Guide Japan

Japan's train network makes it possible to cover a lot of ground without a single missed connection — here's a shortlist to start from.

The list

• Tokyo — Shibuya, Shinjuku, and the quieter backstreets of Yanaka
• Kyoto — temples, the Arashiyama bamboo grove, and Higashiyama at dawn
• Osaka — the country's best street food, hands down
• Nara — famous for its free-roaming deer
• Hakone — hot springs and views of Mount Fuji
• Kanazawa — a smaller castle town with one of Japan's best gardens
• Hiroshima & Miyajima — the Peace Memorial and floating torii gate
• Takayama — preserved Edo-period streets
• Nikko — elaborate shrines north of Tokyo
• Naoshima — an island dedicated to contemporary art
• Sapporo — gateway to Hokkaido's ski country
• Okinawa — coral reefs and a different side of Japan
• Kamakura — a relaxed coastal day trip from Tokyo
• Yakushima — ancient cedar forests
• Matsumoto — one of Japan's most striking original castles

Pick a region (Kanto, Kansai, or Hokkaido) and go deeper rather than wider.

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