Deciding where to go in Japan is a mammoth task, because travelling well in this country isn’t only about where you go, but how you move through it. Treat this guide as a framework, not a checklist – understand the unwritten rules, stay curious, and respect the places and people that define it.
Japan is a country of deliberate contrasts – where bullet trains blur across the landscape and stillness lingers around the next corner. One moment you’re beneath Tokyo’s neon skyline; the next, sinking into a hinoki-scented onsen listening to a river outside your ryokan window.
This guide by Tokyo Halfie charts a route beyond the classic Tokyo-Kyoto dash. The headline destinations are here, along with detours that stay with you long after you’ve left: hot spring towns glowing at dusk, alpine trails tracing snow-fed rivers, and fishing villages reinvented as open-air museums.
Cityscape and Tokyo Tower at sunset
Getty ImagesTokyo
Go for: distinct neighbourhoods, sky-high views and a world-class dining scene
Tokyo isn’t one city so much as a constellation of neighbourhoods, each with its own personality. Start with the icons: Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Shinjuku’s electric glow, and the street food in Asakusa near the gates of Sensō-ji. Explore Harajuku and Omotesandō’s fashion avenues, and Ginza’s elegant boutiques and galleries. Visit Toyosu Market for tuna auctions and fresh sushi, then browse and snack your way through Tsukiji’s outer stalls.
Pick a panoramic view – Shibuya Sky, Tokyo Skytree or Roppongi Hills – before returning to street level for omakase counters, kissaten coffee houses and speakeasies tucked above convenience stores. Tokyo holds the most Michelin-starred restaurants, yet shines just as brightly in midnight ramen joints. For immersive experiences, step inside teamLab’s boundary-pushing digital art, or feel the charged atmosphere of a sumo tournament in Ryōgoku.
Then dive deeper: delve into Akihabara and Nakano for otaku culture and retro arcades, wander Ueno’s museum-filled parklands, or slip into calmer corners like bookish Jimbochō, nostalgic Yanaka and canal-side Nakameguro. For something polished, Daikanyama and Aoyama offer minimalist boutiques, concept stores and airy cafes. Tokyo also works well as a base for scenic day trips to Kamakura, Hakone or Nikkō.
Heian Jingu Shrine with cherry blossom
Getty ImagesKyoto
Go for: temple mornings, shrine visits and traditional crafts
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