Why Japan rewards every traveller
Japan blends ancient ritual with high-speed modernity like nowhere else. You can pray at a 1,300-year-old shrine in the morning and ride a 320 km/h bullet train by afternoon. Here are the experiences worth building a trip around.
Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto
Thousands of vermilion torii gates wind up a wooded mountain south of Kyoto. Entry is free and the shrine is open 24 hours, so arrive before 8am to walk the tunnels in near silence.
Senso-ji and Asakusa, Tokyo
Tokyo's oldest temple, founded in 645, anchors the old-town district of Asakusa. Browse the Nakamise shopping street for senbei crackers and hand fans, then look across the river to the Tokyo Skytree.
Mount Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes
Japan's sacred 3,776 m peak is best admired from Lake Kawaguchiko, especially in spring cherry blossom or autumn. The official climbing season runs early July to early September.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
The preserved A-Bomb Dome and moving museum form one of the world's most important sites of remembrance. Pair it with a ferry to nearby Miyajima, where a torii gate appears to float at high tide.
Nara's deer park
A short train ride from Kyoto, Nara Park is home to over 1,000 free-roaming deer that bow for crackers, plus Todai-ji temple housing a giant 15 m bronze Buddha.
Ride the Shinkansen
The bullet train is an attraction in itself. A Japan Rail Pass can make multi-city travel between Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka effortless and scenic.
Eat your way through Osaka
Osaka is Japan's kitchen. Hunt down takoyaki (octopus balls) and okonomiyaki in the glowing Dotonbori district under the famous Glico running man sign.
Soak in an onsen
A hot-spring bath is essential. Hakone and Beppu are famous, but any ryokan inn offers the ritual of soaking after a long day of sightseeing.
Kanazawa and Kenroku-en
Often called one of Japan's three great gardens, Kenroku-en is stunning in every season, and Kanazawa's preserved samurai and geisha districts feel frozen in time.
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