The capital
Almost every first trip begins in Tokyo, a city of forty million people that still feels calm, clean and astonishingly easy to navigate. Shibuya and Shinjuku give you the neon, Asakusa and Yanaka the old city, and Meiji Jingu a forest shrine in the middle of it all. Give it four days at least, plus a night in the hot springs of Hakone on the way west.
The old capital
Two and a quarter hours west by Shinkansen, Kyoto was Japan's imperial capital for more than a thousand years. Over a thousand temples, the torii tunnels of Fushimi Inari, the bamboo of Arashiyama and the teahouse lanes of Gion make it the cultural heart of any trip. Nara and its bowing deer are an easy day out.
The kitchen of Japan
Fifteen minutes from Kyoto by bullet train, Osaka is louder, friendlier and obsessed with food: takoyaki, okonomiyaki and kushikatsu along the neon canal of Dotonbori. It is also the best base for Universal Studios Japan and a cheaper place to stay than Kyoto.
Peace and the Inland Sea
Hiroshima and Miyajima show two sides of Japan in one day: the moving Peace Memorial Park and Museum, then a ferry to the island shrine whose great torii seems to float on the sea. Many visitors come on a day trip from Osaka or Kyoto, but a night on Miyajima is unforgettable.
The wild north
Hokkaido is Japan's frontier: powder snow in Niseko, the Sapporo Snow Festival in February, lavender in Furano in July, and bears and drift ice in Shiretoko. Fly into Sapporo and plan at least five days.
How to combine them
The classic first route is Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Hiroshima over ten to fourteen days, all linked by Shinkansen. Hokkaido works best as its own trip or with a domestic flight added. Use the free trip planner to shape a pace that suits you, and browse our places to visit for food, culture and stays in each stop.