Japan travel guide
Before you go to Japan
- Currency
- JPY ¥
- Emergency number
- 119 / 110
- Plug type
- Type A, 100V 50Hz (east) or 60Hz (west)
- Tap water
- Tap water is safe to drink everywhere in Japan — some of the cleanest in the world.
- Tipping
- Not practiced — tipping can be considered rude. Ryokan gratuity in an envelope is the only occasional exception.
- Bargaining
- Not expected
- eSIM
- Available
- Card networks
- Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex
- ATM fees
- Yen 110-220 per withdrawal
Cities in Japan
- Tokyo Japan's sprawling capital and the world's most populous metropolitan area. Tokyo dazzles with neon-lit neighborhoods, ancient temples,…
- Kyoto Japan's ancient imperial capital for over a millennium. Kyoto holds more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any other Japanese city — from…
- Osaka Japan's kitchen and comedy capital. Osaka is famous for its fearlessly bold street food, vibrant nightlife, friendly locals, and a merchant…
- Hiroshima A city rebuilt from the ashes of 1945 into a symbol of peace and resilience. Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park and A-Bomb Dome (UNESCO)…
- Nara Japan's first permanent capital (710–784 AD) is now an open-air museum where 1,200 wild sika deer roam free among UNESCO World Heritage…
- Sapporo Hokkaido's capital and Japan's fifth-largest city sits amid some of the country's most dramatic wilderness. Famous for its annual Snow…
- Kanazawa Often called "Little Kyoto," Kanazawa spent the Edo period as Japan's wealthiest domain outside the Shogunate. Its samurai districts,…
- Naha The subtropical capital of Okinawa Prefecture feels worlds apart from mainland Japan. Naha blends the ancient Ryukyu Kingdom (Shuri Castle,…
- Fukuoka Kyushu's dynamic gateway city combines ancient Korean-influenced history with modern buzz. Fukuoka is renowned for Hakata ramen, a thriving…
- Kobe An elegant port city wedged between the Rokko mountains and Osaka Bay. Kobe blends cosmopolitan European heritage—Kitano Ijinkan foreign…
- Yokohama Japan's second-largest city hugs Tokyo Bay with one of Asia's largest Chinatowns, a stunning waterfront at Minato Mirai, and a rich port…
- Nagoya Japan's industrial heartland and home to Toyota, Nagoya surprises visitors with a magnificent castle, the Atsuta Shrine (Japan's second…
- Hakone A classic Japanese mountain resort with iconic Mt Fuji views. Hakone's outdoor hot-spring ryokan, open-air sculpture park, ropeway over…
- Kamakura A medieval shogunate capital (1185–1333) clinging to sea-cliffs above the Pacific. Kamakura's Great Buddha, 65 Zen temples, and carved…
- Nikko A UNESCO World Heritage mountain shrine town north of Tokyo. Nikko's lavishly gilded Tosho-gu Shrine is Japan's most ornate sacred complex,…
- Takayama High in the Hida Alps, Takayama's Sanmachi Suji district of 300-year-old breweries and merchant townhouses is one of Japan's most…
- Nagasaki Japan's most European-flavoured city, shaped by four centuries of trade with Portugal, Holland, and China when the rest of Japan was closed…
- Matsumoto Nestled in the Japanese Alps at 580 m elevation, Matsumoto is crowned by Japan's oldest original castle—a stunning black fortress nicknamed…
- Beppu Japan's hot-spring capital steams with more geothermal output than any city outside Yellowstone. Beppu's "Eight Hells" — boiling ponds in…
- Kumamoto Home to one of Japan's three finest original castles, Kumamoto is Kyushu's most stately city. The castle was badly damaged in the 2016…
- Okayama The "city of sunshine" is the gateway to Kurashiki's Bikan historical quarter, home to Japan's third most celebrated garden (Korakuen), a…
- Sendai Tohoku's largest city and gateway to the region's onsen and mountains. Home of the Date clan lord Masamune, famous for Tanabata Festival…
- Shizuoka Sitting in Mt Fuji's shadow, Shizuoka is Japan's leading green tea producer, the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu, and the gateway to the Izu…
- Hamamatsu Japan's musical instrument capital — Yamaha and Roland were founded here — Hamamatsu also produces Honda motorcycles, grows Japan's finest…
- Chiba A major Tokyo commuter city bordering Tokyo Bay, Chiba is home to Makuhari Messe convention centre, Chiba Marine Stadium, and the gateway…
- Katsushika A working-class Tokyo ward on the Edogawa River, Katsushika is famous as the setting of the beloved manga Kochikame and the birthplace of…