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Japan is one of those countries where the first evening already feels like a different planet. Neon crossings in Tokyo, forest shrines right next to a fashion street, steam rising out of a volcano in Hakone, quiet Zen gardens in Kyoto and then, believe it or not, turquoise water in Okinawa that looks more like the Maldives than the Japan you see in films.
I have just put together a 10-day luxury rail and ryokan itinerary for Japan, and while building it I kept a shortlist of the places that truly made me go wow. So here are the top 10 places to visit in Japan across Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto and Okinawa, counted down from No. 10 to the one place I would never let you skip, with the story behind each and the small tips that make the visit better.
10. Kouri Island, Okinawa: The Bridge Over Turquoise Water
Photo: Kugel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original composition; resized for web.
Kouri Island is a tiny island off the north of Okinawa, joined to Yagaji Island by the Kouri Bridge, which runs for nearly 2 km over shallow water. Driving across it is the moment everyone remembers: the road seems to float on a sea that changes from pale green to deep blue on both sides. Kouri is often called the island of love, because a local legend says it is where the Okinawan Adam and Eve first lived.
The other famous sight is Heart Rock at Tinu Beach, a rock whose two arches form a heart shape from the right angle, which became popular after a TV commercial. Go at low tide if you can, wear water shoes on the rocky sand and do not climb the rock. To get the location, click here.
9. Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium: Whale Sharks Up Close
Photo: pelican from Tokyo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Original composition; resized for web.
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium sits inside Ocean Expo Park on the Motobu Peninsula, the site of the 1975 Okinawa Ocean Expo, and it opened in 2002. Churaumi means beautiful sea in the Okinawan language, and the star of the place is the Kuroshio Sea tank, which holds about 7,500 cubic metres of water and is home to whale sharks and manta rays.
Standing in front of that giant acrylic window while a whale shark glides past is one of those moments that make you go quiet. Try to reach the main tank at feeding time, when the whale sharks swim up vertically to feed, and check the times on the official site on the day. Kids love the touch pool near the entrance too. To get the location, click here.
8. Shibuya Crossing and Shibuya Sky: Tokyo’s Wild Side
Photo: Benh LIEU SONG, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Original composition; resized for web.
Shibuya Crossing is the scramble crossing outside Shibuya Station where traffic stops in every direction at once and a huge crowd walks across from all sides, with giant screens glowing above. At peak times thousands of people cross on a single green light, and the funny part is that nobody bumps into anyone.
Right by the station is the statue of Hachiko, the Akita dog who kept coming to meet his owner, Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, at Shibuya Station for about ten years after the professor died in 1925. For the view from above, Shibuya Sky is an open-air rooftop deck on top of Shibuya Scramble Square, about 230 metres up, opened in 2019. Book a sunset slot online in advance, because those go fast. To get the location, click here.
7. Meiji Jingu: A Forest Shrine in the Middle of Tokyo
Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original composition; resized for web.
Meiji Jingu is the Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, completed in 1920 and rebuilt after it was destroyed in the Second World War. What surprises everyone is the forest around it: about 70 hectares and roughly 100,000 trees that were donated from all over Japan and planted by volunteers. Five minutes after leaving the busy Harajuku station, you are walking under huge trees on a gravel path in near silence.
On the way in you will pass a wall of sake barrels donated to the shrine, and opposite them a row of French wine barrels from Burgundy, a nod to Emperor Meiji opening Japan to the West. Bow once at the big torii, rinse your hands at the purification basin and keep your voice low near the main hall. To get the location, click here.
6. Senso-ji and Asakusa: Old Tokyo Under a Giant Lantern
Photo: Soramimi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original composition; resized for web.
Senso-ji in Asakusa is Tokyo’s oldest temple. The legend says that in 628 two fishermen brothers pulled a small statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and the temple was built to house it. You enter through the Kaminarimon, the Thunder Gate, with its giant red lantern and statues of the wind god Fujin and the thunder god Raijin on either side.
From the gate, Nakamise-dori runs up to the main hall, a lane of old shops selling snacks, fans and souvenirs. Try the freshly made ningyo-yaki, small sweet cakes filled with red bean paste, and draw an omikuji fortune for a small donation. If you get a bad one, tie it to the rack and leave the bad luck behind. Come early morning or after dark, when the crowd is thinner and the buildings are lit up. To get the location, click here.
5. Kinkaku-ji: The Golden Pavilion of Kyoto
Photo: Basile Morin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original composition; resized for web.
Kinkaku-ji, officially Rokuon-ji, began as the retirement villa of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1397 and became a Zen temple after his death. Its top two floors are covered in gold leaf, and a golden phoenix sits on the roof. On a still day the whole pavilion sits upside down in the pond in front of it, and that reflection is the photo you came for.
Here is the part most visitors do not know: the pavilion you see is not the original. In 1950 a young monk set it on fire, a story Yukio Mishima later turned into his novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, and the building was rebuilt in 1955. The walking path is one-way and the classic view is right at the start, so do not rush past it. To get the location, click here.
4. Hakone: Lake Ashi, Volcano Steam and Mount Fuji
Photo: Kentagon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original composition; resized for web.
Hakone is a mountain and hot spring area in a volcanic caldera, and it is where most people get their first proper look at Mount Fuji. Lake Ashi formed in the caldera after an eruption about 3,000 years ago, and the red Peace Torii of Hakone Shrine stands right at the water’s edge. Higher up, Owakudani is a volcanic valley full of sulphur steam, where eggs boiled in the hot springs turn black. Locals say each black egg adds seven years to your life.
