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 practi...
Photograph · Midori · CC BY 3.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
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.
Checked 2026-08-25
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.
212 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
Suita City Cultural Hall Meishiya Theater is a municipal performing-arts venue in Suita City, Osaka Prefecture. It supports the area’s cultural life through theater, music, dance, and community events.
今熊野観音寺
Imakumano Kannon-ji is an active Shingon Buddhist temple in Kyoto, dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva associated with compassion.
鶴満寺
Kakuman-ji Temple, known in Japanese as 鶴満寺, is a named Buddhist temple in Osaka. The mapped way identifies a specific local place of worship, not a generic category label.
大物公園
Omono Park, written 大物公園 in Japanese, is a public green space in Osaka. It offers a simple outdoor pause within the city, giving residents and visitors room to walk, rest, and experience a neighborhood park atmosphere.
大阪ふれあいの水辺（砂浜ゾーン）
Osaka Fureai no Mizube is an urban waterside recreation area whose local name identifies a sandy beach zone: 大阪ふれあいの水辺（砂浜ゾーン）. It brings a beach-like setting into Osaka’s city environment and gives visitors a place to pause beside the water.
アメヤ横丁
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.
祇王寺
Gio-ji is a Buddhist temple in Kyoto’s Arashiyama district, associated with the Shingon school of Buddhism. Its character comes from scale and setting: the grounds sit within a quiet wooded landscape, away from the busiest paths of western Kyoto.
鈴虫寺
Suzumushi-dera is a Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. Its name translates to Bell Cricket Temple, derived from the insects kept on the grounds. The temple belongs to the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism.
錦市場
Nishiki Market is a covered shopping street, not a building and not an attraction with a gate.
安倍晴明神社
Abe Ōji Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Osaka associated with Abe no Seimei, the celebrated Heian-period onmyōji. The shrine offers a place to encounter living Japanese religious practice rather than a secular monument.
廣済寺
Ama Kosaiji Temple Sanmon, associated with 廣済寺, is a sanmon, or mountain gate, in Osaka’s Buddhist architectural landscape.
福島天満宮
Fukushima Tenmangū is a Shinto shrine in Osaka’s Fukushima Ward, dedicated to Tenjin, the deified scholar Sugawara no Michizane.
願得寺
Gantoku-ji Temple, known locally as 願得寺, is a Buddhist religious site in Osaka. It forms part of the city's quieter spiritual landscape, where neighborhood temples continue to serve local communities amid dense metropolitan surroundings.
源聖寺
Gensyō-ji Temple is a Buddhist temple in Osaka, known locally as 源聖寺. The temple forms part of Osaka’s religious and cultural landscape and gives visitors a chance to encounter Buddhist practice within a major Japanese city.
大阪府立汎愛高等学校
Hanaai High School, also known locally as Osaka Prefectural Hanaai Senior High School, is an active public educational institution in Osaka. It is best understood as a neighborhood school rather than a conventional sightseeing attraction.
大阪市立東三国小学校
Higashimikuni Elementary School, known locally as 大阪市立東三国小学校, is a municipal elementary school in Osaka’s Yodogawa Ward. It is a working neighbourhood school serving local children, teachers and families.
比売許曽神社
Himekoso Shrine, also known as 比売許曽神社, is a Shinto shrine in Osaka. The shrine is a place of worship and community life, giving travellers a chance to encounter a quieter religious setting within the city.
堀越神社
Horikoshi Shrine, written 堀越神社 in Japanese, is a Shinto place of worship in Osaka’s dense urban landscape.
伊居太神社
Ikota Shrine, known locally as 伊居太神社, is a Shinto place of worship within Osaka’s urban fabric. Its character comes from being a functioning neighbourhood shrine, where the approach, sacred threshold, trees, worship area and surrounding residential setting shape the visit.
城南宮
Jonangu Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in southern Kyoto, Japan. It is dedicated to the deified Emperor Nintoku and holds historical significance as a site associated with the protection of the capital.
清水寺
Kiyomizu-dera Temple is a Buddhist temple in Osaka, known locally as 清水寺. This Osaka temple is distinct from the better-known Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto, despite sharing the same name.
琴浦神社
Kotoura Shrine, known locally as 琴浦神社, is a Shinto shrine in Osaka. The shrine is a place of worship and provides a direct encounter with the religious traditions that remain part of everyday Japanese urban life.
教恩寺
Kyōon-ji Temple, known locally as 教恩寺, is a Buddhist temple in Osaka. The temple belongs to the city’s living religious landscape, where places of worship continue to sit among ordinary streets and neighborhoods.
京善寺
Kyōzen-ji Temple, written locally as 京善寺, is a Buddhist temple in Osaka. It forms part of the city’s religious and cultural landscape, where places of worship stand alongside dense modern development.
長洲天満宮
Nagasu Tenmangu, written 長洲天満宮, is a Shinto shrine in Osaka devoted to Tenjin. Tenjin is the deified scholar Sugawara no Michizane, widely associated with learning and academic success.
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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