Destinations
22 destinations, first-timer vetted
Every guide covers history and culture, the sights that justify their crowds (and the ones that don't), food, where to stay — plus the booking rules and reservation quirks that catch first-timers out.
Kanto
Neon capital, world-class food and day-trip mountains
Kanto Kamakura
Samurai capital turned seaside temple town, an hour from Tokyo
Kanto Nikko
Gold-leafed shrines in a cedar forest, above an alpine lake
Kanto Tokyo
Neon canyons, temple incense, and the world's deepest food city
Chubu
Alps, hot-spring towns and Fuji-view lakes
Chubu Hakone
Hot springs, a pirate-boat lake, and Fuji on the horizon
Chubu Kanazawa
Samurai lanes, gold-leaf craft, and one of Japan's three great gardens
Chubu Nagoya
Castle town, shrine city, and Japan's most underrated food capital
Chubu Shirakawago
Steep-thatched farmhouses under deep mountain snow, glowing on winter nights
Chubu Takayama
A dark-timbered merchant town tucked deep in the Japan Alps
Kansai
Imperial capitals, temples and the kitchen of Japan
Kansai Himeji
Japan's finest surviving feudal castle, white-plastered and gloriously intact
Kansai Kobe
Harbor views, hillside villas, hot springs, and Japan's most famous steak
Kansai Koyasan
A mountaintop monastery town where you sleep, eat, and chant with monks
Kansai Kyoto
Seventeen World Heritage sites and twelve centuries of good taste
Kansai Nara
A thousand deer, the Great Buddha, and Japan's first capital
Kansai Osaka
Japan's kitchen: street food, neon canyons, and a merchant city's swagger
Chugoku
Peace memorials, shrine islands and Setouchi calm
Kyushu & Okinawa
Volcanoes, food stalls and subtropical islands
Kyushu & Okinawa Beppu
Japan's steamiest city: hells, huts, and seven kinds of bath
Kyushu & Okinawa Fukuoka
Tonkotsu ramen, riverside food stalls, and Kyushu's easy gateway
Kyushu & Okinawa Nagasaki
Japan's port of four cultures, from hidden Christians to champon
Kyushu & Okinawa Okinawa
Ryukyu castles, coral beaches, and Japan's slow island south
Tohoku
Samurai mausoleums, pine islands and deep snow country
Hokkaido
Snow country, lavender fields and seafood
