Japan is Nippon 日本語
47 prefectures

Where in Japan will you go?

  • Hokkaido
  • Tohoku
  • Kanto
  • Chubu
  • Kansai
  • Chugoku
  • Shikoku
  • Kyushu & Okinawa
Ranking

Popular places in Japan

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A fishing boat and seaside village buildings in the Amity Village area of Universal Studios Japan
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Osaka · theme park Universal Studios Japan ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン The first Universal Studios park outside the USA, home to Super Nintendo World and its recreation of Mario's world. It turned 25 in 2026.
Tokyo Skytree silhouetted above the city skyline at dusk
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Tokyo · landmark Tokyo Skytree 東京スカイツリー Tokyo's 634 m landmark, the world's tallest freestanding broadcast tower, with two observation decks at 350 m and 450 m giving 360-degree views over the city.
Looking up at the orange and white steel lattice of Tokyo Tower against a pale sky
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Tokyo · landmark Tokyo Tower 東京タワー The 333 m red-and-white broadcast tower watching over Tokyo since 1958. Enjoy the views from its decks, or climb about 600 outdoor steps to get there.
Two parallel tunnels of vermilion torii gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha's Senbon Torii
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Kyoto · shrine Fushimi Inari Taisha 伏見稲荷大社 Head shrine of Japan's some 30,000 Inari shrines. Walk the red torii tunnels of Senbon Torii and hike 233m Mount Inari, right by the station.
Osaka Castle keep rising above stone walls and moats, with the city's skyscrapers behind
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Osaka · castle Osaka Castle 大阪城 Osaka's symbol: built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, rebuilt by the Tokugawa, keep revived in 1931 by citizens' donations. Now a museum in a vast walled park.
Crowded Dotonbori street lined with giant signs, including a huge mechanical crab
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Osaka · other Dotonbori 道頓堀 Osaka's best-known nightlife strip in Minami, lined with giant 3D signs and neon. Snack on takoyaki and enjoy the lights from the riverside walk.
Whale shark swimming in the huge Kuroshio Sea tank, with visitors in silhouette
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Okinawa · zoo aquarium Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium 沖縄美ら海水族館 A northern Okinawa aquarium famous for its Kuroshio Sea tank, where whale sharks and giant manta rays swim: all of Okinawa's sea in one place.
Several deer resting and standing on the ground among trees in Nara Park
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Nara · park Nara Park 奈良公園 A vast Nara park where over a thousand wild deer roam among ancient temples and shrines, Todaiji and Kasuga Taisha among them: the heart of any Nara visit.
Kiyomizu-dera's main hall and wooden stage rising above red autumn maples, with a pagoda behind
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Kyoto · temple Kiyomizu-dera Temple 清水寺 A temple founded in 778 on Mount Otowa in Kyoto's Higashiyama. From its clifftop stage you look over Kyoto and trees that change colour with the seasons.
The gold-leaf Golden Pavilion of Kinkaku-ji reflected in Kyokochi Pond under a blue sky
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Kyoto · temple Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) 金閣寺 A Zen temple in north Kyoto whose gold-leafed pavilion is mirrored in its pond. Once shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's villa; formally named Rokuon-ji.
Why Japan?

The questions every visitor asks

The history and everyday logic behind the things that surprise people about Japan.

All explainers →
Illustration of a traditional Japanese inn entrance with a small paper envelope on the counter at dusk
etiquette Why Is Tipping Considered Rude in Japan? It is less "rude" than "awkward". How tipping disappeared from Japan, and the best ways to say thank you instead.
Illustration of a calm hospital corridor with a row of doors, one number in the sequence quietly skipped
culture Why Is the Number Four Unlucky in Japan? The reason is simply how it sounds. Traces of it survive in hospital room numbers, car number plates and even gift-giving etiquette.
Bowl of rice topped with a raw egg yolk and soy sauce on a kitchen table in morning light
food Why Is It Safe to Eat Raw Eggs in Japan? Raw egg on rice is an everyday dish in Japan because the whole chain from farm to table is built on the assumption that eggs will be eaten raw.
Two people seen from behind eating noodles at a steamy, lantern-lit soba stall on an autumn evening
etiquette Why Is It OK to Slurp Noodles in Japan? Eating noisily is bad manners in Japan too. So why do noodles get a pass? The answer lies in Edo-period food stalls and in aroma.
Illustration of a convenience store shelf full of pink cherry blossom themed snacks in spring
seasons Why Is Everything in Japan a Seasonal Limited Edition? Cherry blossom flavours in spring, chestnut and sweet potato in autumn. An old food culture of the seasons meets our weakness for "only for now".
Coin tray with cash beside a card terminal on a wooden restaurant counter on a rainy evening
money Why Is Cash Still So Common in Japan? Low crime, low interest rates and card fees for shops all explain Japan's love of cash. But in the last few years, things have been changing fast.
Illustration of narrow lanes between houses in a Japanese neighborhood, with a traveler checking a map at a corner
daily life Why Don't Most Streets in Japan Have Names? Japanese addresses number blocks, not streets. Roads are not the stars of an address; they are just the lines between blocks.
Rows of perfectly shaped melons, peaches and grapes displayed like jewels in a Japanese fruit shop
food Why Is Fruit So Expensive in Japan? Peaches at several thousand yen each, melons over 10,000 yen. The prices come down to a culture of gift-giving and very labour-intensive growing.