Plan Japan
Japan trip planner & travel guides

Discover the cities of Japan

From the megacity of Tokyo to the onsen of Kinosaki and Kusatsu — 17 guides to plan every stop on your route.

Tokyo night skyline with its illuminated skyscrapers
Tokyo The capital: iconic neighbourhoods, pop culture and the best entry point to the country. View guide →
Fushimi Inari temple with its famous red torii in Kyoto
Kyoto Temples, Gion, the bamboo grove and the most traditional face of Japan. View guide →
Dotonbori at night with its neon lights reflected in the Osaka canal
Osaka Street food, Dotonbori and the liveliest city on the classic route. View guide →
Sacred deer walking in front of the Tōdai-ji temple in Nara
Nara The deer park, the Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji and historic Japan 45 min from Kyoto. View guide →
Floating torii of the Itsukushima shrine over the sea in Miyajima, Hiroshima
Hiroshima The Peace Memorial and the shrine island of Miyajima with its torii over the sea. View guide →
Traditional wooden houses by the river in the old quarter of Kanazawa
Kanazawa Kenroku-en garden, samurai and geisha districts. Traditional Japan without the crowds. View guide →
Red torii and stone staircase of a Takayama shrine among autumn maples
Takayama A mountain town with craft sake, historic streets and access to Shirakawa-go. View guide →
Kobe Port Tower and Maritime Museum lit up at night by the harbour
Kobe Kobe beef, Chinatown and the cosmopolitan Kitano district 30 min from Osaka. View guide →
Volcanic valley of Owakudani with columns of steam at sunset in Hakone
Hakone Mount Fuji views, onsen and the best ryokan experience near Tokyo. View guide →
Enoden train by the sea with the island of Enoshima in the background in Kamakura
Kamakura The Great Buddha, zen temples, hiking and beach an hour from Tokyo. View guide →
Local train among cherry blossoms by a river in Fukuoka in spring
Fukuoka Hakata ramen, night yatai and the gateway to southern Japan. View guide →
Sacred red Shinkyo bridge over the Daiya river in Nikko
Nikko The UNESCO Tosho-gu mausoleum, the Kegon Falls and Lake Chuzenji 2h from Tokyo. View guide →
Traditional wooden pavilion with a tiled roof in Kinosaki Onsen
Kinosaki A hot-spring town by the Sea of Japan: seven public baths to tour in a yukata among canals and willows. View guide →
Steaming Yubatake hot-spring field with a stone lantern in Kusatsu Onsen
Kusatsu One of Japan's great onsen, in the mountains of Gunma, with the steaming Yubatake right in the centre. View guide →
Matsumoto Castle with its black keep and the red bridge over the moat, in Nagano prefecture
Nagano The Zenko-ji temple, the Jigokudani snow monkeys and the gateway to the Japanese Alps 1h20 from Tokyo. View guide →
Seiganto-ji pagoda beside the Nachi waterfall among the mountains, in Wakayama prefecture
Wakayama A historic castle, the fishing-village coast of the Kii Peninsula and the Nachi waterfall, an hour from Osaka. View guide →
Great Seto Bridge over the Seto Inland Sea from the Washuzan viewpoint, in Kurashiki
Kurashiki The historic Bikan quarter by the canal, the Ohara art museum and Ivy Square, 15 min from Okayama. View guide →
How many nights for each city? The planner distributes them automatically based on your dates and travel pace.
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