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.

Harajuku Station Guide: Map, lines and attractions

Harajuku Station is located in the Shibuya area of Tokyo, Japan. It derives its name from Harajuku, a fashion and shopping district that lies to the east of the station. Harajuku district has been called “the center of Japan’s most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles.” It draws youths not only from across Japan but from around the world.

Harajuku Station first opened in 1906 and the original structure offers a unique alpine facade. However, it has recently undergone renovations to include a state-of-the art new building. Today, it is the sixth-busiest station operated by JR East.

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How to get from Narita Airport to Osaka

Narita International Airport is the gateway most travelers take into Japan. It is located in the Chiba prefecture some distance from Tokyo. There are a number of options available for travel to Osaka after your plane touches down. The following guide can help you select the travel services that are right for you.

Osaka has become a destination by its own merits. As a port city, Osaka is known for its merchants and delicious food, especially street food. In fact, Osaka is sometimes referred to as “the kitchen of Japan.”

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Super Nintendo World at Japan’s Universal Studios

Japan’s much-anticipated Super Nintendo World opened its doors for business on March 18th, 2021, coinciding with the start of Universal Studios Japan (USJ) ’s 20th Anniversary Celebration.

Located in USJ in Osaka Prefecture, Super Nintendo World allows guests to experience the wonderment of playing their first Mario video game all over again. Get all the details you need to plan your Universal Studios Japan vacation.

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Gotokuji Temple: Birthplace of Maneki-neko

Gotokuji temple (護国寺 in kanji) is well known across Japan as the supposed origin of Maneki-neko, the “beckoning cat” figurine which is said to bring good fortune and success to its owner if kept in their bedroom or place of study.

Many people across the world mistakenly believe that this good luck talisman is Chinese in origin due to its popularity among Chinese and Vietnamese communities. However, the birthplace of Maneki-neko is undoubtedly in Japan, and one of the most popular legends links it directly to Gotojuki.

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Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavillion in Kyoto

The Ginkakuji Temple is also known as the Silver Pavillion, although, curiously, it is not coated in silver plating as one would expect from the name, although that was indeed the original intention of its designer.

A Rinzai Zen temple located in Kyoto, Ginkakuji is situated in the Higashiyama eastern mountains in the city’s Sakyo ward and also goes by the name Jishō-ji, which means the Temple of Shining Mercy.

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Kagoshima: Access and what to see

Located in Kagoshima prefecture at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest southernmost city on the main islands of Japan and is often considered the friendliest Japanese city for visitors.

Kagoshima has a long history as an important commercial port, especially during the medieval period and the Edo period from 1603–1868, is widely regarded as the birthplace of the industrial revolution in Japan. It was officially inaugurated as a city in 1889.

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