Destinations

Check our extensive guides to destinations and places to visit all over Japan to help you travel and get around, and find what to do and see in each location.

Find the best points of interest you can visit by train, how to get there, main attractions and off the beaten tracks suggestions in Japan’s four islands.

Tokyo to Nikko by train: Access and itinerary

Nikko is a historic and scenic retreat in the heart of Japan, nestled in the mountains north of Tokyo. Located at the entrance to Nikko National Park, the town offers beautiful mountain vistas, waterfalls, and hot springs.

Boasting a range of hiking opportunities, the Nikko area has also been sacred to the religions of Buddhism and Shinto for many centuries. The town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 and is perhaps most famous for Toshogu, one of the most intricately decorated shrines in Japan.

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Things to do in Kyoto: travel guide

Many travellers ask us: what to do in Kyoto? If you are visiting Japan for a week, three days in Tokyo and three days in Kyoto are perfect to explore the two great capitals of Japan: the ancient and the modern one.

Following is a pleasant 3-day Kyoto travel guide, with ideas about what to see, where to go and how to use your Japan Rail Pass to move through the city, its temples, gardens, and geisha alleys. Let us begin!

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Mount Koya day trip, temple stay and itineraries

Located in the heavily forested Wakayama mountains, Mount Koyasan is an important religious destination in Kansai, as well as a popular tourist attraction.

The cradle of Shingon Buddhism, it offers over 100 temples and pagodas to explore, as well as the mysterious Okunoin cemetery, where spirits are said to roam. Perfect for a day trip, visitors also have the option to stay overnight in a temple lodging.

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Best day trips from Kyoto by train

Kyoto is located right in the center of the historical Kansai region in Japan. This historical capital is the cultural soul of the country and one of the places where the roots of the Japanese nation stem from.

Whether you have planned to go east or west, north or south – make sure to save some time and travel around the Kansai region, easily accessible with the JR bullet trains. It is the one area filled with more heritage than anyone else in Japan.

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