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Japan is the most intoxicating place for me. The Japanese culture fascinates me: the food, the dress, the manners, and the traditions. It’s the travel experience that has moved me the most. – Roman Coppola

Why visit

 I hope you will go to Japan soon and will love it as much as we do. We visited Japan three times. Each visit was memorable.

If you are curious about where all the fish in Japan is coming from – go to Tsukiji Fish Market early in the morning. You will see the giant frozen tuna being sliced like a stick of butter by a very sharp knife.

You will be disgusted, but fascinated seeing huge toads sitting in a bucket, ready to be sold and prepared for lunch. Other buckets might have black worms. You will hear the auction workers rattle off prices of the night catch to the owners of restaurants and stores.

Please be careful: there will be many speeding mopeds which zigzag around the market: everyone is in a hurry to deliver a fish, a message, or money.

Even if you have just a few days, make sure that in addition to Tokyo you will see Kyoto, the former capital of Japan. Kyoto itself is worth several days of sightseeing. It has many famous temples and palaces.

We rented bicycles from the owner of our ryokan and rode for the whole day, stopping at the fascinating places of Kyoto.

Take a train to Nikko. At the Nikko train station, hop on a bus going to the Nikko National Park for a day of wandering among the temples, shrines, and massive cedar trees.

The Mount Fuji area is relatively close to Tokyo and can be visited in two or three days. It is even possible to join a tour group to climb that mountain. We did not dare to do it after our daughter (she worked in Japan at that time) told us how hard it was.

One of the highlights of visiting Japan was soaking the aches and pains in the onsens – the traditional Japanese baths. There is at least one public onsen in every town. Some of the onsens are modern, some are centuries old. Read the rules about using onsen in the guidebook before your first visit. Don’t forget to pack a swimsuit if you want to swim in the pool after your invigorating bath.

 

We included Japan in the list of “Our best trips”. Read about our two-weeks journey
“Why do we love Japan”

Where to sleep in Japan 

(select accommodation from the best hotel booking sites)

  • HotelsCombined.com   (Compare all the top travel sites in one simple search)
  • Trivago.com   (Find your ideal hotel and compare prices from different websites)
  • Booking.com   (Over 2,119,000 hotels online. Hostels. Apartments. Motels)
  • Priceline.com   (Find a lower price, you’ll get a refund 100% of the difference)
  • Hotels.com   (Book now, pay when you stay)
  • Travelocity.com   (The price match guarantee. Free changes & cancellations)
  • Expedia.com   (Sign up for member prices and you could save 10% or more)
  • Agoda.com   (Guaranteed lowest price on hotels, resorts, hostels, homes & more)
  • HostelWorld.com   (Stay in a hostel and meet the real world, not the tourist brochure)

Book your flight to Japan

Booking.com

Best time to visit

Best time to travel to Japan is from March to May, and from September to November.

Tip

Public transportation in Japan is expensive. Buy a Japan Rail Pass before leaving your home. You can not buy it after the arrival in Japan. This pass will be saving you a lot of money. It covers almost all trains, subway, many busses, and even ferries.

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