusement park on the north side of Osaka Bay, in Konohana ward, about fifteen minutes by train from central Osaka.
東京ディズニーランド
東京ディズニーシー
浅草花やしき
Asakusa Hanayashiki is a historic amusement park located in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. Established in the mid-19th century, it claims distinction as one of Japan's oldest surviving amusement parks.
東京ドームシティアトラクションズ
ダイヤと花の大観覧車
ジョイポリス
神保町シアター
キッザニア東京
東映太秦映画村
あらかわ遊園
ラプンツェルの森
NHKスタジオパーク
ポレポレ東中野
新宿武蔵野館
台場一丁目商店街
レゴランド・ディスカバリー・センター
千本日活
シネ・ヌーヴォ
キッズプラザ大阪
CINEMA Chupki
出町座
吉祥寺プラザ
京都シネマ
シネマロサ
シネマカリテ
東宝シネマ
TOHOシネマズ
早稲田松竹
高田馬場ゲーセンミカド
ユナイテッドシネマ豊島園
a-cho
Cinemarise
109シネマズ
109シネマズ
109シネマズ
109シネマズ
109シネマズプレミアム新宿
アドアーズ
アドアーズ
アドアーズ
アドアーズ
イオンシネマ
イオンシネマ
イオンシネマ
イオンシネマ
アピナ
アピナ
ちいかわパーク
シネマブルースタジオ
シネマハウス大塚
シネマート新宿
シネクイント CINE QUINTO
クラブセガ
クレーン横丁道頓堀
ダムパークいばきた
ピーターパンのネバーランド
船堀シネパル
ギーゴ
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·
Ten to fourteen days supports four or five days in Tokyo, three or four in Kyoto, and two or three in Osaka. Add Nara or Himeji only after those bases have enough time, and avoid turning every rail stop into a hotel change.
Japan's visa exemption or visa requirement depends on passport and travel purpose. Confirm the current rule through Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the embassy responsible for the traveller's residence.
The Tokaido Shinkansen links Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, while local rail and buses cover city travel. An IC card simplifies many local journeys but does not replace every reserved long-distance ticket, and luggage forwarding can reduce friction between bases.
March to May and October to November are broad options for the main-island route, with blossom and autumn periods creating concentrated demand. Confirm regional weather and reservations for the exact cities rather than assuming one national season behaves uniformly.
Japan uses the yen (JPY). Electronic payment is common but not universal, so carry some yen for smaller businesses, ticket machines, or rural transport without assuming that one stored-value card works for every purchase.
Japan's emergency numbers are 110 for police and 119 for fire or ambulance. Type A sockets operate at 100 V, which is lower than in the other wave-A countries, and mains tap water is recorded as safe.
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