Regions & cities Updated 18 August 2026
Hiroshima and Miyajima in One Day
A city rebuilt around a memorial and an island with a torii standing in the sea: how to fit both into a day, and why the order matters more than the timetable.
Regions & cities
Every guide about Regions & cities for a trip to Japan, in one place.
Nature, mountains & onsen Updated 17 August 2026
Skiing in Japan: The Powder, the Regions and the Onsen After
Why skiers fly across the world for Japan's powder, how Hokkaido, Honshu and Tohoku resorts differ, what a ski trip costs next to the Alps, and the onsen ritual that finishes every good day on snow.
Regions & cities Updated 17 August 2026
Kyoto Without the Crowds: Where the City Goes Quiet
The northern mountain villages, the temples nobody queues for and the neighbourhoods that still feel lived in, plus how to fit them around the famous sights rather than instead of them.
Attractions, temples & culture Updated 17 August 2026
Sumo in Japan: How to Actually See a Match
How the six sumo tournaments work, why ringside seats are hard to get, what a tournament day actually feels like, and how to read a match once the wrestlers finally touch.
Food & restaurants Updated 17 August 2026
Tokyo's Food Markets: Tsukiji, Toyosu, Ameyoko and the Best Basement in the City
Where to actually eat around Tokyo, the Tsukiji versus Toyosu split explained, the market under the tracks in Ueno, and the department store basements most visitors never find.
Attractions, temples & culture Updated 16 August 2026
Akihabara: The Anime and Gaming Capital of Tokyo
What Akihabara actually is, how the multi storey shops work, what gachapon and arcades ask of your coin pocket, and whether the electronics are still worth buying.
Attractions, temples & culture Updated 16 August 2026
Gion: The Geisha District of Kyoto and How to Walk It Properly
The old teahouse quarter of Kyoto, its lanes and canal, what a geiko and a maiko actually are, and the etiquette the district now enforces on its private streets.
Regions & cities Updated 16 August 2026
Hokkaido and Sapporo: Deep Snow, Lavender Fields and Room to Breathe
Japan's northern island, where the snow is the lightest on earth, the summer is cool and dry, and Sapporo eats better than cities twice its size.
Regions & cities Updated 16 August 2026
Okinawa: Japan's Tropical South, and How Long It Really Needs
Okinawa sits closer to Taipei than to Tokyo: white sand, coral reefs, a separate island culture and a long swimming season, plus how many days it honestly deserves.
Regions & cities Updated 16 August 2026
Takayama and Shirakawa-go: Two Mountain Towns Worth Leaving the Cities For
A preserved Edo-era merchant town and a living village of steep thatched farmhouses in the Japanese Alps, with how to get between them, what to eat, and whether to stay the night.
Attractions, temples & culture Updated 11 August 2026
Nikko: Ornate Shrines, a Sacred Bridge and a Mountain Waterfall
A couple of hours north of Tokyo: a UNESCO shrine complex carved with gilded ornament, a red sacred bridge, and a caldera lake with a waterfall above it, doable as one long day.
Nightlife & bars Updated 1 August 2026
Osaka Nightlife: Namba, Dotonbori and Beyond
Osaka nightlife guide: Dotonbori neon, Namba and Shinsaibashi bars, izakaya cover charges, last trains and rough prices for a round in Japan's loudest food city.
Trip planning Updated 27 June 2026
Tokyo or Osaka: Which City Should You Visit?
Tokyo or Osaka for your Japan trip? An honest comparison of the two great cities: sights, food, nightlife, day trips to Kyoto and Nara, costs, and a clear verdict for every type of traveler.
Attractions, temples & culture Updated 23 April 2026
Kamakura: A Bronze Buddha, a Bamboo Garden and a Surf Beach
An hour from Tokyo, the medieval capital sits between wooded valleys and the sea, with temples in the hills, a small railway along the coast and surfers on the sand.
Regions & cities Updated 3 March 2026
Kyoto Guide: Temples, Gion and the Perfect Day Plan
How to do Kyoto without the crowds swallowing you: the temples worth your time, the geisha district of Gion, a day-by-day plan, and the etiquette to get right.
Regions & cities Updated 5 February 2026
Tokyo Guide: Neighborhoods, What to Do and How to Do It
A first-timer guide to Tokyo: the neighborhoods that matter, how to ride the trains, the sights worth your time and the ones you can skip, plus food, nightlife and day trips.
Regions & cities Updated 23 January 2026
Tokyo Neighbourhoods: Thirteen Cities Pretending to Be One
Tokyo has no centre and no single character: what each of the main districts is actually like, which ones reward a whole day, and which are twenty minutes and a photograph.
Food & restaurants Updated 17 January 2026
Dotonbori and the Osaka Street Food Rules
A canal lined with mechanical crabs and a running man sign, and underneath it the best street eating in Japan: what to order, where to stand, and the one rule not to break.
Regions & cities Updated 11 January 2026
Osaka: The City That Eats
Japan's loudest, friendliest and least polished big city: what to see beyond the castle, why the food is the point, and how many nights it actually deserves.