Top 10 Unmissable Places to Visit in Japan

There are many stunning attractions with natural beauty and oriental cultural charm in Japan. Here is your must-see list of places to visit in Japan.

1. Mt. Fuji

Mt. Fuji is definitely a must-see as the crown jewel of Japan. Except for going to Mt. Fuji 5th Station for sightseeing halfway up the mountain, the views of Mt. Fuji are beautiful from Lake Kawaguchi, Arakurayama Sengen Park, Lake Ashi, etc. down the mountain, especially when the summit is reflected on the water.

April and November are usually the most popular time to visit Mt. Fuji because of cherry blossoms and autumn leaves respectively. Also, the winter days having the best visibility is God-given to catch the beauty of Mt. Fuji. During the climbing season, trekking trails are opened, thus visitors could climb to the crater on the summit.

Ticket Price: Free; JPY 1,000 for mountaineering during the climbing season

Opening Time: All day; early July to early September – the climbing season with opened trails

Transportation: Highway bus or train to Lake Kawaguchi

Mt. Fuji

Senso-ji Temple

2. Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo

As the largest temple in Tokyo and the landmark in Asakusa district, Seoso-ji Temple is visit-worthy to experience Japanese culture. Going through Kaminarimon gate and Nakamise Shopping Street, you could enter the temple to see the towering Five-Storied Pagoda. Do in Rome as Rome does, worship to the Buddha and drawing a fortune-telling paper slip by lot are popular there.

Ticket Price: Free

Opening Hours: 06:00/06:30-17:00

Transportation: via metro lines to Asakusa Station

3. Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo Disney Resort, composed of the Disneyland and DisneySea, is the most-visited theme park in Japan. Especially, it is the first Disneyland out of USA, while the DisneySea is also the first Disney amusement park themed on the stories and legends of sea in the world. Apart from a variety of exciting rides, the performances and special events of Halloween, Christmas and New Year are all wonderful. If you travel with kids, it is a perfect place to visit in Japan for family tours.

Ticket Price: Floating Price of JPY 8,400-10,900 for Disneyland or DisneySea; JPY 7,900-10,900 for a one-day pass per adult

Opening Hours: 09:00-21:00

Transportation: direct buses from Shinjuku, Yokohama, Narita Airport, Haneda Airport, etc.; trains to Maihama Station via JR lines

4. Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Kyoto

When you coming to Kyoto, Kiyomizu-dera Temple aka Pure Water Temple literally is an unmissable place to visit in Japan. As a world heritage site, it has a very long history that can be dated back to the 6th century. Kiyomizu Stage of the main hall is the best-known site for the views of cherry blossoms in spring and fall foliage in autumn.

Ticket Price: JPY 400

Opening Hours: 06:00-18:00/18:30, lasting to 21:30 during night viewings

Transportation: city buses to Gojozaka or Kiyomizu-michi stop

5. Fushimi Inari Taisha

Over one-thousand-years-old Fushimi Inari Taisha, located in Kyoto, is one of the most popular shrine throughout Japan. As the headquarters of all Inari shrines, countless people come to pray for blessings from the Inari gods of agriculture and commerce in Japan. You may never get there, but you have seen the pictures of Senbon-torii of Fushimi Inari Taisha certainly. From the foot to the summit of Mt. Inari, tens of thousands of red torii gates stand densely but orderly along the trail, with the year and names of construction on. Isn't that spectacular?

Ticket Price: Free

Opening Hours: all day

Transportation: local train to Inari Station on JR Nara Line or to Fushimi-Inari Station on Keihan Main Line

Fushimi Inari Taisha

Kinkaku-ji Temple

6. Kinkaku-ji Temple

Kinkaku-ji Temple, another world heritage site in Kyoto, is centuries old. Also called as Golden Pavilion Temple literally, the highlight - glittering golden pavilion by lake can never be missed. The outer walls, inner sides of eaves, and fences are covered with gold foils, making the pavilion very eye-catching and wonderful shaded in green trees, fall foliage, or snows.

Ticket Price: JPY 500

Opening Hours: 09:00-17:00

Transportation: City buses to Ginkakuji-michi stop

7. Nara Park

Nara Park, known for the deer feeding and historical world heritages, is also a place to visit in Japan on your bucket list. On arrival in the ancient capital Nara, you could meet some cute deer on the streets, while the most deer are in Nara Park. It is a quite large park to enjoy the greenery and feed herds of deer with the special senbei, which is interesting for a parent-child tour. Furthermore, historical Todaiji Temple, Kasuga-taisha Shrine, Kohfuku-ji Temple, etc. are all worth a visit.

Ticket Price: Free; the temples and other more attractions in Nara Park ask a ticket fee

Opening Hours: all day except the attractions insides

Transportation: trains to Kintetsu Nara Station

8. Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima Island

Have you heard of the high red torii gate floating on sea? That is Itsukushima Shrine by the shore in the northwest of Miyajima Island, Hiroshima. Different from many other shrines, Itsukushima Shrine is remarkable as on the sea. It is listed as a world heritage site as well as natural treasure of Japan. To reach there, you need to take the 10-15 minutes’ ferry from Hiroshima pier. You could see the red O-torii gate on the ferry boat, and also get close to it as the ferry would sail near the gate when the tide rises.

Ticket Price: JPY 300 only for the admission to Itsukushima Shrine;
JPY 500 for Itsukushima Shrine & the Treasure Hall

Opening Hours: 06:30-17:00 (Dec.) / 17:30 (Jan. to Feb. & mid-Oct. to Nov.) / 18:00 (Mar. to mid-Oct.); all day during New Year (1st-5th January)

Transportation: by ferry

Itsukushima Shrine

Peace Memorial Museum

9. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum

In 1945, the first atomic bomb in the world was dropped in Hiroshima. Later, the Peace Memorial Park was constructed in the center of the blast, to commemorate this bombing and mourn for all people died in the disaster. The Atomic Bomb Dome left over from the exploration will tell you how destructive that atomic bomb was. Also, in the Peace Memorial Museum, you could learn about the atomic bombing, wars, and peace. In spring, cherry blossoms blooms on the site; and in every early August, there would be a big memorial event.

Ticket Price: Free; JPY 200 to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

Opening Hours: all day; the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum opens at 08:30 and closes at 17:00/18:00/19:00 in different seasons

Transportation: Hiroshima Electric Railway to Genbaku Dome (Atomic Dome) Station

10. Shirakawa-go, Gifu

Shirakawa-go, known for the original houses with thatched roofs that look like putting the palms together devoutly, is a world heritage village in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture. Can you image that all the houses are praying? Shirakawa-go shows you the scene, while the viewing platform on high gives a bird’s eye view. Apart from the houses in unique form, the village is also highly praised for the snow-covered scenery. The entire village seems to be in a fairytale as secluded under thick snow, a completely pure land.

Ticket Price: Free to enter the village