Japan
Japan43 guides across 7 destinations — where to go, when, what it costs and what to eat.
Destinations in Japan
Practical essentials for Japan
Japanese yen (JPY)
Japanese; transport signage is well translated but spoken English is limited
Type A/B, 100V — 50Hz in eastern Japan, 60Hz in the west
A Suica, PASMO or ICOCA card covers trains, subways and buses nationwide, and the Shinkansen links the cities; since March 2026 many Tokyo-area operators also accept a contactless bank card at the gate.
Not practised — leaving money can confuse or embarrass staff, and good service is simply part of the price.
Tap water is safe to drink everywhere.
Left-hand side; a 1949 International Driving Permit is required alongside your national licence.
110 (police), 119 (fire and ambulance)
Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.
Recent stories from Japan
The Tokyo Street Food Guide: From Ramen to Taiyaki
Tokyo's finest eating happens at standing counters, market stalls and six-seat alley bars — here is how to plan a full day of it, in the right order and the right neighbourhoods.
Hidden Kyoto: 6 Quiet Corners Away From the Crowds
Kyoto's crowds concentrate in about five places between ten and four — step outside those hours, or a few hundred metres off those axes, and these six corners are still yours.
The Tokyo Neighborhoods Most Visitors Skip
Beyond Shibuya, Shinjuku and Asakusa lies the Tokyo people actually live in: temple lanes, canal-side coffee roasters, a wooded valley inside the city and a hillside of cobbled slopes.
The Right Base in Kyoto: Areas to Book, and Areas to Skip
Downtown, Gion or the station: a candid guide to Kyoto's lodging districts, roughly what each one costs, and which ones quietly cost you your mornings.
Where to Stay in Osaka: The Neighbourhoods and the Classic Hotels
Kita or Minami? Beside the castle or on the bay? Osaka's neighbourhoods each make a different promise — here is how to match yours to the right base, with the city's most established hotels as landmarks.
Five Fukuoka Districts and the Dish Each One Owns
An eating map of Fukuoka that heads south and west from the river, through the market at Yanagibashi, the counters of Yakuin and the long arcade at Nishijin.
Tokyo From Above: The City's Greatest Viewpoints, Ranked
From an open-air rooftop over Shibuya to a free deck with Mount Fuji on the horizon, these are the places where Tokyo's scale finally makes sense.
The Most Beautiful Streets and Lanes of Kyoto, Ranked
Kyoto reveals itself at walking pace — here are the seven streets and lanes we would walk again tomorrow, ranked, with the hours, costs and etiquette that decide whether they work.
Everything in Fukuoka Is Ten Minutes Away. Choose Your District for the Night.
Fukuoka's districts sit minutes apart, so the useful question is not distance but what stands outside your door after the last train - here is how Hakata, Tenjin, the riverbanks and the quiet west compare at three budgets.
The Storied Hotels of Tokyo
Earthquake legends, Olympic openings and a lobby so loved it was rebuilt piece by piece: where to sleep in Tokyo, neighborhood by neighborhood, among hotels with real history.
Where to Stay in Kyoto: The Right Neighborhood, the Classic Addresses
Ryokan or grand hotel, temple district or downtown buzz — in Kyoto, the neighborhood you sleep in decides the trip you have. A district-by-district guide.
Sapporo, Straight Talk: Should Your Japan Trip Go North?
Japan with the pressure off: a gridded frontier city that rewards eaters, skiers and winter romantics rather than temple-hunters, and exactly how to plan it.