JAPAN, A LITTLE MORE TO DISCOVER
First-time highlights and discoveries beyond the beaten path.
A FIRST LOOK · JAPAN
Join Marie Kondo in Izumo in this JNTO film about a quieter, more reflective side of Japan. This region offers inspiration beyond the city selection below: let the film suggest the pace and experiences you want, then allow enough time for your chosen journey.
Japan planning →Watch the introduction, then choose a destination or discovery.
01
FIRST-TIME FAVOURITE
A city of neighbourhoods, from temple streets to contemporary skylines.
Explore Tokyo →Allow 4 nights as a starting point; adjust to your route.
02
FIRST-TIME FAVOURITE
Temples, gardens and living neighbourhoods that deserve a slower pace.
Explore Kyoto →Allow 3–4 nights as a starting point; adjust to your route.
03
FIRST-TIME FAVOURITE
A city for eating well, looking closely and enjoying urban life.
Explore Osaka →Allow 2–3 nights as a starting point; adjust to your route.
04
FIRST-TIME FAVOURITE
Remembrance, river-side city life and time to reflect.
Explore Hiroshima →Allow 2 nights as a starting point; adjust to your route.
05
FIRST-TIME FAVOURITE
A great garden, craft traditions and streets with distinct histories.
Explore Kanazawa →Allow 2–3 nights as a starting point; adjust to your route.
Distinctive places, local traditions and discoveries that reward a longer stay. Give them time beyond a hurried stop.
06
BEYOND THE BEATEN PATH
Great temple spaces and older town streets beyond a quick deer photograph.
Explore Nara →Allow 1–2 nights as a starting point; adjust to your route.
07
BEYOND THE BEATEN PATH
Merchant streets, a former government office and a mountain-region rhythm.
Explore Takayama →Allow 2 nights as a starting point; adjust to your route.
08
BEYOND THE BEATEN PATH
A castle town with storehouse streets, prints and a mountain backdrop.
Explore Matsumoto →Allow 2 nights as a starting point; adjust to your route.
09
BEYOND THE BEATEN PATH
A harbour city of exchange, remembrance and steep, rewarding streets.
Explore Nagasaki →Allow 2–3 nights as a starting point; adjust to your route.
10
BEYOND THE BEATEN PATH
Canal-side storehouses, a serious art collection and the work of makers.
Explore Kurashiki →Allow 1–2 nights as a starting point; adjust to your route.
LOOK A LITTLE CLOSER · Japan
YAMANASHI · LAKES & MOUNTAIN VIEWS
The Fuji Five Lakes region offers a rewarding way to enjoy Mount Fuji without making a summit climb the purpose of the trip. Choose a lake-side base, a suitable walk and perhaps a cultural visit, with enough time for the mountain to appear on its own terms.
Explore this discovery →Photo: Alpsdake · Wikimedia Commons ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗. Display cropped to fit.
HIROSHIMA BAY · SACRED ISLAND
Itsukushima Shrine’s famous torii is one part of a larger sacred and island landscape. Give the shrine a respectful visit, then choose village streets or a suitable path for a different view. The water level changes the scene, so a photograph should not be treated as a promise for every hour.
Explore this discovery →Photo: Felix Filnkössl · Wikimedia Commons ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗. Display cropped to fit.
WAKAYAMA · TEMPLE TOWN
Koyasan offers a distinctive chapter of temple architecture, forest setting and living religious practice. Give the journey enough time, choose the places you want to understand and consider temple lodging only if its rhythms suit you. It is a functioning sacred community, not simply an unusual hotel district.
Explore this discovery →Photo: Christophe95 · Wikimedia Commons ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗. Display cropped to fit.
SEE HOW THE PLACES FIT TOGETHER
Select a pin or place name to open its guide directly. Gold marks the first-time highlights, teal the places beyond the beaten path.
Orientation only: approximate positions, with leader lines separating nearby places. Boundary data: Natural Earth, public domain ↗. The main islands are shown for orientation; southern and remote island chains are omitted for clarity. Approximate pins and leader lines are not rail or road routes. This first selection does not cover every region.
Build your own journey
Give Tokyo and Kyoto their own stays, then choose Osaka for a different urban and food chapter. Leave travel days room for luggage and check-in instead of filling them with fixed appointments.
Connect Kanazawa, Takayama and Matsumoto only after checking the actual rail and coach route. These are distinct regional stays, not three neighbouring stops on one easy train line.
Use Kurashiki and Hiroshima as separate cultural chapters, then add Nagasaki with enough time for the journey into Kyushu. Do not compress the memorial visits into transfer-day gaps.
These are route ideas, not packaged tours or confirmed transport schedules. Adjust the number of stops and nights to your pace; separate transfers need time of their own.
A FEW USEFUL ESSENTIALS
Compare point-to-point tickets and passes against the itinerary you will really travel. Check eligibility, train coverage and reservations through official sources.
Japan Rail Pass →Large stations, luggage and the final walk affect a day as much as the train ride. Select accommodation for the route and atmosphere you want.
Official transport guidance →Follow photography notices, keep private lanes clear and arrange small cultural visits directly. Temples, markets and neighbourhoods are working places.
Kyoto’s official visitor guide →Blossom, autumn colour and clear mountain views depend on date and conditions. Keep a worthwhile alternative for weather rather than promising a particular scene.
Japan planning →