Japan travel guide : explore Tokyo, Kyoto and Japanese culture

What you need to know before visiting Japan

• Official name: Japan (Nihon or Nippon in Japanese)
• Capital: Tokyo
• Population: About 125 million people
• Official language: Japanese
• Currency: Japanese Yen (¥)
• Area: 377,975 square kilometres

How Japanese history shaped its unique culture

Japan's historical journey reflects a remarkable balance between isolation and adaptation, tradition and transformation:

Ancient beginnings: from Jomon period to imperial Japan

Japanese civilization traces back to the Jomon period (14,500-300 BCE), known for distinctive pottery. The emergence of the Yamato state around the 3rd century CE established the imperial line that continues today—the world's oldest hereditary monarchy. Buddhism arrived from China and Korea in the 6th century, joining indigenous Shinto practices to shape Japanese spirituality.

Classical and feudal Japan: samurai era and shogunates

The Heian period (794-1185 CE) saw the flourishing of a sophisticated court culture and the world's first novel, The Tale of Genji. The rise of powerful samurai warrior clans led to centuries of feudal rule under shoguns, with the Kamakura (1185-1333), Muromachi (1336-1573), and Edo (1603-1868) periods each leaving distinctive cultural legacies. During the Edo period, Japan maintained a strict policy of isolation for over 200 years.

Modern transformation: Meiji Restoration to economic miracle

The Meiji Restoration of 1868 ended Japan's isolation and began an extraordinary period of modernization. Within 50 years, Japan transformed from a feudal society to an industrial and military power. Following the devastation of World War II, Japan achieved an "economic miracle," becoming the world's second-largest economy by the 1980s, known for technological innovation and manufacturing excellence.

Contemporary Japan: challenges and cultural influence today

Modern Japan faces unique challenges, including an aging population, natural disasters, and economic revitalization. Despite these challenges, Japan remains a global cultural powerhouse, influencing everything from technology and design to cuisine and entertainment. The successful hosting of the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021) showcased Japan's resilience and organizational excellence to the world.

Japanese culture: language, arts and traditions

A Language of Complexity and Beauty

Japanese is a linguistic marvel with three writing systems: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. With around 2,000 kanji characters needed for basic literacy, the Japanese writing system is one of the world's most complex. The language reflects cultural values through its elaborate honorific system, which changes vocabulary and grammar based on social relationships. Despite this complexity, Japanese poetry forms like haiku distill profound meaning into just 17 syllables.

Japanese arts: from traditional crafts to manga and anime

Japan's artistic heritage spans millennia, from ancient Jomon pottery to ukiyo-e woodblock prints that influenced Western Impressionists. Modern Japanese literature, through Nobel laureates Yasunari Kawabata and Kenzaburo Oe, explores themes of tradition versus modernity. Contemporary Japan has given the world manga (comics) and anime (animation), global cultural phenomena that generate approximately ¥2.5 trillion annually. The concept of wabi-sabi—finding beauty in imperfection and impermanence—continues to influence Japanese aesthetics across all art forms.

Japanese cuisine: essential dishes and food experiences

Japanese cuisine is renowned for its precision, seasonality, and attention to detail. Signature dishes include:

• Sushi (with approximately 4,200 sushi restaurants in Tokyo alone)
• Ramen (the average Japanese person consumes 40 bowls annually)
• Tempura (vegetables and seafood in light batter, typically using 180°C oil)
• Wagyu beef (graded on marbling, with top-quality cuts selling for over ¥30,000 per kilogram)
• Matcha (powdered green tea, with ceremonial grades containing approximately 70mg of caffeine per cup)

Japanese cuisine, recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, emphasizes umami (the fifth taste) and seasonal ingredients. Japan boasts more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other country, with Tokyo's 212 starred establishments leading all cities globally.

apanese etiquette: understanding customs and social behavior

Japanese society values group harmony (wa), respect for hierarchy, and attention to detail. These principles manifest in everything from meticulous gift-wrapping to precisely punctual 320 km/h bullet trains. The concept of omotenashi—selfless hospitality anticipating guests' needs—defines Japanese service culture. Meanwhile, cultural practices like hanami (cherry blossom viewing) and momijigari (autumn leaf viewing) reflect a deep appreciation for nature's transience, a fundamental aspect of Japanese aesthetics.

