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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
南座
Minami-za, known locally as 南座, is a historic kabuki theatre located in Kyoto, Japan. It is recognized as the oldest extant kabuki theatre in Japan, with origins dating to the early Edo period.
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.
五島美術館
刀剣博物館
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
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
新国立劇場
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
国立能楽堂
野村美術館
湯木美術館
国立文楽劇場
北村美術館
奏樂堂
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
サントリーホール
TOKYO DOME CITY HALL
東京大空襲・戦災資料センター
永青文庫
藤田美術館
京都市考古資料館
立命館大学国際平和ミュージアム
大阪中之島美術館
Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka is a modern and contemporary art museum located on Nakanoshima, a central sandbank between the Dojima and Tosabori rivers. The museum opened as a major independently entered institution with its own collection and exhibition programme.
大阪府立現代美術センター
ピースおおさか 大阪国際平和センター
泉屋博古館
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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