What to do in Japan

One of Japan's most meditative traditions: the preparation and drinking of matcha as a ritual of mindfulness and respect.

A martial art as much about inner stillness as accuracy. Watching or participating in kyudo is unlike any archery experience elsewhere.

Shodo, Japanese brush calligraphy, is both an art form and a meditative practice. Classes are available across Japan for all levels.

Watching a sumo tournament in person is one of Japan's great sporting experiences: full of ritual, ceremony, and Shinto tradition.

Japan's oldest breweries offer tours and tastings unlike anything you'll find at a retail counter. Regional variation in sake is extraordinary.

Japan's ceramic traditions, from Kyoto's kyo-yaki to Arita porcelain, are among the world's finest. Many studios offer hands on workshops.

Hokkaido's champagne powder is among the finest in the world. Niseko, Furano, and Rusutsu each offer a completely different experience.

Japan's most famous summit is open for climbing in July and August. The sunrise from the crater rim is one of the great experiences in travel.

From the Nakasendo trail to Daisetsuzan's alpine routes. Japan's hiking landscape is vast, varied, and almost entirely under visited by international travellers.

The Shimanami Kaido island cycling route is world famous. Hokkaido's open roads and Kyoto's backstreets offer completely different cycling experiences.

Miyazaki and Chiba are Japan's surf heartlands: consistent breaks, a dedicated local culture, and far fewer crowds than better known global surf destinations.

The rivers of Hokkaido and the Yoshino River in Shikoku offer some of Japan's finest rafting: wild, cold, and dramatically scenic.

Japan's regional ramen styles are wildly different from one another. Sapporo miso, Hakodate shio, Fukuoka tonkotsu. Each city has its own version.

From Osaka's Dotonbori to Hokkaido's morning markets. Japan's street food and market culture is some of the best in the world.

From conveyor belt to omakase counter. Understanding sushi in Japan means understanding the difference between them, and where to go for each.

Japan's pubs run on small plates, cold beer and a loud, easy atmosphere. Knowing how to order, what to expect and where to find the good ones makes all the difference.

Nikka and Suntory distilleries offer tours that give real insight into why Japanese whisky has become one of the world's most sought after spirits.

The sakura season moves north from late March through May. Timing, location, and avoiding the crowds. Here's how to plan around it properly.

Japan's koyo season rivals cherry blossom for beauty. Hokkaido peaks first in September, weeks before the crowds descend on Kyoto.

Red crowned cranes, Steller's sea eagles, brown bears, Blakiston's fish owls. Hokkaido's wildlife is extraordinary and almost entirely off the tourist trail.

The waters around Shiretoko are among the most productive in the North Pacific. Sperm whales, orca, and minke whales are regularly sighted from May through October.

In January and February the Sea of Okhotsk freezes and drift ice covers the coast. Icebreaker tours from Abashiri give access to one of Japan's most dramatic winter landscapes.

Japan's hot spring culture is ancient, regional, and deeply therapeutic. Understanding the rules and finding the right onsen for your trip makes all the difference.

A proper ryokan stay, tatami rooms, yukata robes, kaiseki dinner, private onsen, is one of the most complete cultural experiences Japan offers.

Shukubo, overnight stays in working Buddhist temples, offer early morning meditation, vegetarian monastery food, and a different pace.

Japanese karaoke is nothing like what most visitors expect: private rooms, food and drink service, and an experience that's social regardless of your singing ability.

Street legal go karts through Tokyo traffic in costume, one of the city's most chaotic and memorable experiences, best booked well in advance.

Akihabara, the Studio Ghibli Museum, Nakano Broadway, and a dozen pilgrimage sites across Japan for fans of anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture.

From maid cafés to owl cafés to hedgehog cafés. Japan's themed café culture is a genuine subculture, not a tourist gimmick.

Japan's most dramatic classical theatre form: elaborate costumes, stylised movement, and performances at Tokyo's Kabukiza that have continued for 400 years.

One of Japan's most famous racing circuits, in the shadow of Mount Fuji. Race days and track experience days are both available throughout the year.

Daikoku PA on a Sunday night, Odaiba's car museums, Akihabara for parts. Japan's domestic car culture is a world unto itself for enthusiasts.

Toyota's plant tours in Aichi have been suspended since July 2021, but the Toyota Kaikan museum next to the Motomachi plant and the Toyota Commemorative Museum in Nagoya are both open.

The mountain passes made famous by Initial D, Akina, Irohazaka, Hakone, are real roads you can drive. The experience lives up to the mythology.

The countryside most visitors never reach: farmstays, satoyama landscapes, local festivals, and a pace of life that most of modern Japan has left behind.

The Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage and the Kumano Kodo trail are two of the world's great walking pilgrimages, ancient routes through extraordinary landscapes.

Staying on a working farm in Hokkaido or the Japanese Alps: fresh produce, honest work, and an insight into rural Japanese life that no city itinerary offers.

An ancient Edo period highway connecting Tokyo and Kyoto through the Japanese Alps. The Kiso Valley section through Magome and Tsumago is one of Japan's finest walks.