Top Cities to Visit in Japan
I was in Japan for a whole month and got to visit a bunch of different cities each of which was absolutely amazing. There were a few that stood out though due to something that made them unique or simply because I enjoyed them so much. Here is my list of the top cities to visit in Japan based on my recent experience!
Tokyo: The Most Amazing City in Japan
Tokyo is the most amazing city in Japan if not in the entire world. It is hard to fully grasp how amazing this city is without visiting. First of all, Tokyo is massive and there are things to do and see EVERYWHERE.
Essentially, every community has its own identity and things to do so pretty much everyone can find a place that they absolutely love when visiting Tokyo. If you enjoy anime you can visit Akihabara, if you enjoy clubbing you can visit Shinjuku, if you enjoy thrift-shopping you can visit Shimokitazawa, if you enjoy luxury shopping you can visit Ginza, etc. You could probably spend at least half a day if not a full day in each of these communities and there are so many which means that I think that first time visitors should spend the bulk of their time in Tokyo because there is simply so much to offer!
In my previous post I provided somewhat of an itinerary but I would pretty much say that you need to stay in Tokyo for a minimum of 5 full days just to see the most famous sights and areas of the city. 7 days would be much better, allowing for extra exploring and a day-trip and 10-14 days would probably be necessary to visit most of the major areas/sites and do 2 day trips.
Also just some other reasons why Tokyo is amazing; the transportation system is spectacular, it is very walk-able, the food is unbelievable, it is incredibly clean, and the people are so nice and always try to help if you are confused. Pretty much just visit Tokyo and stay for as long as you possibly can.
Nikko: The Best Day-Trip in Japan
I did a number of day trips while in Japan but none were as notable as my first. Nikko is a beautiful town that is a relatively short train ride (~2 hours) from Tokyo. If you have a JR Pass and are staying in Tokyo long enough I definitely recommend making the trip.
When you arrive at the train station you walk about 100m upwards until you reach a cute town square. Here, you will find one of my favourite restaurant from my entire Asia trip (which will be mentioned in a later post) which serves up red bean tempura. I was not a huge fan of red bean nor tempura prior to visiting Japan but this dish completely changed my mind.
Continuing upwards you get to walk through the main street of this cute town, which is lined with shops and restaurants. What I loved about the main street was that it wasn't super touristy despite Nikko being a popular tourist destination, the local charm was very much present. After walking through the main town area you are greeted by a stunning bridge overlooking a river and the foot of a mountain. From here a short hike up the mountain takes you to a series of shrines/temples to explore including some that are hidden away in the forest all with stunning views of the Japanese countryside. In fact, the shrines located at the top of the mountain are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hopefully that description has convinced you to visit this beautiful town. Just make sure to come early because most shops close between 3-5pm so that is when you should plan to make your way back to Tokyo!
Kyoto: The Best Cultural City in Japan
Being in Kyoto makes you truly feel like you have been transported to the old Japan that you see in movies/anime. The former capital of Japan is considered the cultural capital of Japan and for good reason, it is chock full with traditional beauty! The city is filled with gorgeous shrines/temples and the Japanese architecture was unlike any other city that I visited in Japan.
There are also beautiful natural beauty spots like the famous bamboo forest which is also surrounded by lots of shrines that are worth visiting. This is also where I did my kimono rental which is very common because of all of the aforementioned points and it was amazing being able to experience, enjoy, and appreciate Japanese culture in this way.
Also, you all know that I am more into the cheap eats / street food scene but Kyoto had some amazing sit-down restaurants! The restaurants are very much on the expensive side but the atmosphere is amazing and I had some of the best food I got to enjoy in Japan while in Kyoto, including what was probably my favourite restaurant from the whole trip!
If you are visiting a country and there is a "cultural capital" I think it is a no-brainier that you have to visit. I have seen the idea of visiting Kyoto as a day-trip online but personally I definitely think you should stay in the city for at least 2 full days, although I would recommend 3-4 days if you really want to get the most out of it!
Hiroshima: The Most Surprising City in Japan
Prior to visiting Japan I asked Japanese friends and friends of friends what cities I should prioritize visiting and I think nearly every person had Hiroshima near the top of their list if not at the top of their list. This really surprised me because I of course wanted to visit to see the miraculous redevelopment following the tragedy that happened during WWII but I am not exactly a history/war buff so I was worried I may not be able to fully understand/respect what the city has to offer if this is the main reason to visit.
I am here to say that Hiroshima is such an amazing city! The city center is stunning and the redevelopment is mind-blowing. There were so many shops and restaurants in the city center and the shopping streets were simply gorgeous.
Visiting the Atomic Bomb Dome was also very surreal and visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was a very unique experience. I think the area really beautifully pays respect to the victims while also being a place that inspires hope for peace and a better world.
Even if you are not a history/war buff you will definitely want to pay this area a visit. Hiroshima is simply a beautiful city that has just as much to offer in terms of food/recreation/shopping/culture as other major Japanese cities with the added historical aspect. I think a day-trip to Hiroshima was perfect but I could completely understand why someone may want to stay a night!
