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
Cup Noodles Museum Osaka Ikeda is an interactive museum dedicated to the history of instant noodles and the legacy of Momofuku Ando, inventor of Chicken Ramen and Cup Noodles.
東京国立博物館
Tokyo National Museum stands as Japan's oldest and largest museum. Established in 1872, it occupies grounds within Ueno Park in the Taito ward.
国立科学博物館
The National Museum of Nature and Science is a major museum in Tokyo dedicated to natural history and scientific research. Its local name is 国立科学博物館.
国立西洋美術館
The National Museum of Western Art, known in Japanese as 国立西洋美術館, is an art museum in Tokyo dedicated to Western art. It is located in Ueno Park, a cultural district in the northern part of central Tokyo.
京都国際マンガミュージアム
The Kyoto International Manga Museum is a cultural institution in Kyoto, Japan, dedicated to manga, the Japanese art of comics and graphic novels. The museum occupies a former elementary school building, repurposed to house its extensive collections.
京都国立博物館
The Kyoto National Museum is one of Japan's major national museums, established to preserve and exhibit cultural properties connected to Kyoto's long history as the former imperial capital.
三鷹の森ジブリ美術館
The Ghibli Museum is a museum dedicated to the animated works of Studio Ghibli, the renowned Japanese animation studio founded by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.
東京国立近代美術館
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, known locally as 東京国立近代美術館, is a major Japanese art museum located in the Chiyoda ward of Tokyo.
東京都庭園美術館
The Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum is a municipal art museum located in Tokyo, Japan. The building was originally constructed as a residence for the Imperial family in 1933, designed with significant Art Deco influences.
明治神宮聖徳記念絵画館
The Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery, known locally as Meiji Jingu Seitoku Kinen Kaigakan, is a commemorative art museum in Tokyo. It houses a collection of paintings depicting events from the life of Emperor Meiji and the broader Meiji era.
大倉集古館
The Okura Museum of Art is a private art museum located in Tokyo, Japan. Its local name is 大倉集古館. The museum is associated with the Okura cultural tradition and holds collections developed through the Okura family's efforts.
大阪市立美術館
江戸東京博物館
The Edo-Tokyo Museum is a history museum in Tokyo dedicated to the history and culture of the city from the Edo period through to modern times.
東京都美術館
The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum is a public art museum operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Located in Ueno Park, it serves as a venue for diverse art exhibitions rather than maintaining a permanent collection.
アーティゾン美術館
The Artizon Museum is a private art museum in Tokyo, Japan. Its local name is アーティゾン美術館. The museum is identified on OpenStreetMap as node 250668618 and on Wikidata as Q913808.
日本科学未来館
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, known locally as Miraikan, is a science museum located in Tokyo's Odaiba district.
京都市美術館
The Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art is a municipal art museum located in Kyoto, Japan. It was established to preserve and exhibit artworks relevant to the city's cultural heritage.
日本民藝館
The Japanese Folk Crafts Museum, known locally as 日本民藝館, is a museum in Tokyo dedicated to the Mingei folk craft movement founded by Yanagi Sōetsu.
国立新美術館
The National Art Center, Tokyo is a major museum in Roppongi, Minato ward. Its local name is 国立新美術館. The building was designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa and opened in 2007.
日本銀行金融研究所貨幣博物館
The Currency Museum of the Bank of Japan is a specialized museum dedicated to the history of Japanese and world currency.
地下鉄博物館
The Tokyo Metro Museum, known locally as 地下鉄博物館, is a railway museum dedicated to the history and operations of the Tokyo subway system.
台東区立朝倉彫塑館
The Asakura Museum of Sculpture is a municipal museum operated by Taito City, located in Tokyo's Taito Ward. It preserves and displays the works of sculptor Fumio Asakura, a significant figure in modern Japanese sculpture.
京都芸術センター
The Kyoto Art Center is a municipal cultural facility in Kyoto, Japan, dedicated to supporting and promoting contemporary arts. Operated by the city, it serves as a hub for artistic creation, exhibition, and community engagement.
新横浜ラーメン博物館
The Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum is a food-themed museum dedicated to Japanese ramen culture, located in Yokohama's Shin-Yokohama district. The facility celebrates the history and diversity of ramen, one of Japan's most popular noodle dishes.
東京都現代美術館
The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo is a major art institution in the Koto ward of Tokyo, Japan. Its local name is 東京都現代美術館.
宗谷
JCG Sōya is a Japanese Coast Guard icebreaker vessel preserved as a museum ship in Tokyo. The ship bears the local name 宗谷.
森美術館
The Mori Art Museum is a contemporary art museum located in Tokyo, Japan. Its local name is 森美術館. The museum is situated within the Roppongi Hills complex, a major urban development in the Minato ward.
根津美術館
The Nezu Museum is a private art museum located in the Minato ward of Tokyo. It was established to preserve and display the collection of Nezu Kaichiro, a businessman and politician who assembled significant works of East Asian art.
太田記念美術館
The Ōta Memorial Museum of Art is a museum in Tokyo, Japan, dedicated to ukiyo-e woodblock prints. It holds the collection assembled by the late Seizō Ōta, former president of Toho Insurance Company.
宇治市源氏物語ミュージアム
The Tale of Genji Museum is a cultural institution in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, dedicated to the classical Japanese literary work The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu.
