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
Toyosu Market is Tokyo's principal wholesale fish and seafood market, successor to the historic Tsukiji Market. The facility relocated to the artificial island of Toyosu in October 2018.
Tsukiji Outer Market is a public commercial district adjacent to the former site of the Tsukiji wholesale fish market.
Ameya-Yokochō, known locally as アメヤ横丁, is an open-air market district situated near Ueno Station in Tokyo. The area occupies space beneath the elevated Yamanote Line tracks and extends across multiple streets and alleys.
Nishiki Market is a covered shopping street, not a building and not an attraction with a gate.
The Asia and Pacific Trade Center is a commercial complex in Osaka. Its Japanese name is アジア太平洋トレードセンター. The facility serves as a hub for trade and business activities connecting Osaka with Asia-Pacific markets.
Kuromon Ichiba is a covered shopping street in Nipponbashi, Chuo-ku, in the Minami half of central Osaka. Its own market office gives the address as 2-4-1 Nipponbashi and describes a roofed market stretching about 580 metres with roughly 150 shops.
NU Chayamachi is a commercial complex in Osaka's Kita Ward, situated in the Chayamachi district near Hankyu Umeda Station. The facility operates as a retail and lifestyle destination within the broader Umeda commercial zone.
Toyosu Senkyaku Banrai is a commercial facility in the Toyosu district of Tokyo, developed in connection with the relocation of the historic Tsukiji Market. The name evokes traditional hospitality, suggesting a place welcoming many visitors.
Aeon Mall is a major shopping mall chain in Japan, with this particular location situated in Osaka. It operates as a large-scale retail and entertainment complex under the Aeon Group, one of Japan's foremost retail conglomerates.
Boat Pier Umeda is a visitor facility in Osaka's Umeda district. The establishment offers boat-related experiences and serves as a point of interest for travelers exploring the northern commercial core of the city.
Hankyu Nishinomiya Gardens is a large-scale commercial complex located in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, within the broader Osaka metropolitan area. The facility operates under the Hankyu Hanshin Properties Group, a major Japanese railway-based real estate developer.
JRAウインズ is a betting facility operated by the Japan Racing Association in Osaka. The venue serves as an off-track betting site where patrons can wager on horse races held at JRA tracks nationwide.
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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