Top Japan hotels
Asakusa Tokyo
158 Reviews Sensoji Temple is believed to be the first temple ever built in the Tokyo area and was originally founded by a fisherman, Haji Nakatomo, who is said to have built the temple after finding a statue of...
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Gion (Geisha district) Kyoto
64 Reviews It's not a long walk but it really holds a historical look. building looks new but in the old japanese style. Restaurants there are little above the average price wise. at the end of the road you will...
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Universal studio Osaka
26 Reviews in japanese that ture but still loads for fun for those who have never been to universal stuido of usa. just access the site of universal sutio and you will understand everthing , it is a very...
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Nagoya Castle Nagoya
28 Reviews With its famed golden shachi dolphin roof decorations, Nagoya Castle is the de-facto symbol of the city. Built in 1612, the main edifice was reconstructed in 1959 on its original foundation after...
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12 Reviews Kobe is home to one of Japan's three most famous Chinatowns (Yokohama and Nagasaki being the other two), so when the Chinese New Year arrives (setsubun), the Chinatowns are great places to visit, and...
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Peace Park and Memorial Museum Hiroshima
128 Reviews I once stayed with a friend who lived a stone's throw away from the Peace Museum in Nagasaki and since then, I have always wondered what it was like to live near a building charged with so much...
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Todaiji Temple Nara
75 Reviews Todai-ji ("Great Eastern Temple") is reputedly the largest wooden structure in the world, and it houses what must be one of the largest bronze statues of Buddha around, the Daibutsu or Great Buddha....
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Snow Monkey Park Nagano
4 Reviews Without a doubt, one of the coolest spectacles in all of Japan is to watch the wild snow monkeys of the Japanese Alps sit out a snowy winter day soaking in the hot waters of a naturally-heated onsen....
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Korakuen Garden Okayama
12 Reviews Korakuen Garden is considered to be one of the three best gardens in Japan since the Edo Period. It was constructed by Tsuda Nagatada by orders of the daimyo Ikeda Tsunamasa and took thirteen years to...
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Itsukushima Shrine Miyajima
30 Reviews If you are in the Hiroshima city, you must visit Itsukushima-Jinjya in Miyajima. It's the shrine (not a temple) with famous red torii (gate) in the water, but has lots more than just the...
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Shinjuku Tokyo
72 Reviews This was a stunning experience with all the different varieties of cherry trees in full blossom. Incredibly beautiful! The garden is run by the Ministry of the environment now but it has a long...
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Kiyomizu Temple Kyoto
98 Reviews I really loved the short visit I made to this place. i like the atmosphere of this narrow streets with souvenirs shops along your way up the hill to the temple. the temple is realllllly huge and you...
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castle Osaka
62 Reviews Visit the Castle... its very interesting. Its a fairly long walk from the Rail Station, but its an interesting walk and the Castle is quite unusual which is why it should be seen. Pity to go all the...
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Shrines & Temples Nagoya
12 Reviews 1900-year-old shrine with lush evergreen forest is best known by one of the three Imperial Regalia, Kusanagi sword. The shrine saw the modification after the Meiji Restoration. It is a nice place to...
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Meriken Park & Harborland Kobe
24 Reviews in this area, you can do a lot. there is the mosaic mall just on the other side from kobe tower, all the cafe and restaurants there have the sea view. i wrote a review about the aswome fisherman...
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Miyajima Hiroshima
33 Reviews I was skeptical about the appeal of Mt. Misen since one round trip ticket costed me 1800 yen, which was by far the most expensive ropeway I had ever used. "No view is worth this much, " I remember...
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Nara Park Nara
33 Reviews There is around 1000 Deers rooming Nara , they eat somthing called Shika Senbei which is rice crackers specially made for them. they costs 150 en and sold every where. But take cares they are...
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Zenkoji Temple Nagano
5 Reviews The main hall is typical Buddhist architecture from the mid Edo Period. The principle image is enshrined inside the altar in the innermost temple. Admission to the inner temple is 500 Yen, and...
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Kibiji District (Kibi Plains) Okayama
6 Reviews Saijo Inari is known as one of the three great Inari Shrines in Japan (Fushimi Inari in Kyoto and Toyokawa Inari in Aichi being the other two). It is unique, because the complex is composed of a...
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Five-Tiered Pagoda Miyajima
8 Reviews The beautiful curved roofs of the Goju-no-to Pagoda and strinking vermilion colouring are a familiar sight on the island of Miyajima. Standing on a hill overlooking the bay and Itsukushima Shrine, the...
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Imperial Palace Tokyo
61 Reviews this is the second of the famed double bridge in the Imperial Palace Front plaza area. There are two bridges over a moat separating the Kokyo Gaien and the Imperial Palace - these are called...
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Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) Kyoto
102 Reviews Three-storey Zen Buddhist temple. Each floor was done in different architectural style - the ground floor is Heian imperial architecture, the second floor typifies warrior aristocracy and the top...
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Dotombori Osaka
22 Reviews Dotombori is a street in Namba alligned with eateries, arcades, and shopping centers. Many people do come for food and shopping, but the area itself is actually an attraction of sorts. The restaurants...
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Aquarium Nagoya
7 Reviews The most interesting thing for me in this Aquarium is the dolphins performance. They really brilliant. Cool !! Beside that you can see the big whales and you can find nemo and dory also in here...
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Mount Rokko Kobe
7 Reviews A highland pasture spread on the peak of Mt. Rokko. Sheep, donkeys and ponies are free to graze, and visitors can come in close contact with the animals. Children can learn and try to take milk from...
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Himechi is a town about 34 miles west of Kobe. It has a fantastic fairytale castle, best visited in the spring during cherry blossom season.The castle dates from around 1581 and is known as a white egret castle due to its white walls.It survived World War II when much of Himechi was flattened.Although the castle is the town's main attraction, there are several interesting temples near the castle, too.