東京都写真美術館
The Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, known locally as 東京都写真美術館, is a cultural institution in Tokyo dedicated to the art of photography. It operates under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's cultural programs.
アサヒビール大山崎山荘美術館
The Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art is a museum located in Oyamazaki, Kyoto Prefecture. It occupies a historic villa property associated with the Asahi Group, one of Japan's major beverage corporations.
東京大学総合研究博物館・小石川分館
Koishikawa Annex is a branch facility of The University Museum, The University of Tokyo, located in Tokyo. It serves as an exhibition and research space associated with Japan's oldest university museum system.
三井記念美術館
Mitsui Memorial Museum is an art museum located in Tokyo, Japan. It is operated by the Mitsui conglomerate and houses the Mitsui family collection.
宮内庁 三の丸尚蔵館
The Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, preserves cultural works formerly owned by Japan's Imperial Family. Its Japanese name means an imperial storehouse in the third bailey, reflecting its location within the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace.
昭和館
The National Showa Memorial Museum, known locally as 昭和館 (Showa-kan), is a museum in Tokyo dedicated to the Showa period of Japanese history. The institution commemorates civilian experiences during World War II and the reconstruction era that followed.
サントリー美術館
The Suntory Museum of Art is a private art museum located in Tokyo, Japan. Its local name is サントリー美術館. The institution is operated by the Suntory corporation, a major Japanese beverage and food company.
菊池寛実記念智美術館
The Kikuchi Kanjitsu Memorial Tomo Museum is an art museum in Tokyo, Japan, bearing the local name 菊池寛実記念智美術館. It appears in OpenStreetMap data and Wikidata as a cultural institution.
旧朝倉家住宅
Kyu Asakura House is a historic Japanese residence in Tokyo, designated as an Important Cultural Property. The property preserves traditional architectural elements of a pre-war elite home.
京都府京都文化博物館
The Museum of Kyoto is a cultural institution located in Kyoto, Japan. It occupies a distinctive building that blends historical architectural elements with modern museum facilities.
京都国立近代美術館
The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto is a major Japanese art museum located in the Okazaki Park cultural district. Established as an institution dedicated to modern and contemporary art, it operates alongside its counterpart in Tokyo.
古代オリエント博物館
長谷川町子美術館
船の科学館
大阪市立科学館
The Osaka Science Museum is a hands-on science museum and planetarium located in Osaka, Japan. It is separately ticketed from other attractions. The museum focuses on interactive exhibits designed to engage visitors directly with scientific concepts.
国立科学博物館 自然教育園
The Institute for Nature Study is a nature education garden operated as an annex of the National Museum of Nature and Science. Located in central Tokyo, it preserves a remnant of the Musashino woodland ecosystem that once covered the region.
横山大観記念館
島津製作所創業記念資料館
The Shimadzu Foundation Memorial Museum commemorates the founding of Shimadzu Corporation, a major Japanese scientific instruments and industrial equipment manufacturer.
江東区深川江戸資料館
The Fukagawa Edo Museum is a history museum in Tokyo's Koto Ward dedicated to preserving and presenting the culture of the Edo period. The facility focuses on the Fukagawa district, a working-class neighborhood that flourished during the Tokugawa era.
五島美術館
刀剣博物館
大阪歴史博物館
The Osaka Museum of History is the city's history museum, at 4-1-32 Otemae in Chuo-ku, immediately south-west of Osaka Castle Park.
SOMPO美術館
山種美術館
国立国際美術館
The National Museum of Art, Osaka is a modern art museum located on Nakanoshima, an island in central Osaka. The museum is a national institution housing a government collection.
ニンテンドーミュージアム
The Nintendo Museum is a cultural institution dedicated to the history of Nintendo, the Japanese video game company. Located in Kyoto, it occupies a site with OpenStreetMap identifier way/263330850.
大阪市立東洋陶磁美術館
藤子・F・不二雄ミュージアム
世田谷美術館
すみだ北斎美術館
The Sumida Hokusai Museum is a municipal art museum in Tokyo's Sumida ward, dedicated to Katsushika Hokusai, the ukiyo-e artist who lived in this area during his later years.
横浜市歴史博物館
藤井斉成会有鄰館
遊就館
畠山記念館
講談社野間記念館
松岡美術館
目黒寄生虫館
チームラボ プラネッツ
teamLab Planets TOKYO is a digital art museum operated by the art collective teamLab in the Toyosu district of Tokyo. The immersive installation invites visitors to walk barefoot through various spaces where digital artworks respond to human presence.
東武博物館
東京都復興記念館
塙保己一史料館
角屋もてなしの文化美術館
21_21 Design Sight
三菱一号館
国立映画アーカイブ
アド・ミュージアム東京
大阪人権博物館
目黒区美術館
明治大学博物館
印刷博物館
たばこと塩の博物館
東京アニメセンター
ワタリウム美術館
渋沢史料館
京都鉄道博物館
The Kyoto Railway Museum is a railway museum located in Kyoto, Japan. It is dedicated to the history and technology of Japanese railways.
したまちミュージアム
野村美術館
湯木美術館
お札と切手の博物館
文京ふるさと歴史館
大名時計博物館
The History Museum of J-Koreans
日本近代文学館
切手の博物館
嵯峨嵐山文華館
杉並アニメーションミュージアム
相撲博物館
上野の森美術館
早稲田大学坪内博士記念演劇博物館
東京大空襲・戦災資料センター
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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