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🇯🇵Things to Do in Japan
From Kyoto's thousand torii gates to Mount Fuji - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Japan splits naturally into old and new: Kyoto and Nara hold over a thousand years of temples and shrines, while Tokyo and Osaka run at a completely different, modern pace a bullet train ride apart. The Shinkansen makes combining both halves in one trip straightforward - Tokyo to Kyoto is about two and a half hours. Here are 10 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto
Thousands of vermillion torii gates climbing a wooded mountain, donated by individuals and businesses over centuries. The full loop takes 2-3 hours; most visitors walk the first 20-30 minutes to the photogenic dense gate tunnels and turn back.
📍 Kyoto
🚉 Nearest station: Inari on the JR Nara line, two stops and five minutes from Kyoto Station, with the first torii gate directly across the road; Fushimi-Inari on the Keihan line is a short walk.
Shibuya Crossing & Tokyo Skytree
The world's busiest pedestrian crossing, best viewed from the Shibuya Sky observation deck above it. The Skytree, Japan's tallest structure, gives a wider view of the whole city on a clear day.
📍 Tokyo
🚉 Shibuya station's Hachiko exit opens onto the crossing itself; for the Skytree, take the Hanzomon subway or Tobu Skytree line to Oshiage, or Tokyo Skytree station next door.
Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto
A Zen temple with its top two floors covered entirely in gold leaf, reflected in the pond in front of it. It's small - most visits are under an hour, easily paired with Ryoan-ji's rock garden nearby.
📍 Kyoto
🚉 No station is within walking distance - take city bus 101 or 205 from Kyoto Station to the Kinkakuji-michi stop, about 40 minutes, which is the standard way locals get there too.
Mount Fuji
Japan's highest peak and most recognizable symbol. The official climbing season is July-early September; outside that window, the classic views are from Lake Kawaguchiko or Hakone instead.
📍 Mount Fuji, Yamanashi/Shizuoka
🚉 Kawaguchiko station on the Fujikyu line is the gateway to the Fuji Five Lakes and the climbing buses to the Subaru Line 5th Station; highway buses from Shinjuku run there directly in about two hours.
Nara Park
Home to over a thousand free-roaming, bowing deer considered sacred messengers, alongside Todai-ji Temple's massive bronze Buddha - one of the largest in Japan.
📍 Nara
🚉 Nearest station: Kintetsu Nara, five minutes' walk from the deer lawns; JR Nara is about 20 minutes away or a short bus ride.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial
The preserved ruin of the Atomic Bomb Dome and the adjoining Peace Memorial Museum. Most visitors combine it with nearby Miyajima Island and its famous floating torii gate the same day.
📍 Hiroshima
🚉 From Hiroshima Station take tram line 2 to Genbaku Dome-mae, which stops beside the A-Bomb Dome at the north end of the Peace Park.
Himeji Castle
Japan's best-preserved original castle, nicknamed the White Heron for its pale exterior, and one of the few that survived both WWII bombing and centuries of earthquakes intact.
📍 Himeji, Hyōgo
🚉 Nearest station: Himeji on the Sanyo Shinkansen, an hour from Kyoto - the castle stands at the end of the main avenue, a 15-to-20-minute walk straight ahead from the north exit.
Cherry Blossom Season
Late March to early April in Kyoto and Tokyo, though the exact bloom window shifts year to year and moves north across the country through spring. Hanami (blossom picnics) in parks like Maruyama or Ueno are the standard way to mark it.
📍 Kyoto & Tokyo
🚉 The best-known viewing spots sit on top of stations: Ueno Park at Ueno in Tokyo, the Meguro river at Naka-Meguro, and Kyoto's Maruyama Park a few minutes from Gion-Shijo on the Keihan line.
Onsen Towns
Natural hot spring towns like Hakone (near Mount Fuji) and Beppu (Kyushu) built around bathing culture, many with traditional ryokan inns attached. Tattoo policies vary by bath - check ahead if this applies to you.
📍 Hakone & Beppu
🚉 Hakone-Yumoto is 85 minutes from Shinjuku on the Odakyu Romancecar; Beppu, on Kyushu, has its own station on the JR Nippo line with the steaming hells a short bus ride uphill.
Dotonbori, Osaka
Osaka's neon-lit street food district, known for takoyaki (octopus balls) and okonomiyaki. Osaka has a reputation as Japan's food capital, and this is where that reputation concentrates.
📍 Osaka
🚉 Nearest station: Namba, served by the Midosuji subway, Kintetsu and Nankai lines, or Nippombashi - both put you a couple of minutes from the canal and the Glico sign.
Mark Japan, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Japan?
10 days covers Tokyo, Kyoto/Nara and one extra stop like Osaka or Hiroshima well. Two weeks lets you add Hakone or a slower pace through Kyoto's many temples.
What's the best time to visit Japan?
Late March-April (cherry blossoms) and October-November (autumn foliage) are the most popular and most booked-up seasons. June is the rainy season; midsummer is hot and humid, especially in cities.
Is Japan good for a first-time visit?
Yes - the Shinkansen bullet train connects every city on this list quickly, English signage is common in stations and major tourist sites, and a Japan Rail Pass can make sense if you're covering several cities.
Do I need a visa to visit Japan?
Japan allows visa-free entry for many nationalities (including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most EU countries) for short tourist stays, typically up to 90 days; other nationalities need to apply for a visa in advance. Check the official visa information for your nationality: mofa.go.jp.
What are some things to do in Japan on a tight budget?
Many temples and shrines, including Fushimi Inari, are free to enter. A Japan Rail Pass can cut transport costs significantly if you're covering several cities, and convenience-store meals are cheap, fast and genuinely good.
Can I rent a car in Japan, and what licence do I need?
You can, though the rail network makes a car unnecessary for the sights on this list; it earns its keep in Hokkaido, rural Kyushu and around the Fuji lakes. Japan only recognises an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, carried with your home licence. Licences from France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Monaco, Slovenia, Taiwan and Estonia are not covered by that convention and instead need an official Japanese translation, which JAF issues. Cars are left-hand drive on the left-hand side of the road, and most rentals include an ETC card for the tolls. The translation service and the permit rules are explained by JAF at english.jaf.or.jp, with the traffic authority itself at npa.go.jp.