Japan Travel Guide Page

This travel guide page is dedicated to all things travel in Japan! It is meant to give you an overview of what’s important when it comes to planning your trip to Japan and provide links to all our Japan posts, which is where you will find way more detailed information on various topics and specific destinations. Let’s get travel-planning!

Intro

Japan – 日本 or Nihon, with the first kanji literally meaning ‘sun’ and the second ‘origin’, which translates to the ‘Land of the rising sun’ as can be found in the English language – is a country in East Asia, made up of 6.852 islands – the main 4 being Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku.

Japan is known for many traditions and craftsmanship such as their Buddhist and Shinto rituals, tea ceremonies, hot springs, ryokan, pottery, taiko performances … too many to name in this small introduction!

We spent 2 weeks travelling Japan’s Honshu island together in 2023. However for Florence this was already the second trip to the wonderful country of Japan, she visited once before in 2017.

Japan FAQs

🇯🇵 Japan at a glance:

📌 Where? East Asia
💬 Language: Japanese
🌥️ Climate: Temperate & Subtropical Climate (Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu)
💱 Currency: Japanese Yen (¥/JPY)
💰 Budget: middle to expensive

Japan FAQ’s

There is no best time to visit Japan, since the country’s climate is so diverse. It all depends on where you go and what you prefer. For instance Hokkaido is great to visit in the summer months, however the rest of the country tends to get very hot and humid.

In a nutshell: End of March- early April is great for Sakura season. End of October – November for Momiji (Fall leaves). During the summer months there are festivals throughout Japan and you can climb Mount Fuji. So pick the season that best suits your itinerary.

Just maybe try to avoid Golden week (typically end of April-beginning of May) and Obon week (Mid-August), since most Japanese people travel during these holidays and a lot will be booked out. Also during New Year a lot will be closed.

The currency used in Japan is the Japanese Yen (¥‎).

The power plug sockets used are Type A and B. Typically the voltage is 100 V.

In most big cities you will get by pretty easily on English. However, in more rural places you might need to communicate using your hands and feet if you don’t know any Japanese.

Most Popular Posts

How to plan a day trip to Shirakawa-go (from Takayama)

Ultimate Japan Itinerary for first time visitors (14-Day Japan Itinerary)

Perfect 1 & 2-Day Osaka Itinerary – Best Things To Do

What to know before you go

Japan Itineraries

Japan Regional Guides

In this section you will find all of our Japan guides grouped by region! The country of Japan is officially divided into 47 prefectures. However, these prefectures are often grouped into 8 larger regions for simplicity, which is what we will do here as well.

CHUBU (e.g. Mt. Fuji, Takayama)

Even though its name may be a little less-known when compared to other regions in Japan, Chubu Region is home to quite a few highlights. As such, it is where Mt. Fuji is located, as well as quite a number of stunning destinations in the Japanese Alps (e.g. Takayama, Shirakawa-go, Nagano, etc.).

A total of 9 prefectures are located in Chubu, namely Aichi, Fukui, Gifu, Ishikawa, Nagano, Niigata, Shizuoka, Toyama and Yamanashi Prefecture.

KANSAI (e.g. Osaka, Kyoto & Nara)

Kansai Region is one of the more famous regions in Japan. It is home to three major cities: Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto! A total of 7 prefectures are located in Kansai, namely Hyōgo, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Osaka, Shiga and Wakayama Prefecture.

  • If this is your first time in Japan, we highly recommend visiting Osaka, Kyoto as well as Nara!
  • If you are looking for something a bit more off-the-beaten path: How about an epic road trip around the Kii Peninsula, to explore the highlights of Wakayama, Mie and Nara Prefecture?

KANTO (e.g. Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura)

Kanto Region is largely dominated by Tokyo and its greater area. Here you’ll find, well, Tokyo, but also destinations such as Yokohama, Hakone, Kamakura and Nikkō! A total of 7 prefectures are located in Kanto, namely Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, Tochigi and Tokyo Prefecture.


THE MIGRATORY BIRDS

We are Florence and Andy, the faces behind The Migratory Birds!

On this blog we share our experiences, but also focus a lot on travel planning as well as destination guides. With our posts, we aim to give you inspiration for your own travels and provide the tools you need to plan your own trips.

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