Regions of Japan
Japan divides into eight regions, and they map neatly onto how people actually travel. Most first trips concentrate on three of them — the “Golden Route” running from Tokyo through the centre of the country to Kyoto and Osaka. The rest, along with the southern islands of Okinawa, are where a second trip, or a longer one, tends to go. Skim the regions below, then follow through to individual destinations for the detail.
| Region | Best for | Main cities | Signature interests | Best time | Days | Cost | Crowds | From Tokyo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Golden Route — where most first trips happen | ||||||||
| Kantō & the EastFirst trip | First-timers, food and city energy, easy day trips | Tokyo · Yokohama · Hakone · Nikkō · Kamakura | Food · Shopping · City culture · Onsen · Cycling | Mar–May, Oct–Nov | 4–6 |
High
|
Very busy
|
Home base |
| Kansai & the Old CapitalsFirst trip | Temples, history, food, classic culture | Kyoto · Osaka · Nara · Kobe · Himeji | Temples · Food · Castles · Geisha culture · Cycling | Mar–May, Oct–Nov | 4–6 |
High
|
Very busy
|
2.5 hrs shinkansen |
| Chūbu & Central HonshuFirst or second | Alpine scenery, old towns, winter snow | Takayama · Kanazawa · Shirakawa-gō · Nagano | Hiking · Historic towns · Skiing · Onsen | May–Oct hiking · Dec–Mar snow | 3–5 |
Moderate
|
Moderate
|
2–3 hrs by train |
| Beyond the Golden Route — for a second trip, or a longer one | ||||||||
| ChūgokuSecond trip | History, island scenery, gardens | Hiroshima · Miyajima · Okayama · Kurashiki · Onomichi | History · Shrines · Gardens · Canal towns · Cycling | Mar–May, Oct–Nov | 2–4 |
Moderate
|
Moderate
|
4 hrs shinkansen |
| KyūshūSecond trip | Onsen, volcanoes, food, history | Fukuoka · Nagasaki · Beppu · Kagoshima | Onsen · Volcanoes · Food · History | Mar–May, Oct–Nov | 4–6 |
Moderate
|
Moderate
|
5 hrs shinkansen · 2 hr flight |
| HokkaidōSecond trip | Skiing, nature, seafood, cool summers | Sapporo · Hakodate · Niseko · Furano | Skiing · Onsen · Food · Flowers | Dec–Feb snow · Jun–Aug summer | 4–7 |
Mod–high
|
Moderate
|
1.5 hr flight |
| ShikokuSecond trip | Pilgrimage routes, rural landscapes, contemporary art | Matsuyama · Takamatsu · Naoshima · Iya Valley · Imabari | Pilgrimage · Onsen · Art · Hiking · Cycling | Mar–May, Sep–Nov | 3–5 |
Low
|
Quiet
|
4–5 hrs by train (bridges) |
| TōhokuSecond trip | Quiet travel, festivals, off the beaten path | Sendai · Aomori · Hiraizumi · Matsushima | Festivals · History · Onsen · Scenery | Jun–Aug festivals · Oct–Nov colour | 3–5 |
Low
|
Quiet
|
1.5–2.5 hrs shinkansen |
| OkinawaSeparate trip | Beaches, diving, distinct island culture | Naha · Ishigaki · Miyako · Kerama Islands | Beaches · Diving · Culture · Food | Apr–Jun, Oct–Nov | 4–7 |
Mod–high
|
Moderate
|
2.5–3 hr flight |
Reading the matrix. Cost and crowds are relative to the rest of Japan, not the world — Tōhoku's two pips are still pricier than most of Southeast Asia. Crowd levels assume travel outside the major domestic holidays (Golden Week in late April and early May, and Obon in mid-August), when everywhere becomes far busier. "Days needed" assumes the region is the only one on that leg of the trip, not stacked with others. Journey times from Tokyo are one-way and approximate.
The Golden Route core - where most trips happen
Kanto and the East
The dense, dynamic east, centred on the vast metropolis of Tokyo. Most visitors arrive here, pairing world-class food, shopping and nightlife with easy escapes to the hot springs of Hakone and the shrines of Nikko.
The vast, electric capital — a city of endless neighbourhoods where ancient shrines sit beneath neon towers.
Japan's cosmopolitan port city, with a grand waterfront and the country's largest Chinatown
A mountain hot-spring retreat within sight of Mount Fuji, famous for open-air art and lake cruises.
A shrine town of astonishing ornamentation, set among cedar forests, waterfalls and mountains.
