Japan

Asia

Japan

Japan is one of the few places in the world where even just being within its borders is an eye-opening experience. I have only felt this way about a handful of countries, including another one of my favorites, Uganda.

Japan completely captured my heart, as I'm sure it does with the grand majority of its 41 million annual tourists. It's no surprise that so many people choose to visit a destination that's safe, easy to navigate, has distinct and delightful food and historic temples, castles, and neighborhoods. There's no country that so seamlessly blends hyper-modernity with tradition and history the way Japan does.

Top Locations

Tokyo: An ultra-modern city with a long and fascinating history. Tokyo is a fantastic introduction to all that Japan has to offer. Highlights include the Shibuya Crossing, the neon Shinjuku City, the Senso-ji temple dating back to the 7th century AD, modern art installations such as TeamLabs Borderless, and the authentic food scene.

Kyoto: A city that blends modernity with tradition. There are historic neighborhoods that are like a time capsule back to pre-War Japan right alongside neighborhoods that look as if they were built last week.

Osaka: A modern city renowned for its bright lights, nightlife, and delectable food.

Kumano Kodo: An ancient, sacred series of pilgrimmage trails that Japanese emperors and samurai have walked for more than 1,000 years. It is one of only two trails in the world that is a UNESCO World Heritage site (the other is the Camino de Santiago in Spain). It's also a fantastic way to see life in the countryside, stay in a ryokan, bathe in an onsen, and avoid the crowds that are so pervasive in Japan's other hotspots. Having the pagoda at Nachi Falls all to ourselves was one of the best moments in our entire trip to Japan.

Hiroshima: A city destroyed by the world's first atomic bomb that has since committed to promoting world peace and the end of nuclear weapons on Earth. This city recovered extremely well and does a wonderful job spreading the message of peace. It is a must-visit in my opinion.

Nara: While today Nara is famous for its wild deer that visitors have taught to bow in exchange for food, it has much more to it than that. It was Japan's first permanent capital and today has many historical sites such as temples dating back centuries.

Kanazawa: Famous for preserved samurai districts, geisha neighborhoods, gold leaf craftsmanship, and one of Japan's most beautiful gardens. Some call it "Little Kyoto" with far fewer crowds.

Okinawa: A scuba diver's dream and one of the 5 "Blue Zones" (where residents have the highest life expectancies and concentration of centenarians globally).

Nagano and the Japanese Alps: See the famous snow monkeys of Jigokudani, ski at Hakuba, soak in traditional onsens, and hike among some of Japan's most spectacular mountain scenery.

Niseko: Japan's most famous ski destination.

Mount Fuji and Hakone: A town known for its incredible views of Mount Fuji. A fair warning: Mount Fuji is only visible 70-80 days out of the year.

A Taste of Japan

There is so much more to the Japanese food scene than just sushi and ramen (although I encourage you to endulge in both while you're there; it's truly fantastic). Try katsu, tempora, udon, soba, Japanese curry, and Wagyu beef.

Beyond these dishes, seek out a few uniquely Japanese dining experiences. Try izakaya in Tokyo. Its "series of small plates" style was vaguely reminiscent of tapas for me. If your budget allows, consider a kaiseki meal: a multi-course dining experience with meticulous presentation.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Japan is also famous for its convenience store food, and no visit to Japan would be complete without a visit to 7-11 or FamilyMart. My personal 7-11 favorites were the red bean paste pancakes and the onigiri (try pickled plum for something tart).

Recommended Reading

One of my favorite books of all time is Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. I read it for the first time in 2020 and read it again just ahead of my trip to Japan. It gave me fantastic context for a Geisha-themed walking tour in Kyoto that ended up being a top 3 highlight of the trip. I even saw three real-life geisha! It was a surreal moment. Alex also read this ahead of our trip and we were able to bond over how much we learned and how much we enjoyed the walking tour.

I will caution that there are a couple controversies surrounding this book. The first is that Arthur Golden interviewed former Kyoto geisha Mineko Iwasaki while researching the novel but failed to keep her identity a secret as he promised. She sued him in 2001 for breach of confidentiality and defamation but the case was ultimately settled out of court.

The second was the geishas' portrayal as high class prostitutes. A central piece of the plot involves "mizuage," where the protagonist's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder. Many critics argued that this portrayal incorrectly suggests geisha were essentially high-class prostitutes. On our walking tour, our guide did mention that the mizuage concept belonged to a different group in Japan: the oirans. However, it is true (even to this day) that geishas often have sexual relations with their long-term patrons.

My personal opinion is that this book is still well worth the read despite these controversies.

Watch Before You Go

This 20 minute YouTube video does a fantastic job summarizing the complex history of Japan and is well worth a watch before your trip.

If you're a nerd like me that wants to dive deeper into Japan's Edo period, I enjoyed Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire. I was able to watch on YouTube for free.

For those interested in some context on the bombing of Hiroshima, I'd recommend BBC's What Happened at Hiroshima.

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Articles focused primarily on Japan.