Travel in Japan

Read this overview of travel and hiking in Japan for an introduction to transportation, hotels and food in Japan.

Or, read this overview of the regions of Japan and follow the links to more detailed information.

This collection of original articles is an insider's guide to hiking, mountains, national parks, top travel destinations, secret spots and general travel in Japan, all based on the personal, first-hand experiences of a local resident. The articles focus on first-hand descriptions of places and experiences rather than on encyclopedic information available elsewhere.

Archipelago Overview

Hokkaido, the large island in the far north, is the Alaska of Japan. It's full of wide open spaces, rolling hills, volcanoes, wild forests and easily the best sushi on the planet. Alas, the indigenous Ainu people have been more or less sequestered to small corners of what was once their own land.

Honshu is the banana-shaped central island of Japan. It has crenellated edges where various peninsulas and bays form along the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Sea of Japan on the other. 

• Tohoku, the region at the top of Honshu, is where you can find Aomori, Akita, Yamagata and other prefectures known for apples, white-skinned women and holy mountains.

• Kanto is home to the vast urban conurbation most people just call "Tokyo," but which also includes most of Saitama, Ibaraki, Gunma, Kanagawa, Shizuoka prefectures. Some other famous places here are Yokohama, Kamakura and Nikko. Tokyo is one of the world's greatest cities with funky architecture, upwards of 100,000 restaurants and an army of citizens ready to work, or play, till dawn.

• Chubu is the mid-section of Honshu, comprising the Izu Peninsula, Mt. Fuji, Hakone, Nagano, Kanazawa, the Japan Alps and many other destinations.

• Kansai starts around Nagoya. From here over are an abundance of great cities and sights, including Ise, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Kobe. Kyoto is a living repository of traditional Japanese culture, with thousands of temples and shrines filling the hills, forests and backstreets with incense, chanting and well-tended gardens.
  

• Chugoku, farther west, includes Himeji, Hiroshima and other coastal cities along the Japan Sea and the Seto Inland Sea.

Shikoku is the island across the Seto Inland Sea from Honshu. Pilgrims flock there for its mountain temple circuits. The local fish, seaweed and kelp are also renowned.

Kyushu is a large potato-shaped island at the end of Honshu. It's home to Fukuoka (a.k.a. Hakata), a city famous for ramen and bijin (beautiful women), and Nagasaki, arguably Japan's most beautifully sited city. Mt. Aso (Aso-san) and Sakura-jima are two of the active volcanoes on Kyushu, and the island is well-known for hot springs resorts such as Beppu. Kyushu is also famous for catching the brunt of every typhoon that hits Japan, one of the first places to see the arrival of cherry blossoms in the spring, and delicious food products such as satsuma imo (sweet potatoes) and kuro buta (black pork).

Okinawa is a chain of islands spread through the warm waters at the very bottom of Japan. Once the independent Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa retains a distinctive culture and cuisine. It's a popular beach resort destination, especially for domestic travelers.

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