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.
288 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
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
Nezu Museum is a private museum in Tokyo’s Minato ward devoted to pre-modern East Asian art. It grew from the collection of Nezu Kaichiro, a businessman and politician who gathered important Japanese, Chinese, and Korean works.
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.
大徳寺
Daitoku-ji is a major Zen Buddhist temple complex in northern Kyoto, Japan. Founded in the fourteenth century, it belongs to the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen Buddhism.
哲学の道
Philosopher's Path is a pedestrian walkway in Kyoto, Japan, following a canal lined with cherry trees. The route connects Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion) with Nanzen-ji temple precincts.
新世界
Shinsekai is a small neighbourhood in Naniwa ward, pressed between Tennoji Park on its east side and Nishinari on its south, and it is one of the few parts of Osaka people travel to for the street itself rather than…
本能寺
Honno-ji is a temple of the Nichiren Buddhist sect located in central Kyoto.
築地本願寺
Tsukiji Hongwanji is a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist temple in Tokyo’s Tsukiji district, close to the former Tsukiji Fish Market site. It serves as the Tokyo headquarters of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha denomination.
葛西臨海公園
Kasai Rinkai Park is a coastal park located in the Edogawa ward of Tokyo, facing Tokyo Bay. The park was developed on reclaimed land and serves as one of Tokyo's largest public parks dedicated to marine environment appreciation and recreation.
四天王寺
Shitennoji is a working temple in Tennoji ward, in the middle of southern Osaka, and it dates its own founding to 593.
京都府京都文化博物館
The Museum of Kyoto introduces the city through its long history as Japan’s imperial capital and a centre of culture, craft, religion, and political life.
住吉大社
Sumiyoshi Taisha is a major Shinto shrine in Osaka, known in Japanese as 住吉大社. It is one of Japan's oldest shrines and serves as the head shrine of approximately 2,300 Sumiyoshi shrines nationwide.
金龍山 浅草寺
Sensō-ji is a historic Buddhist temple located in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. It is widely recognized as the city's oldest temple, with origins traditionally traced to the seventh century.
大覚寺
Daikaku-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple located in the Ukyo ward of Kyoto, Japan. The temple was originally constructed in the early ninth century as a detached palace for Emperor Saga before being converted into a religious institution.
飛鳥山公園
Asukayama Park is a public park in Kita ward, northern Tokyo, known locally as 飛鳥山公園. It is one of Japan’s oldest parks and was established as a recreational area during the Edo period.
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.
妙心寺
Myoshin-ji is a major Zen Buddhist temple complex in western Kyoto. It serves as the head temple of the associated branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism.
六波羅蜜寺
Rokuharamitsu-ji is a historic Shingon Buddhist temple in Kyoto’s Higashiyama district. Its identity is rooted in religious practice and the long history of this eastern part of the city, where temples and traditional neighbourhoods stand close together.
日比谷公園
Hibiya Park is a major public green space in central Tokyo, near the Imperial Palace and Ginza. Established on former imperial army grounds, it became Japan’s first Western-style modern park.
修学院離宮
Shugakuin Imperial Villa is an imperial property in northeastern Kyoto, Japan. It was established in the seventeenth century as a retreat for retired emperors. The site comprises multiple garden areas set against the foothills of Mount Hiei.
浅草神社
Asakusa Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, Japan. Its local name is 浅草神社. The shrine stands near the famous Senso-ji Temple, forming part of a significant religious and cultural complex in this historic area.
江東区深川江戸資料館
Fukagawa Edo Museum is a focused history museum in Koto Ward that recreates everyday life in the Fukagawa district during the late Edo period.
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.
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.
平野神社
Hirano Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Kyoto, Japan. It holds historical significance as an ancient religious site with traditional architectural elements characteristic of Japanese shrine design.
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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