Japan Favorites

  Kinkakuji Temple
by Rabbityama
 
  • Kinkakuji Temple
      Kinkakuji Temple
    by Rabbityama
  • Cherry Blossoms at Heian Shrine
      Cherry Blossoms at Heian Shrine
    by Rabbityama
  • Daigoji Temple
      Daigoji Temple
    by Rabbityama
  • Shimogamo Shrine
      Shimogamo Shrine
    by Rabbityama
  • People behaving bizarrely!
      People behaving bizarrely!
    by AKtravelers
 

Most Viewed Favorites in Japan

626.

Foods and Products   Tokyo

Foods and Products, Tokyo

 32 Reviews  When you go to a sushi restaurant, I was told by a Japanese friend not to dunk the rice part of sushi in the soy sauce, but just the fish (and don't let it swim!). Also, the best way to eat sushi is... 

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627.

Tourist Information Center   Kyoto

Tourist Information Center, Kyoto

 6 Reviews  The Kyoto SGG Club,Goodwill Guide Volunteer Services of Kyoto, and the Rotary International District 2650 Club of Kyoto are giving away free maps to tourists in Kyoto. The map is in black and white... 

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628.

Kansai international airport   Osaka

Kansai international airport, Osaka

 3 Reviews  While Kyoto represents the elegant past of Japan, Osaka being a modern city, offers the opposite Japanese experience. Osaka offers the hustling and bustling of a modern city; in fact it is so busy... 

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629.

Shrines & Temples   Nagoya

Shrines & Temples, Nagoya

 4 Reviews  The shops at Ossu-Kannon have some really great deals and some really unique stores. I found a complete kimono set for only about 10,000 yen (about $75 US). Just get off at the Kamemaezu or... 

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630.

Shrines and Temples   Tokyo

Shrines and Temples, Tokyo

 42 Reviews  The lucky charms in Japan can usually only be obtained at the shrines. They are usually categorized by the area of your wish such as “prosperous business”, “successful study”, “well-being of family”,... 

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631.

City Districts   Kyoto

City Districts, Kyoto

 3 Reviews  Depending on how many days you are staying in Kyoto, map out the places you are going to see. The temples are located in different areas: 1. Higashiyama Area - The attractions around this area... 

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632.

Umeda Skybuilding   Osaka

Umeda Skybuilding, Osaka

 9 Reviews  After a walk up at the observatory, we came down and found this little resting place just beside the building. The little "park" was bloom with some flowers and thought they were nice & pretty so took... 

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633.

Day Trip out of Tokyo   Tokyo

Day Trip out of Tokyo, Tokyo

 26 Reviews  On my first visit I didnt have chance to visit Disneyland. So for 2nd visit, I took my kids to Disneyland and they love it!. So many things to do there. A lot of Disney characters, show, Disney Sea,... 

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634.

Internet Access   Kyoto

Internet Access, Kyoto

 2 Reviews  i found a nice place where you can use free internet, for an hour at a time..its "Campus Plaza" near the Kyoto station. if you exit the station on the north side, turn left and you will end up on a... 

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635.

walking   Osaka

walking, Osaka

 4 Reviews  OSAKA often seems like it has no main centre and is an overwhelming maze of small streets and alleys. Although this is true - do not be shy about walking around Osaka, to where-ever the road takes... 

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636.

People and Life   Tokyo

People and Life, Tokyo

 38 Reviews  The Love Hotel is a Japanese institution, where harried lovers find alone time away from gossiping office colleagues or crowded multi-generational homes with paper-thin walls. To attract patrons away... 

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637.

Pontocho   Kyoto

Pontocho, Kyoto

 1 Review  DONT BE SHY ABOUT TAKING PEOPLES PHOTOS. In politically correct Australia, we fear taking peoples photos. So I have to do it as candidly as possible. But in Japan, Kyoto in particular - it was more... 

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638.

culture & history   Osaka

culture & history, Osaka

 4 Reviews  In early March or April, the Cherry Blossoms are a real sight to see! Anywhere in Japan during these months is time for Sakura! This is when cherry Blossoms bloom and it is such a wonderful/beautiful... 

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639.

Getting Around   Tokyo

Getting Around, Tokyo

 31 Reviews  what makes police in tokyo unique is the Koban System wherein a Koban is a typically a two-storied housing with a couple of rooms with from one to more than ten police oficers. The officers in these... 

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640.

Dotombori   Osaka

Dotombori, Osaka

 3 Reviews  Being at the busy and colorful streets in Dotonbori area at night is a real must. The colors of the advertising lights are bright and make the place so lively. It looks like more people like it... 