Chubu and Central Honshu
Mountainous central Japan, crossed on the route between Tokyo and Kyoto — and home to the Japanese Alps and the lakes beneath Mount Fuji. Old merchant towns, thatched farmhouse villages, hot springs and, in winter, some of Asia’s best snow. The city of Nagoya is its main gateway.
A beautifully preserved mountain town of sake breweries, morning markets and grand festival floats.
A refined former castle town with one of Japan's three great gardens and a preserved geisha district.
A remote valley of steep-thatched farmhouses, magical under snow and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A mountain city built around a great Buddhist temple, and gateway to snow monkeys and alpine hot springs.
Kansai and the Old Capitals
Japan’s cultural heartland. Kyoto holds the greatest concentration of temples, gardens and geisha districts; Nara its ancient Great Buddha and tame deer; Osaka the country’s most exuberant food scene; and Himeji its finest original castle.
The old imperial capital, holding the country's greatest concentration of temples, gardens and geisha tradition.
Japan's warm, exuberant, food-obsessed second city, where street food and neon rule the night.
Japan's first permanent capital, home to a giant bronze buddha and a park of famously bowing deer.
Home to Japan's finest surviving castle, a dazzling white keep known as the "White Heron".
Beyond the Golden Route — for a second trip, or a longer one
Hokkaido
The wild, snowy north, and a destination in its own right. Powder skiing at Niseko, lavender fields at Furano, hot springs and outstanding seafood, with cool, green summers that make it a favourite escape from the heat further south.
The relaxed northern capital, famous for its beer, miso ramen and a spectacular winter snow festival.
A historic port with a celebrated hillside night view, a lively morning market and Western architecture.
Asia's premier ski resort, blessed with some of the lightest, deepest powder snow on earth.
A gentle landscape of rolling farmland, famous for its summer lavender fields and flower carpets.
Tohoku
The rural northern frontier of Honshu — deep snow, samurai history, vivid summer festivals and the pine-clad islands of Matsushima Bay. Among the least-touristed and most rewarding parts of the country.
The green capital of the North, a spacious modern city and gateway to the region's coast and mountains.
A northern city port known for its thunderous summer Nebuta festival and superb apples and seafood.
Once a rival to Kyoto, now a quiet town of golden temples and buddhist "pure land" gardens.
A bay scattered with pine-clad islands, long counted amongst the three most beautiful views in Japan.
Chugoku
The western tip of Honshu, best known for Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial and the “floating” torii of Miyajima just offshore – with the garden city of Okayama and the canal quarter of Kurashiki nearby.
A city reborn from tragedy, its moving Peace Memorial set against a warm, welcoming modern spirit.
The island of the famous "floating" torii gate, with mountain trails, temples and free roaming deer.
A castle city home to Kōraku-en, ranked among the three great landscape gardens of Japan.
A merchant town with a beautifully preserved canal quarter of white-walled storehouses.
Shikoku
The quiet fourth main island, across the Inland Sea. Ancient Dōgo Onsen at Matsuyama, the 88-temple Buddhist pilgrimage, the contemporary art islands around Naoshima, and the remote river gorges of the Iya Valley.
Shikoku's largest city, built around a hilltop castle and the ancient, atmospheric Dōgo Onsen.
The port city and gateway to the art islands, home to the exquisite Ritsurin garden.
A small island transformed into a world of contemporary art, architecture and outdoor sculpture.
A remote realm of steep gorges, vine bridges and mountain villages deep in Shikoku's interior.
Kyushu
The subtropical southwest, and Japan’s most volcanic region. The ramen and energy of Fukuoka, the poignant history of Nagasaki, the steaming hot springs of Beppu, and the smoking Sakurajima volcano above Kagoshima.
A dynamic food loving port city, birthplace of tonkotsu ramen and famous for its open-air food stalls.
A hilly cosmopolitan port with a poignant history and centuries of foreign influence.
A steaming hot-spring capital where mineral waters and colourful "hells" bubble up across the town.
A southern bay city living in the shadow of Sakurajima, a constantly smoking active volcano.
Okinawa
A far-southern chain of subtropical islands with white-sand beaches, coral reefs and a distinct Ryūkyū culture all its own. Officially part of the Kyushu region but — over 1,000 miles from Tokyo — very much a separate trip.
Okinawa's lively capital, gateway to the islands and the heart of the distinct Ryūkyū culture.
A subtropical island of white beaches and coral reefs, and a base for the remote Yaeyama Islands.
An island ringed by some of Japan's most dazzling beaches and clearest turquoise water.
A cluster of small islands famous for their coral, sea turtles and extraordinary "Kerama blue" sea.