Nara: The Most Unique Experience in Japan
If you have seen any social media content from Japan you have surely seen the famous deer in Nara. This town is a quick day-trip from Kyoto/Osaka and provides the pretty unique experience of being full of deer. When I went I was expecting to see a couple of deer and maybe an area that had a a little more where they are fed but the entire city is absolutely filled with deer! These deer are around people a lot so you can get pretty close to them which is cool and food for the deer is sold all around the city so you can feed them too! Watch out though because the deer can get quite viscous for the food hahah.
The sacred deer are obviously the highlight of visiting Nara but I was surprised by the lovely shopping streets and beautiful temples/shrines that were also present! I think this makes Nara a pretty stunning place overall to have both a novel experience and experience the classic Japanese culture of shopping streets and shrines/temples. It is definitely worth the day-trip in my opinion!
Matsuyama: The Most Underrated City in Japan
Finally we have my pick for the most underrated city in Japan and that is Matsuyama! This city is the capital of Shikoku but completely falls under the tourist radar! In fact, in my Lonely Planet travel book that my roommate gifted me for Japan, Shikoku was not even mentioned! This is probably because (or a consequence of) there not being a JR line that goes to Matsuyama, you have to take a pretty long bus ride to get there. I was also surprised by how little online resources there are on Matsuyama aside from the official tourism website, at least in English!
Now since few others will tell you about Matsuyama let me tell you about this amazing city and why you should visit! First of all, the food is pretty awesome! Matsuyama is known for orange juice and I was shocked by how amazing the flavour of the orange juices were. There are also so many different varieties and when you are buying them it generally tells you how sweet and sour each variety is on a scale from 1-5 which is so cool! The scaling is also super accurate!
Aside from the orange juice there are some local specialty desserts, a regional okonomiyaki, and some famous seafood dishes! A lot of these were present at the hotel I stayed at for breakfast (REF Matsuyama City Station by Vessel Hotels... HIGHLY RECOMMEND) but also available at the plethora of restaurants in the central shopping area. I enjoyed pretty much every restaurant in visited and I think that is because you don't have to worry about accidentally stumbling into a touristy restaurant, all the food seemed to be catered towards locals and of course locals know best when it comes to their food!
There are also some really neat sites that you can visit! One is the Matsuyama Castle which was absolutely stunning! To get to the castle you can walk or take a fun chair-lift/gondola since it is on the top of a big hill. Leading up to the gondola is also a lovely street with a lot of restaurants and a lot of orange juice! Once you reach the top you are greeted with a stunning 360 degree view of the entire city. Aside from when I was literally in the mountains/countryside this is probably my favourite view that I experienced within a city in Japan! The castle was also really lovely and the walk back down from the opposite side of the chairlift was fun.
This city also has the onsen, called Dogo Onsen, that the famous Spirited Away onsen is supposedly based off of! I am a big Studio Ghibli fan so visiting this site was so cool! It was sadly under a lot of construction when I visited and I didn't go inside because I wasn't interested in going to a public onsen at the time but if you are interested in visiting an onsen during your stay in Japan this is one of the oldest and most iconic! The surrounding area is also super cute with some nice shopping streets as well as additional onsens that are part of the onsen complex including one that has private baths as well!
Additionally, a lot of people complain about the absurd amount of tourists at all the major tourist sites in Japan but if you visit Matsuyama you don't have to worry about that at all! Overall, if you have the time I highly recommend visiting Matsuyama! I would recommend staying for 2-nights with the following general itinerary.
Day 1:
Drive in
Go to the main shopping streets (Gintengai and Okaido) and the surrounding side-streets for some delicious food
Day 2:
Go to Matsuyama Castle in the morning, picking up lunch along the way on the street leading up to the gondola or grab food after on the opposite side of the hill at one of the many restaurants near Matsuyama City Station
Visit the Ehime Museum of Art or head over to the Matsuyama City Park and visit the Archaeological Museum at Matsuyama City in the afternoon (I didn't get to do this because I didn't have time but I wanted to)
Visit the famous Dogo Onsen and get some dinner in the surrounding area or head back over to Gintengai/Okaido if you don't find anything you like near Dogo Onsen
Day 3:
If you have time before your departure make a quick stop at Mitsu Station to checkout the port and get some amazing food! When I went I think it was an awkward time and a lot of restaurants were closed so sadly I didn't get to visit any local restaurants but I heard that this area has some of the most authentic local restaurants because this is where the seafaring workers go to eat!
Leave Matsuyama :(
What about Osaka, Fukuoka, Takayama, etc.?
I just want to add that I absolutely LOVED every city I visited in Japan, the above were just my personal favourites or the ones I thought were the most unique. Of course I think people should visit Osaka but I personally didn't spend enough time there to really feel the unique identity of the city so it didn't quite crack my list of favourite cities. I also sadly did not get the chance to visit any cities in Hokkaido but that is definitely on my radar for the next time I visit! Every city in Japan is beautiful and I am sure no matter where you go you will fall in love with the country!
That is all for the post! I hope this provided a little bit more insight for those looking to visit Japan or those who are simply interested in reading any travel content they can get their hands on (like me). Make sure to checkout my last Japan blog post here and checkout all my social media to follow my travels and foodie adventures! I hope you all have an amazing day!
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