KIITEs believe that Japan is a place where everyone should visit. The Japan tourist attractions offer a unique blend of amazing, tall buildings and peaceful bamboo forests. It has something different from any other place in the world. From Japanese food to polite Japanese people, Japan has so much to offer its tourists, but where should one start? These are some of the best places to explore in Japan.
Japan has the most efficient public transport in the world. This blog offers detailed information on Japan’s beauty, especially covering the interesting places in Japan. From the lavender field of Furano to the crystal clear beaches in Okinawa, this blog covers all the places to visit in Japan.
Must-Visit Japan Tourist Attractions
Here is a list of the best places to explore in Japan. We recommend some popular Japan cities and top Japan tourist spots that one should visit while visiting Japan. Additionally, we suggest some activities to make your trip to Japan more memorable and enjoyable.
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Kyoto
Are you planning a trip to Japan? Kyoto is the best place to visit in Japan. This offers the beauty of traditional Japan, like every tourist imagines. Geisha in colorful kimonos, bamboo forests, wooden teahouses, tranquil temples and shrines in silver and gold, Zen gardens, and a market with lots of different unique things.
Head towards the Kyoto mountains, where one can find narrow stone streets, old wooden houses, monks in robes, chanting sounds, and gongs from shrines and temples. To spot Geisha, visit Gion and Higashiyama to explore the beautiful temples. In the western hills, Arashiyama has the most features of traditional Japan, such as quirky temples, bamboo groves, and monkeys.
Visit temples early in the morning as they get crowded in the daytime because Kyoto is one of the top Japan tourist spots. Now, here are some interesting things that one should not miss in Kyoto.
- First, Visit the red Torii gates at Fushimi Inari shrine
- Have the famous matcha tea in the traditional Japanese ceremony. Experience the tea ceremony, Ju-An at Jotokuji Temple.
- In the Kyoto cooking class, learn to cook traditional Japanese cuisine.
- Explore the beauty of cherry blossoms; Kyoto is one of the top places to see in Japan. Additionally, the best time to see Japan beauty of cherry blossoms is late March or early April.
- Explore the Zen Buddhist cuisine at Tenryu-ji temple
- Visit the unique Otagi Nenbutsuji temple.
- Experience the Philosopher’s Path
- Take a train to visit Kibune village and walk across the valley of Kuramadera temple
- Explore from the busy streets of Geon to the Yasaka-jinja magical night
- Watch the beautiful fall colors in the middle of November.
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Tokyo
Tokyo is one of the best places to visit in Japan. It is the heart of traditional Japan. This place can offer tourists noisy arcades, youth fashion, delicious restaurants, and tall buildings. Tokyo is a place for foodies as it offers so many delicious restaurants, and even vegetarians can find vegetarian food to eat at this place.
Now, here are the favorite things that KIITEs suggest people not miss:
- Experience the go-kart on the real roads and dress as your favorite character.
- Eat in small restaurants on memory lane in Shinjuku
- Enjoy the view of the whole city from the Shibuya Sky Observatory, especially during the sunset period.
- Visit the famous iconic Shibuya Crossing
- Explore the amazing DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland
- Watch the sumo wrestlers’ training sessions
- Have the green tea at Sakurai for a relaxing Japanese tea experience
- Visit Shimokitazawa for cafes, record stores, and vintage clothes
- Experience the colorful digital art museum and TeamLab Planets (don’t miss the Uzu vegan ramen)
- Additionally, explore the wild fashion on Harajuku’s Takeshita Street
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Hakone
Mount Fuji from Lake Ashi in Hakone is one of the best places to explore in Japan. There are many places from where you can see the mountains (Kawaguchiko is a great option), but Hakone is the easy route from Tokyo. Visitors can do lots of things in this area. Here are some things that one should not miss:
- Buy a Hakone free pass so you can use all the transport options.
- From the lake and cable car view of Mount Fuji, it is one of the Japan beautiful places that one should not miss
- Eat the black egg that is cooked freshly in the hot sulphur springs at the Volcanic Owakudani (Japan people love it)
- Explore the outdoor gallery at Hakone Open Air Museum
- To experience traditional Japan, visit the tatami room in a ryokan and enjoy the dinner
- Relaxing in Onsen (a hot spring in Japan) is a must-do.