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641.

Managing Your Luggage   Tokyo

Managing Your Luggage, Tokyo

 8 Reviews   At Narita International Airport, delivery service counters will send luggage to your hotel the next day or from your hotel to the airport for about ¥2,000 for bags up to 20 kilograms .... 

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642.

temples & shrines   Osaka

temples & shrines, Osaka

 4 Reviews  This is one of the wooden statues found on either side of the main entrance into Shiittenoji Temple. These statues are at the entrances to all temples in Japan. They are guards placed to ward away... 

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643.

Travel Plan Examples   Tokyo

Travel Plan Examples, Tokyo

 6 Reviews  the number one tour company in the tokyo area, the hato bus company is an icon itself in the tokyo area hence i've made a separate things to do tip for hato bus tours here in my tokyo pages. Whether... 

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644.

castle   Osaka

castle, Osaka

 11 Reviews  The extensive grounds of Osaka Castle were impressive. The next night, friends took us to the top of a 7-story building with a rooftop entrance to a huge, red ferris wheel. High over the city's... 

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645.

City Overview   Tokyo

City Overview, Tokyo

 32 Reviews  Please note that all information written here is valid for September 2011. Due to the events of the major Earthquake roughly 200-300km north of Tokyo and the problems with the Fukushima Nuclear Power... 

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646.

zero (empty tips)   Osaka

zero (empty tips), Osaka

 5 Reviews  The two magazines pictured opposite are two of the most popular free papers in Japan. Both magazines are particularly useful for getting up to date listings of cinema, stage and live music... 

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647.

How to Survive   Tokyo

How to Survive, Tokyo

 7 Reviews  The International Roaming Rates of Mobile Phone Companies are sky high at $ 2.25 minute per call so your best bet while traveliing in japan is using a phone card like KDDI Super World Cards. These... 

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648.

Shinsaibashi   Osaka

Shinsaibashi, Osaka

 2 Reviews  ShinshaibashiFountain display in the canal at Shinshaibashi. This place is full of happenings at night and is worth a visit. The brightly lit streets cris-crossed each others like a grid. You don't... 

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649.

Facts and History   Tokyo

Facts and History, Tokyo

 18 Reviews  Before japan was famous (or notorious) for it's squat toilets wherein you just squat to tke a dump or pee but nowadays japan is now popularly known for its bidets and anus washes (lavatory) and it is... 

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650.

Sightseeing outside Osaka   Osaka

Sightseeing outside  Osaka, Osaka

 1 Review  Take a short ride (35 min.) by shinkansen to Himeji and go see Himeji Castle. I really enjoyed the aquarium even though I was there during the earthquake. I think the earthquake just made it more... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

What to do in Japan? Well,...

by Hatrick78

What to do in Japan? Well, what isn't there to do? My sister and brother came to Japan for a week and wasn't able to take them to half of the places I wanted them to check out. True that Japan is the size of California but that just means you don't have to go very far to see a whole lot of stuff. But if ya really want to know what I think that people should see then here's a condensed version of what I wanted to show my family.The Kansai area: Start your Vacation here.The Kansai area is pretty much where most of the cool temples and places of interest are located in one small area. Why? Well, because ya have Kyoto, Kobe, Nara and Osaka all within 100 miles of each other. Hell, most of those cities were Japan's capitals at one time or an other, if that says anything. I spent 8 months an hour away from Kyoto and I still wasn't able to see the entire city. Tokyo: A big city to spend ALL of...

see a Chiba Sunset

by moremaga

When I was on the tour bus riding to our hotel at the Prince Makuhari in Chiba:I was in Japan for the Tokyo Auto Salon and I saw all the cars that are not available in the USA (nissan skylines, subura wrx sti's, mitsubishi lancers, nissan sylvia's, etc...) driving by us and on dealer parking lots! Everyone on our tourbus was going apesh#$ because we are all insane Japanese car fanatics. The only time in my entire life I saw cars like those were when I was playing Grand Turismo on the Sony playstation with friends.

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visit hokkaido - enjoy onsen -...

by wujoo

visit hokkaido - enjoy onsen - natural hot spring of japan, free yourself to the open nature, yell under the wide sky, dance in front of the lines of mountain series. try to visit the onsen in daytime where often you can have the whole place to yourself.

visit hokkaido - furano, the...

by wujoo

visit hokkaido - furano, the mountain area in heart of hokkaido.visit biei, cycling in the harmonous and dream like patchwork of flowers and greenland, the beautiful contour lines, rows of neatly ordered trees, fresh breezes, vivid yellow and green, and the wide and low blue sky. i can't help stopping from time to time, hold my breath, hoping to capture the beautiful scene and experience the feeling of being embraced by that wonderful and peaceful nature.