The real soul of Hakone, though, is a night at a ryokan, a traditional inn where you sleep on futons, eat a long multi-course kaiseki dinner and soak in an onsen, a hot spring bath. Wash fully before getting in, keep your small towel out of the water, and check the tattoo rule beforehand, because many baths still do not allow tattoos. Fuji hides behind clouds a lot, so treat a clear view as a bonus; winter mornings are usually the clearest. To get the location, click here.
3. Kiyomizu-dera and Higashiyama: Wooden Stage, Old Lanes and Gion
Photo: Martin Falbisoner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original composition; resized for web.
Kiyomizu-dera was founded in 778 on the slopes of Mount Otowa, and its main hall, rebuilt in 1633, stands on a huge wooden stage about 13 metres above the hillside, held up by wooden pillars joined without a single nail. The Japanese even have a saying, to jump off the stage of Kiyomizu, which means taking a bold leap. In autumn the maples below turn red and the view is unreal.
Below the hall, the Otowa Waterfall splits into three streams said to bring long life, success in studies and luck in love. Drink from just one, because taking all three is considered greedy. Walk down the stone-paved Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka lanes with their old wooden shops, past the Yasaka Pagoda, into Gion, the geisha district. If you spot a geiko or maiko, give her space and never block her way for a photo. Some private lanes in Gion are now closed to tourists, so follow the signs. To get the location, click here.
2. Arashiyama: Bamboo Grove, Tenryu-ji and the Moon Crossing Bridge
Photo: Basile Morin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original composition; resized for web.
Arashiyama is the green western edge of Kyoto where the mountains meet the Katsura River. The famous Bamboo Grove is a path through bamboo so tall that the light turns green and the stalks creak in the wind. Right next to it is Tenryu-ji, a Zen temple founded in 1339 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, whose pond garden is credited to the Zen master Muso Soseki.
Then there is the Togetsukyo Bridge, whose name means moon crossing bridge; the story goes that an emperor in the 13th century felt the moon looked like it was crossing it. The grove gets very crowded by mid-morning, so go early. Please do not touch or carve the bamboo, which has been a real problem there. To get the location, click here.
1. Fushimi Inari Taisha: Thousands of Torii Up a Sacred Mountain
Photo: Basile Morin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original composition; resized for web.
If I could keep only one place in Japan, it would be Fushimi Inari Taisha. It is the head shrine of Inari, the Shinto god of rice and prosperity, with roots going back to 711, and it is famous for the thousands of bright orange torii gates that form tunnels up the slopes of Mount Inari. Walking through them early in the morning, with the light coming in through the gaps, honestly feels like walking through a dream.
Every torii is a donation from a person or a company, and if you look at the back you will see the donor’s name and the date carved in black. You will also see fox statues everywhere, many holding a key in their mouths, because foxes are believed to be Inari’s messengers. Most people turn back after the first famous stretch, the Senbon Torii, but if you walk higher towards the summit the crowd thins out and you get views over Kyoto from the Yotsutsuji crossing. Wear proper walking shoes and carry water. To get the location, click here.
Best time to visit Japan
Spring and autumn are the best seasons for most of Japan. Cherry blossoms usually peak in Tokyo and Kyoto around late March to early April, and autumn colours in Kyoto are usually best from mid-November to early December. The main rainy season hits most of Japan in June and July, and summer is hot and humid. Okinawa is different: it is warm almost all year and great for the sea from spring to autumn, but its rainy season comes earlier, around May to June, and typhoons are most likely from about July to September.
A few Japan tips I wish someone told me
Carry a little cash, because some small shops and shrines still prefer it. Keep a small bag for your rubbish, since public dustbins are surprisingly rare. Do not eat while walking in temple lanes, stand on the correct side of escalators like the locals, and keep phone calls off on trains. And at shrines and temples, dress modestly and follow the signs on photography, because some halls do not allow it at all.
FAQ
- What are the top places to visit in Japan for a first trip?
For a first trip, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Arashiyama, Kiyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, Senso-ji, Meiji Jingu and Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, and Hakone for Mount Fuji views and an onsen are the classic must-sees.
- Is Okinawa worth adding to a Japan trip?
Yes, if you want a beach finish. Okinawa has a warm climate, clear turquoise water, Kouri Island and the Churaumi Aquarium, which feels very different from Tokyo and Kyoto.
- Can you see Mount Fuji from Hakone?
Yes, on a clear day you can see it from around Lake Ashi and other viewpoints in Hakone, but clouds often hide it, especially in summer. Winter mornings usually give the clearest views.
- When is the best time to visit Fushimi Inari Taisha?
Early morning is best. The torii tunnels are much quieter and the soft light makes them glow, while mid-day is usually very crowded.
- Is Japan good for a couples trip?
Yes. A ryokan night with an onsen in Hakone, slow evenings in Kyoto’s old lanes and a beach end in Okinawa make Japan a lovely trip for couples.
Final Thoughts
Japan has this rare mix where a neon crossing, a 600-year-old temple and a turquoise sea can all fit into one trip. If you ask me, start with Fushimi Inari at sunrise and you will understand the country’s soul in an hour. Which one would you pick first, the torii tunnels or the whale sharks? Tell me in the comments. And if you are in a dreamy-coast mood, check my top 10 places in Amalfi Coast and Sardinia and my Capri day trip guide, or stay closer to home with my top 10 places in Pondicherry, Auroville and Mahabalipuram and my solo travel in India guide.
All 10 of these places are part of my 10-day Japan luxury rail and ryokan itinerary. You can just use it for the number of days you have, book from its links and go, with no planning worries. If you want a custom version for your own dates, CLICK HERE to start on the trip form.
I plan the route. I don’t book the ferry, the stay, or the tickets. A custom plan is Rs. 200 per travel day. Fill the trip form, pay online, and I’ll send you the plan.
