Regional travel guides covering all 10 of Japan’s major travel regions, from Hokkaido to Okinawa.
The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove disappoints most visitors who arrive between 10:00 and 16:00. Here is when it works, and what to walk in Sagano-Arashiyama instead: Tenryu-ji, Jojakko-ji, Gio-ji, Daikaku-ji, the Hozugawa river boat, the Sagano Romantic Train, and the Iwatayama monkey-park view back over Kyoto.
Kyoto has more than 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines. Here are the twelve worth structuring a trip around: opening hours, admission, photography rules, and the order to visit in.
Walking-route-led guide to Gion: Hanamikoji, Shirakawa canal, Pontocho, Yasaka Shrine, Chion-in, the geiko spotting reality, the 2024 photography ban, where to eat, Gion Matsuri, and what it actually costs.
Most Kyoto guides are temple lists masquerading as travel articles. The temple is the easy part. Hard part: the city is six geographic clusters, not one walkable centre, and the difference between a great Kyoto trip and a forgettable one is which two of those clusters you base around, when you wake up, and which … Read more
Shibuya Scramble is the least interesting reason to come to Shibuya. There. Said it. The aerial shot is the only Scramble shot worth the airport miles. From street level it’s a traffic light, a crowd, and a noticeable absence of seating. Photo by David Kernan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0) Walk twenty steps off … Read more
Eight day-trip routes worth the train time from Tokyo. The 90-minute rule, the best season for each route, and verified 2026 prices for Hakone, Nikko, Kamakura, Kawagoe, Yokohama, Mt. Takao, Mt. Fuji and Enoshima.
06:30 at the Kaminarimon, and the lantern looks bigger than it does in any photograph. There are three of us in the square: me, a woman in white sneakers reading the kanji on the gate’s left guardian, and a delivery rider on a flat-loaded bicycle who keeps glancing at his phone. Senbei is roasting somewhere … Read more
The single best English-language travel guide to Tokyo. Neighbourhood map, transit basics, where to base by trip length, the four meals every visitor should plan, seasonal timing.
A contrarian Hakone day-trip guide. Skip half the round course, base the day around Owakudani plus a long ryokan lunch, and actually see Mt. Fuji from Lake Ashi at the right time. Verified 2026 pricing on the Hakone Free Pass and Romance Car.
From Shinjuku to a clear view of Mt. Fuji takes 1h 53m on the Fuji Excursion Limited Express, costs ¥4,130 one way, and is the single fastest scheduled way out there. The bus from the same station beats it on price, ¥2,200 booked online via the JNTO partner pamphlet rate, but adds 15–30 minutes and … Read more
