Japan Travel Information

Tokyo is a futuristic fun town, with high-flying fashion and more Michelin star-rated restaurants than any other city in the world. Despite its cosmopolitan facade, Tokyo is steeped in tradition and strict cultural etiquette ? which will become obvious if you think talking on the train is acceptable.
Stay in one of Shinjuku or Minato’s five-star hotels, or under the sleazy neon lights of an infamous ‘Love Hotel’ in Shibuya. Either way, make sure you perfect the obligatory peace-sign pose before taking to the streets.
Exhaust the endless shopping possibilities in Ginza or Tokyo Dome City, where shopping malls take on a life of their own and futuristic streets lead on to even more hyper urban alleyways. On the cultural front, the Japan Sword Museum and Seikado Bunko Art Museum have some of the best examples of Japanese arts and craftsmanship, as well as providing a great escape from the polite hustle and bustle of Tokyo’s streets.
Modern Tokyo has its own brand of pop culture that borders on fetishism. Between the Harijuku Girls, geishas, anime, manga and the national obsession with electronic gadgets, Tokyoites have an all-or-nothing attitude that compels you to come and play.

Blithe and edgy Osaka is the hyperactive younger brother of Tokyo. The heart of the Kansai region is a busy metropolis of close to 3 million people and a significant, influential player in the global economy. The industrial and business side of Osaka, however, is unlikely to interest casual tourists. What will undoubtedly entice and cajole is a phenomenal range of bustling commercial districts, tantalizing pedestrian restaurant rows, raucous nightlife, sacred shrines, temples and museums. The drum beat in Osaka is fast and feverish but duly enchants visitors anxious to commune with a dynamic urban swath of Honshu island outside of Greater Tokyo.
The food culture of Osaka gets a lot of attention and rightfully so. The de facto kitchen of Japan is awash with culinary innovators and pioneers. As a shopper's Shangri-La, Osaka has specific areas that cater to every interest, from luxury goods and electronics, to fashion and furniture. For those in need of cultural sustenance, Osaka has it in droves. A slew of historic parks and shrines dot the cityscape and compete with niche museums and a notable theater scene for your attention and time.

Tokyo may be the dominant metropolis and cultural nerve center of Japan but Kyoto trumps the national capital in one category: UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The ancient Kansai city has seventeen UNESCO landmarks, to be exact, under the auspicious umbrella of one remarkable World Heritage inscription. Tokyo, on the other hand, has nil. Kyoto is also home to one in five National Treasures of Japan, while Tokyo, aside from National Museum objects, has two in all. .
The point, of course, is not to denigrate Tokyo but, indeed, to glorify Kyoto. The charm of the former Imperial capital of Japan is hardly latent. Tens of millions of visitors converge on central Honshu throughout the year to see the cherry blossoms, take in venerable summer temple festivals, photograph pristine autumnal landscapes and time travel to the Heian period. From Shogunate palaces to Buddhist temples, Zen gardens to Shinto shrines, some of which date back more than 1,200 years, Kyoto features a monumental array of eye candy.
Kyoto is not without modern points of interest as well. The International Manga Museum, National Museum, Botanical Garden and MoMAK, or National Museum of Modern Art, all unfurl fabulous collections. The local arts and crafts scene is no less vibrant and for gourmets with deep pockets, Kyoto has more restaurants with Michelin stars than any other city in the world - outside of Tokyo that is.

Nagoya is the birthplace of Japanese pinball. For many of you, that’s probably reason enough to visit the city where pachinko was created. But if by some small chance it’s not enough, you may also care to know that Nagoya is where art meets technology, where tradition meets progression, where city meets small town… Nagoya is Tokyo ? if Tokyo had time to catch its breath.Nagoya is the place to try different things. Go traditional and try some Shabu Shabu, or go urban and hit up the International Design Centre. Culturally, there’s the Ran no Yakata Orchid Garden to explore, or learn a little something in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (perhaps learn what Boston thinks of the name?). Like a well-oiled robot, Nagoya will get you everything you want before you even knew you wanted it.