We also enjoyed a trip to Ryogoku to visit the sumo arena. The sumo arena has interesting wall paintings of sumo wrestlers outside it. Inside you will find a small, free sumo museum. The best bit about this area though is as you stroll around the streets kimono clad sumo wrestlers will walk or cycle past you on their way to and from the arena. You will also see restaurants selling huge protein filled meals (chanko nabe) for maintaining the sumo wrestlers strength and physique.The Tokyo Edo Museum is very nearby. It is supposed to be very good, but we did not visit.
For an unusual trip in Tokyo, take the train to Sugamo Station and go to Jizo dori. This street is known as Harajuku for old ladies. While Harajuku is a trendy young people's shopping area with all the latest in fashion, Jizo dori sells everything the elderly could ever want, including shop after shop of rather large bright red thermal underwear. Red is thought to have heat inducing properties.There is also an interesting temple in this area - Kogan-ji Temple. the temple has a statue outside it. Legend states that if your afflicted with pain on part of your body and wash the corresponding part of the statues body the pain will disappear. You'll see a long line of people next to the statue waiting to do just this.Keep wandering down Jizo dori and you will eventually come to one of the station's on the Toden Arkawa Line - Tokyo's last remaining tramway. we took a ride to the last stop just...
Tokyo has some of the most beautiful parks and gardens I have ever seen, but Shinjuku Imperial Garden is hard to beat.I have been there in spring on a freezing cold day when we strolled passed the lakes with cherry blossom petals raining down on our heads. It was also stunning in April with its stunning azalea bushes.The park also has a series of hothouses perfect on a freezing cold winter or spring day.
Another itinery which can easily occupy a whole day is a trip to Ueno Park and the nearby old Tokyo areas of Yanaka, Nippori and Nezu.To reach Ueno Park take the train to Ueno Station.Ueno Park contains Ueno Zoo which I have never visited, but I do know it has pandas. It also has Tosho-gu Shrine which is a life-sized replica of the main temple shrine of Nikko. On our first visit there a Noh play was being staged in the grounds. Free-entry and worth a look.The park also contains several water-lily covered ponds - Shinobazu Ponds and this area has a small temple to the goddess Benten - goddess of good fortune.At the top of the hill not far from the Ueno Station entrance to the park there is a statue of a mighty samurai warrior taking his little dog for a walk.Near Ueno Station before you enter the park you will also find a wonderful street market selling everything and anything, including...
The Imperial Palace occupies a huge area in the centre of Tokyo. As the Japanese royal family still live there, it is not open to the general public.There are two things worth doing in this area. First go to Nijubashi - this is the most famous access bridge to the palace and while you cannot cross it, it provides a good photo opportunity as it crosses the moat to the palace gates and walls.Secondly, visit the free entry Imperial Palace Grounds. This is an extensive garden which was originally part of the imperial palace grounds but is now open to the general public. It is peaceful, pleasant, green and quiet. You can take a peek into the real palace grounds from some points or just bring a picnic and enjoy a few hours of peace and tranquility.
A visit to Tokyo for me would not be complete without pursuing the following itinery. Because we tend to be based in Asakusa we take the Ginza line all the way to the other end alighting at Shibuya Station. We take a quick look at the Hachiko statue. Hachiko was a Japanese Akita dog. He was owned by a Professor Ueno who worked at Tokyo University. Every day Hachiko walked to the railway station with his master as he set off to work. Then he sat and waited for him to return to walk him home. When Professor Ueno died unexpectedly, Hachiko continued to wait for him every day for the next 9 years. (This story was recently Americanized and turned into a movie starring Richard Gere). The statue is now a popular meeting point for young people in Shibuya.As well as taking a look at Hachiko, while visiting Shibuya it is worth having a look at Love Hotel Hill. Go to the crossroads past the Hachiko...
When we are in Tokyo, I always like to stay in Asakusa. It is a bit different from other Tokyo districts. It feels more spacious as streets are wider and buildings are shorter. It is at the end of two underground lines so it is not a bad base for travelling around to other districts.In the past Asakusa was the naughty red-light area of Tokyo, famous for strip clubs and brothels. This is no longer the case. Nowadays in addition to just aimlessly wandering through the streets looking at a variety of shops which still follow traditional crafts (e.g.shoe-making, drum making, plastic-food model making), and passing an assortment of brightly lit restaurants, people come to Asakusa to see its famous temple.Senso-ji Temple, also called Asakusa Kannon Temple, is the beating heart of Asakusa. Its origins date back a thousand years or so to an incident in which three fishermen are said to have...
While visiting Japan I can recommend to spend some of your time in visiting some of the great museums they have in the cities. In Tokyo and Kyoto we visited few interesting museum such as the National museum, history museum and so on. Japan is such a fascinating country with with so long history and culture it was always very interesting and rewarding.
One of the things we did where ever we visited in Japan is to go and visit many interesting and beautiful Shrine's and Temples. Japan is such a fascinating country with with so long history and culture it was always very interesting and rewarding.
Park Hyatt Tokyo Tokyo
7 Reviews and 525 Opinions Most memorable
Hotel Granvia Kyoto Kyoto
6 Reviews and 740 Opinions We stayed 3 nights at Kyoto Granvia Hotel from Feb. 27 to Mar 1, 2008. We paid Yen 17,600 per night,...
The Ritz-Carlton Osaka Osaka
1 Review and 351 Opinions
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Q: Hello, I'm going to Japan next week and wanted to get some suggestions on hotels in Tokyo. I would like to stay somewhere close...
A: Take a look at my Tokyo page for some answers to your questions: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/d6834/ Shinbashi is convenient to Yokohama as well. You don't...
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