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Japan Travel Guide
Independent Japan trip planner

Plan Japan with confidence

Practical routes, city guides, transport, budgets, and tools — grounded in how people actually travel Japan. Cross-check schedules and passes on official sites before you go.

Shibuya, Tokyo
Start planning Open travel tools
14City guides
11Itinerary styles
24/7Planning tools

How to use this guide

Four steps to a solid trip

Work top to bottom, then deepen each city page. Official Japan National Tourism Organization resources stay one click away.

1

Pick cities

Compare 14 destinations with distances from Tokyo, seasons, and stay length.

 2

Shape a route

Use 5–14 day arcs or theme trips (food, nature, sakura) as a starting skeleton.

 3

Solve transport

IC cards, shinkansen basics, and when a JR Pass or regional pass may make sense.

 4

Run the numbers

Currency, tax, rail estimates, and emergency numbers in Travel Tools.

Fares, pass rules, and entry requirements change. Confirm with JR, airlines, and japan.travel (JNTO) before booking.

The archipelago

About Japan

Hakone

Hakone Open-Air Museum

Kōshō-ji, Uji

Uji, Kyoto

Osaka

Uji, Kyoto

Japan

Osaka

Shibuya, Tokyo

Uji, Kyoto

Kokyo Gaien, Tokyo

Marunouchi, Tokyo

Kobe

Navigate

Interactive map

Approx. positions · lat/lon projected Sapporo Nikko Tokyo Yokohama Hakone Kanazawa Kyoto Osaka Nara Kobe Hiroshima Fukuoka Nagasaki Okinawa

Jump to a city

Markers match real geography. Click a city below or on the map.

Hokkaido

Sapporo

Kanto / East

Tokyo Yokohama Nikko Hakone

Chubu / Hokuriku

Kanazawa

Kansai

Kyoto Osaka Nara Kobe

Chugoku / Kyushu

Hiroshima Fukuoka Nagasaki

Okinawa

Okinawa

14 city guides

Where to go

Each card opens a full city guide—what to eat, what to see, and how to get around. Distance from Tokyo and a typical daytime temperature range help you compare at a glance.

Tokyo

Tokyo

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →

Kyoto

Kyoto

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →

Osaka

Osaka

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →

Nara

Nara

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →
Hiroshima

Hiroshima

Hiroshima

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →
Yokohama

Yokohama

Yokohama

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →

Hakone

Hakone

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →
Nikkō

Nikkō

Nikko

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →
Kanazawa

Kanazawa

Kanazawa

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →
Sapporo

Sapporo

Sapporo

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →
Fukuoka

Fukuoka

Fukuoka

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →

Kobe

Kobe

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →
Nagasaki

Nagasaki

Nagasaki

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →
Okinawa

Okinawa

Okinawa

📍 From Tokyo: — 🌡 —
Open city guide →

Itineraries

Suggested routes

Cuisine

Food guide overview

Sushi
🍣

Ramen
🍜

Street food
🍢

Kaiseki
🍱

Wagyu
🥩

Sweets
🍵

Osaka · Tokyo · Kyoto

See & do

Attractions overview

🛕

⛩

🏯

⛰

🌲

🏛

🛍

🎢

🎮

🌃

Getting around

Transportation guide

Shinkansen
🚅

Rail pass
🎫

IC card
💳

🚇

🚌

✈️

⛴️

When to go

Seasonal guide

Spring in Japan

Spring

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:

:

Summer in Japan

Summer

—

:

:

Autumn in Japan

Autumn

—

:

:

Winter in Japan

Winter

—

:

:

Celebrate

Major festivals

Know before you go

Common travel tips

Etiquette

eSIM

Cash

Transit

Questions

FAQ

Official & practical

Resources you can rely on

This guide helps you plan. For visas, safety alerts, rail passes, and destination detail, use Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) and operators below.

Travel Japan (JNTO) Official destination guides, itineraries, and planning hub Japan Rail Pass guide (JNTO) What the pass covers, reservations, and when to consider regional passes Trains & buses (JNTO) How to ride, IC cards, tickets, and transit manners Japan Visitor Hotline Multilingual visitor support — save before you travel Safety Tips app / info Emergency and disaster guidance for travelers in Japan japanrailpass.net Official JR Pass product site for purchase rules and validity

Did you know?

Fun facts

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