Nara Park FreeNature
Nara Park · Nara
Open green space with deer walking around everywhere.
Places to visit
Places to visit in Japan
Worth it vs overrated, with crowd notes. Filter by stop and by what you care about.
Tokyo Temple EveningFree
Senso-ji in the evening · Asakusa
Packed in the day. We went in the evening and it was calm and peaceful.
Kanazawa Garden Nature
Kenroku-en Garden · City centre
Dense, huge and perfectly kept. Look for the supports holding up the old pine branches.
Osaka Food street EveningFree
Dotonbori · Namba
Neon, the canal and big crowds. Go in the evening.
Free Open in Maps
Shirakawa-go Village FreeNature
Gassho-zukuri village · Ogimachi
Steep thatched roofs built for heavy snow, mountains all around. Very peaceful.
Kamakura & Enoshima Temple Temples & shrines
Great Buddha of Kamakura · Kotoku-in
It sits in the open now, and it is hollow. You can go inside.
Kyoto Bamboo grove FreeNature
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest · Arashiyama
Our first stop in Kyoto, straight after the bus from Kanazawa.
Amanohashidate & Ine Viewpoint NatureViewpoints
Amanohashidate viewpoint · Miyazu
Ride up to the viewpoint and look at the pine-covered sandbar across the bay.
Hakone Ropeway NatureViewpoints
Hakone Ropeway & Owakudani · Sounzan → Togendai
You pass right over an active volcanic valley with steam rising from the ground.
Hakone Cruise Nature
Lake Ashi pirate cruise · Togendai
A slow boat across the lake after the ropeway. Calm, with mountains all around.
Nara Temple Temples & shrines
Todai-ji · Nara Park
A huge wooden hall with a giant bronze Buddha inside.
Tokyo Riverside walk EveningFree
Sumida River walk · Asakusa
A slow walk right after Senso-ji. Tokyo without the intensity.
Free Open in Maps
Kanazawa Old geisha district FreeStreet & shopping
Higashi Chaya District · Higashiyama
Wooden teahouses from the Edo period, now cafes and shops. Set up in 1820.
Shirakawa-go House museum
Nagase House · Ogimachi
A family house turned museum. Shows how people actually lived here.
Kamakura & Enoshima Viewpoint Anime spotsFree
Kamakura-Kokomae crossing · Enoden line
Train, sea and road in one frame. Felt straight out of an anime.
Kyoto Shrine FreeTemples & shrines
Fushimi Inari Taisha · Fushimi
We went at night first, then came back in the morning. Go in daylight.
Amanohashidate & Ine Fishing village FreeNature
Ine fishing village · Ine Bay
Boathouses built right on the water. Quiet and completely different from the cities.
Hakone Cable car Nature
Gora & the Sounzan cable car · Gora
The steep little cable car that takes you up to the ropeway.
Tokyo Iconic sight FreeStreet & shopping
Shibuya Scramble Crossing · Shibuya
Everyone crosses from every side at once. Best seen from above.
Kamakura & Enoshima Beach FreeNature
Shichirigahama Beach · Near Kokomae
A surf beach with dark sand, not a swimming beach like we imagine in India.
Free Open in Maps
Kyoto Old district EveningFree
Gion · Higashiyama
We walked it in the evening after the Amanohashidate day.
Tokyo Neighbourhood FreeStreet & shopping
Harajuku, Takeshita Street & Cat Street · Harajuku
Loud Takeshita Street, then calmer Cat Street and Tokyu Plaza next door.
Kamakura & Enoshima Island NatureViewpoints
Enoshima · Fujisawa
A small island just off the coast. On a clear day you can see Mt Fuji from here.
Tokyo Viewpoint EveningFree
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building · Shinjuku
Free deck on the 45th floor, about 202 m up. Free projection show on the building at night.
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Guides
The guides behind these picks
Places to visit
Where You Can See Mount Fuji From (It’s Further Than You Think)
Places to visit
Kyoto: Arashiyama, Fushimi Inari and Gion
Places to visit
Amanohashidate and Ine: A Day Trip from Kyoto
Places to visit
Hakone in a Day: Ropeway, Owakudani and the Pirate Ship
Places to visit
Why Kanazawa Was the Stop I Didn’t Expect to Love
Places to visit
Shirakawa-go: The Thatched-Roof Village That Felt Like Switzerland
Places to visit
Kamakura and Enoshima in a Day: The Great Buddha, the Anime Crossing and the Coast
Places to visit
Nara’s Deer Park and Todai-ji: What to Expect
Places to visit
Shibuya, Shinjuku and Harajuku: Tokyo in One Busy Day