JAPAN RAILWAYS PASSThis is a...

by SirRichard

JAPAN RAILWAYS PASSThis is a pass to 'free' travelling all around Japan in JR, Shinkansen & Narita Express trains. When I was there the cost of the pass for 1 week is about the price of a Shinkansen ticket to Kyoto. So if you are planning on going to two places it will save you money. If you are staying in Japan, let's say 2 weeks, buy a Pass for 1 week, do all your long distance travels that week and leave the rest for Tokio (the suburbs tickets are not so expensive).How to get it: You can buy it at the Japan Tourist board at home. You get a voucher and exchange it for the real Pass here (in ticket offices at stations).

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KABUKI THEATREIf you look for...

by SirRichard

KABUKI THEATREIf you look for a really traditional performing art, try Kabuki theatre. The full performance is very long, it is split up into different acts. It is possible to stay for the entire performance and there are headsets with foreign language translation for a small extra fee. You can also choose just to see one act at a greatly reduced price at sit somewhere up near the ceiling.

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RYOKANSThere are many...

by SirRichard

RYOKANSThere are many excellent (and expensive) hotels in Japan, but sleeping in a Ryokan is an unforgeteable experience!A Ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn. You sleep on futons on the floor and they often have a hot bath, sometimes with natural spring water (called an onsen). You also get traditional Japanese food often included in the price. A traditional Japanese breakfast is an experience you must have (yes, raw fish AGAIN!). Ryokans are the higher quality end of things. Minshukus are generally cheaper and roughly equate to a bed and breakfast in the rest of the world.

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FOOD & EATINGIf you haven't...

by SirRichard

FOOD & EATINGIf you haven't been into a Jap Restaurant, you'll think all here is raw fish and rice! But apart from a wide variety of International restaurants, there's a lot more in Japan than raw fish to eat. There are more than 35 types of food in traditional Jap cuisine. The main ones:Sushi: Raw fish on rice.Sashimi: Plain raw fish.Rice: Mainly plain rice, a bit more sticky (you eat it with chops).Tofu: a kind mof Soya 'cheese'.Tonkastu:Pork cutlet in breadcrumbs.Yakitori:Barbecued chicken.Expect to pay about 800-1200Y and get a 2-3 course meal and a drink.The menu uses to be only in japanese, but in most restaurants they have wax reproductions of the meals in the entrance window, so just 'take a look at the menu'.

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When visiting Japan, you...

by beccad71

When visiting Japan, you should try to plan so you may get a 'little taste of everything.' Japan is a very diverse country and there is just too much to see unless you are lucky enough to stay there for several months. Be sure to experience Kyoto and Nara, Tokyo, see the Golden Pavilion and the rock garden. Mt. Fuji is outstanding. I also spent a lot of time in Chiba, which is a small town outside of Tokyo. There is just so much more! My fondest memories of Japan involve meeting my mother's side of the family. I am lucky that I could experience Japan from the 'local' perspective. Other fond memories involve the kind people, the wonderful food and the temples!

attend one festival.

by TWINE

During the 'Onda-matsuri' (Aso area of Kumamoto), I was invited to join the festival activities by the locals and could take part in carrying one 'mikoshi' - a very heavy portable shrine. Carrying it for hours during a hot, sunny day,next day my shoulders were ruined, my face was sunburned and my head was heavy because of the frequent use of 'sake' for refreshing - but I had the best day of my life!!!!!!!!

Top 3 Hotels in Japan

Park Hyatt Tokyo  Tokyo

 7 Reviews and 526 Opinions  Most memorable 

 Hotels in Tokyo

Hotel Granvia Kyoto  Kyoto

 6 Reviews and 743 Opinions  We stayed 3 nights at Kyoto Granvia Hotel from Feb. 27 to Mar 1, 2008. We paid Yen 17,600 per night,... 

 Hotels in Kyoto

The Ritz-Carlton Osaka  Osaka

 1 Review and 353 Opinions

 Hotels in Osaka

Questions and Answers

yirojam profile photo

Q:  Hi there, Will arrive in Tokyo, Narit Airport for a layover and wanted to take advantage of seeing something. I will arrive at... 

Fugu profile photo

A: youre lucky to be arriving so early, so you will likely pass through immigration fairly quickly. lets still count with an hour just in case. you can either take the... 

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