Japan Area Guides
Everything you Need to Know about Japan
From the ever-popular Tokyo Disneyland to the city’s Kabukiza Theatre, Tokyo is at once an arts centre and a worldwide attraction. Boasting Asia’s biggest fish market (itself a massive attraction) as well as ancient Shinto and Buddhist shrines, commerce and spirituality exist side by side in this burgeoning city. Kyoto is the place to go for a large dose of Japanese culture while Nagoya is perhaps the most perfect balance of the old and new Japan, having rebuilt sensationally in the aftermath of World War II. Nara is home to many UNESCO World Heritage Sites while Osaka has much more going for it than the oft-mentioned Universal Studios. Enjoy the contrasts and twists and turns that this country offers its visitors.
Kobe, the capital of Hyogo Prefecture, has a long history of welcoming outsiders to its shores, being one of the first ports in Japan to open to trade in 1868 after two centuries of isolation. Read More...
Kyoto City comprises 11 wards, each with something special to explore. The centrally located wards of Nakagyo and Shimogyo are where you will find the main concentration of hotels, shopping and nightlife. Read More...
Japan’s fourth largest city, Nagoya is an economic powerhouse, home to the nation’s auto manufacturing giants Toyota, Honda and Mitsubishi. Historically Nagoya played a role as a castle town of the Owari, one of the three branches of the ruling Tokugawa family throughout the Edo Period. Read More...
During its 74-year reign as Japan’s first capital, Nara flourished to become one of Asia’s grandest cities. As the far eastern destination for the Silk Road, Nara absorbed ideas from other mainland Asian countries and developed into the grand diocese of Buddhism. Read More...
Osaka is easy to navigate, roughly divided into two centres, north and south. Kita (north) Osaka contains the main business district, accessible by Osaka and Umeda stations. Minami (south) Osaka is home to most of the city’s shopping centres, entertainment and nightlife venues. Read More...
The capital of Hokkaido, Sapporo is a lively fast-growing city, home to spectacular festivals, most famously the Sapporo Snow Festival which is held annually in the city’s central Odori Park where huge scenes and structures are constructed entirely out of snow. Read More...
The ten areas of Tokyo listed in this guide fall roughly into three regions; Northern Tokyocontains Ueno, a premier historical site, once the heart and soul of the Edo period. Read More...