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Takayama
Takayama is one of the most beautiful places in Japan. It is a gorgeous small town in the Japanese Alps, and it is also one of the less-visited good places in Japan. KIITEs suggests people wander the historic center, which offers beautiful sightings of traditional wooden houses, glorious shrines, colorful red bridges, and sharply shaped trees over the river. Now, here are some things that KIITEs suggest people not miss in Takayama.
- Wake up in the early morning, and wander the old town before the crowds.
- Buy some delicious Japanese food from the morning markets
- Have a snack on mitarashi-dango, which is a rice ball grilled in soy from a street stall.
- Experience the festival floats in the exhibition hall which is one of the most interesting places in Japan
- Explore the Hida Folk village to experience the traditional Japanese thatched houses
- Experience cycling through the countryside with Satoyama Experience
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Kanazawa
Kanazawa is one of the best cities. Additionally, it is also a less-visited place in Japan. Kanazawa is the best alternative to Kyoto to explore the Grisha districts with preserved wooden buildings. In Kanazawa, people can find Japan beautiful places such as gardens, a castle, and many art museums. Now, here are a few things to not miss in Kanazawa.
- Visit the Kenroku-en Garden, which is one of the top three beautiful gardens in Japan
- Explore the wooden tea houses in geisha districts Higashi Chaya, Kazuemachi, and Nishi Chaya
- Additionally, travelers must experience the traditional tea ceremony at Gyokusen-en Gardens.
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Koya-San
Koys-san is one of the most interesting places in Japan to explore the traditional side of the country. The sacred temple town is located in the forest mountains of Kansai. This is also a place to experience the life of a monk by staying at Shukubo.
Additionally, explore the Okunoin forest cemetery, the tatami room at the temple, and the communal onsen bath. Enjoy the delicious Japanese vegetarian food shojin ryori, a Buddhist meal. Wake up early in the morning for the meditation and chanting ceremony with the monks.
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Tsumago
Tsumago is the picture-perfect place of traditional Japan. Its mountain village in the Kiso Valley is the most preserved post town in Japan. People can feel while visiting this place that they have stepped back to earlier times when there was no traffic on the streets.
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Nikko
Nikko is a place that offers a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the mountains and offers an escape from urban life. Additionally, this place celebrates the dazzling autumn. The center of Nikko is the Toshogu Shrine, which has a red and gold structure set with towering cedar trees. Here are some interesting things to do in Nikko.
- We suggest visiting the Toshogu shrine early in the morning.
- Enjoy the games at Futarasan-jinja plus explore the beauty of Taiyuinbyo.
- Visitors can do activities such as hiking up the mountain and visiting the peaceful Takino shrine.
- I can do photography at the Red Shinkyo Bridge
- Enjoy the Japanese food dango (grilled rice balls) from a street stall
- Additionally, enjoy the sushi at Komekichi Kozushi
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Hiroshima and Miyajima
Visitors can visit this place to pay respects to the victims of the atomic bombing at Hiroshima. Pay tribute to those victims and explore the modern city, which was rebuilt after World War II.
Hiroshima is combined with the famous Torii gate at Itsukushima shrine, which is nearly from Miyajima Island. Additionally, taste the delicious local food, okonomiyaki, which is a thick pancake of batter, noodles, and vegetables.
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Nara
Nara is a place that serves as the permanent capital of Japan. This place is full of historic treasures, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Additionally, it is one of the top Japan attractions, which makes it a rewarding trip from Kyoto. Explore the temples and wild deer at Nara Park. Additionally, explore Daibutsu-den (the Hall of the Great Buddha) at Todaiji. Its tallest wooden building in the world is the main sight.
In conclusion, this blog provides detailed information on the best places to explore in Japan. KIITEs is a customized travel planner that helps people make an ideal tour plan according to the Japan tour packages. Our team has in-depth knowledge of top Japan tourist spots while planning a trip to Japan.
This site is a fantastic resource for budget travelers—so many tips on saving while exploring!