Closer to Busan, South Korea than Tokyo or Osaka even, Fukuoka is a significant city in Japan for culture, festivals, food and scenery. The dominant metropolis on the island of Kyushu has more people than Kyoto (1.5 million) and exerts considerable cultural clout across the country. The fact that Fukuoka is one of, if not the oldest settlement in Japan helps. .The vibrant ward of Hakata is particularly venerable and the origin point for a vast array of culinary staples in the national diet. Vital festivals like Dontaku Minato Matsuri and Gion Yamakasa take place in the area and Hakata Station is a major point of arrival and departure in Fukuoka.
Culture galore is on hand too in this city halfway between Shanghai and Tokyo. Most expressly, it takes the form of impressive landmarks like the Fukuoka Art Museum, Genko Historical Museum and Kyushu National Museum. All three embody major institutions in Japan and combine with the likes of Maizuru Castle, Nokonoshima Island Park and elegant temples and shrines to provide a rich melange of attractions.

With just under 2 million people, Sapporo ranks in the top five in Japan in population and welcomes seven times as many visitors every year. The city is famous as the first in Asia to host the Winter Olympics. The 1972 Games were a major success for Sapporo and the city's reputation as a winter playground endures today with the annual Snow Festival. One of the most popular annual festivals in Japan, the Sapporo Snow Festival lures millions of visitors to the city every February. .
The original home of Sapporo beer has many fine points of interest to explore. The Sapporo Beer Museum is a popular draw of course and Hitsujigaoka Observation Hill offers superb panoramas of the city. The Susukino nightlife district is one of the most infamous in Japan, with a slew of restaurants, bars, clubs and adult entertainment. For less sinful fun, check out historic Hokkaido Shrine and beautiful Moerenuma Park.

Okinawa Island is one of Japan's veritable gems, with a wealth of intriguing attractions and breathtaking natural beauty. Under U.S. control until 1972, the island was home to several Pacific Theater battles took place at the end of World War Two. Over one-quarter of Okinawa's civilian population, in addition to tens of thousands of American and Japanese soldiers, lost their lives in one 82-day stretch in 1945 and today, the island serves as a de facto monument.
The island's population of 1.2 million is spread out over several cities and villages, the most prominent of which is Naha, the modern capital of Okinawa. Home to over 300,000 people, the city contains many fine points of interest, from UNESCO World Heritage Shuri Castle to Lake Man. Nanj? is a city of 40,000 people in south Okinawa with many excellent beaches, golf courses and a brilliant UNESCO World Heritage attraction known as Gusuku Sites and Related Properties of the Kingdom of Ryukyu.

Inextricably linked with the dropping of the atomic bomb, Hiroshima in Japan is an ancient city with a broken heart. But it’s not time to break out the waterworks just yet. Yes, you’ll be moved by the sad history on display at the Peace Memorial Park and the Children’s Peace Monument, but you should take your interest with you, not your pity.
Hiroshima is a busy, bustling and attractive city with a fascinating history and all eyes on the future. There are progressive art displays to be discovered in the Hiroshima Museum of Art and the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, as well as castles, gardens and great eating out in the city centre.
Hiroshima is as honest as its culinary specialty, okonomiyaki. So stand back from the hotplate, open your gob and catch whatever is offered by this great city.

If you’re not Japanese and are over 165cm (5’5”) tall, you’ll look really out of place in Takayama. This vibrant town is so traditional it looks like a film set, with shrines that are hundreds of years old and hillside morning marketsand sake breweries running over with the finest local booze and fare!
Takayama has more than a dozen museums and galleries in its small perimeter. To quickly get up to speed with 500 years of history, start at the Takayama Museum of Local History. For something more modern, take a guided tour around the S?ky? Mahikari Main World Shrine? this new religion teaches healing through amulets that transmit divine light rays. And you can’t get much more organic than the Japanese Alps, which stick out more than a Western tourist drinking hot sake in the corner of an old inn.