Where to go in Japan: top cities and attractions

Tokyo: essential sights in Japan's dynamic capital

The world's largest urban area (37.4 million people) offers endless discoveries:

• Shibuya Crossing: The world's busiest pedestrian intersection, with up to 3,000 people crossing at once during peak hours.
• Tokyo Skytree: At 634 metres, Japan's tallest structure offers panoramic views up to 70 kilometres on clear days.
• Meiji Shrine: A 70-hectare forest sanctuary in the heart of Tokyo.
• Tsukiji Outer Market: Food paradise with over 400 shops and restaurants.
• Akihabara: The electric town spanning 750 square metres, epicenter of anime, manga, and gaming culture.

Kyoto: exploring Japan's ancient imperial capital

Japan's imperial capital for over 1,000 years preserves 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines, including 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Highlights include the golden Kinkaku-ji pavilion, the 10,000 vermilion torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine stretching over a 4-kilometre mountain path, and the meditative Ryoan-ji rock garden measuring just 248 square metres.

Osaka: experiencing Japan's food culture and urban energy

Known as "Japan's Kitchen," this vibrant city centers around food culture and kuidaore (eating oneself to bankruptcy). The 16th-century Osaka Castle stands amidst modern skyscrapers, while the neon-lit Dotonbori district serves street food to approximately 2.6 million visitors monthly.

Hiroshima: peace memorial and surrounding attractions

Rebuilt after the 1945 atomic bombing, Hiroshima is now a city of peace with the sobering Peace Memorial Park and Museum documenting the explosion that reached temperatures of 3,000°C and devastated 13 square kilometres. Nearby Miyajima Island houses the iconic "floating" Itsukushima Shrine with a 16-metre torii gate.

Hokkaido: Japan's northern wilderness and winter wonderland

Japan's northernmost main island offers pristine wilderness, with six national parks covering 870,000 hectares. Winter brings an average of 12 metres of annual snowfall, creating world-class skiing, while summer showcases lavender fields stretching over 15 hectares.

Best natural destinations in Japan: mountains to islands

• Mount Fuji: Japan's sacred 3,776-metre volcano, climbed by approximately 300,000 people annually.
• Japanese Alps: Three mountain ranges with peaks exceeding 3,000 metres, offering hiking and onsen (hot spring) experiences.
• Arashiyama Bamboo Grove: A surreal forest where bamboo stalks reach heights of 25 metres.
• Okinawa's Coral Reefs: Spanning 400 kilometres with over 200 coral species in waters averaging 23°C.
• Yakushima: A 500-square-kilometre island with ancient cedar trees over 7,000 years old, receiving 8,000 millimetres of annual rainfall.

Interesting facts about Japan you might not know

Japan consists of 6,852 islands, though only 430 are inhabited.

Japanese trains are so punctual that the average delay is just 18 seconds on the Shinkansen bullet train network, which covers 2,765 kilometres.

There are approximately 5 million vending machines in Japan—one for every 25 people—selling everything from hot meals to umbrellas.

Japan has over 3,000 hot springs (onsen) producing 2.6 million litres of water daily at temperatures from 25°C to 105°C.

The Japanese use approximately 24 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks annually—about 200 pairs per person.

Japanese innovations that changed the world

• The world's first novel (The Tale of Genji, written around 1021 CE)
• Instant noodles (invented by Momofuku Ando in 1958, now consuming 103 billion servings globally per year)
• Digital cameras (the first commercial model by Fujix in 1988)
• High-speed bullet trains (Shinkansen, operating since 1964 without a single passenger fatality)
• Robotics (Japan employs 45% of the world's industrial robots, with 308 robots per 10,000 human workers)