Japan Travel Stories

Sep 30, 2012 • 4 min read

You're in Japan. You've eaten more sushi in two days than you have in your whole life and you feel like you consist entirely of raw fish. It's time to try…

Jul 19, 2012 • 5 min read

Every trip does not have to be about ticking off a sightseeing list. Some of the best destinations are seen by getting under its skin to experience it…

Jun 27, 2012 • 4 min read

Hiking Japan is one of the hiking world’s best-kept secrets. You can go hut-to-hut in the Japan Alps, traverse the 'Big Snow Mountain’ of Hokkaidō, climb…

Jun 27, 2012 • 2 min read

This is an excerpt from the Eating chapter of Lonely Planet's Tokyo guide.

Jun 27, 2012 • 2 min read

The symbols of old Japan – carp-filled ponds, misty valleys and onsens tucked away in thick forests – are often overshadowed by Japan's image of the neon…

May 8, 2012 • 3 min read

Kiyamachi, Kyoto's biggest nightlife strip, is a one kilometre stretch running parallel to the central Kamo River between two main boulevards, Sanjō and…

Apr 27, 2012 • 4 min read

Tokyo can have you feeling like a pinball being flung about in one giant game of pachinko. And while experiencing the bright lights and buzz of one of the…

Apr 18, 2012 • 5 min read

Tokyo is full of baffling attractions. Even more mind-bending is that most of them actually make perfect sense when you stop to think about it. Tokyo runs…

Apr 5, 2012 • 5 min read

Beyond the usual selection of hotels from five-star to budget, Tokyo has plenty that fall off the spectrum entirely. These are places particular to the…

Mar 23, 2012 • 4 min read

This winter may have been somewhat of a bust in much of the United States, logging the warmest temperatures since 1999, but skiers and snowboarders on the…

Mar 15, 2012 • 3 min read

At the end of a long day, a hot sento public bath can wash away your troubles, and that’s a pleasure worth sharing. Sento are a fading tradition but still…

Mar 14, 2012 • 6 min read

Tokyo is blessed with one of the world's most efficient public transportation systems. It's a city of 'paper drivers' - those who have licences but haven…

Mar 6, 2012 • 4 min read

In a city known for tea and temples, Kyoto is also home to a surprisingly vibrant coffee scene.

Mar 6, 2012 • 3 min read

With Zen gardens, bamboo groves, Buddhist temples and geisha shuffling along cobbled laneways, Kyoto seems to be lifted straight from the scenes of an…

Mar 2, 2012 • 3 min read

When most people think of Japan, what comes to mind is raw fish, Mount Fuji, temples and Tokyo. Few step off the tourist path, but those who do will be…

Aug 15, 2011 • 3 min read

Literally translated as 'red leaves,' kōyō is to autumn what cherry blossoms are to spring in Japan. Both natural events bring the Japanese out en masse…

Mar 9, 2011 • 4 min read

Japan packs a wallop of cultural wealth, natural beauty and modern oddities into its compact geography – so you can travel from the metropolis of Tokyo to…

Mar 9, 2011 • 3 min read

Whether it's taking in a traditional taiko drumming performance, roughing it for a few days at a festival or sweating it out in a basement to young punk…

Mar 8, 2011 • 3 min read

Every Japanese department store worth its hand-harvested sea salt has a depachika, a basement food hall offering an array of high-quality comestibles…

Dec 14, 2010 • 3 min read

Japan may have more contemporary art spaces than you can poke a paintbrush at, but none come quite as scenic as the small, tranquil island of Naoshima…

Sep 26, 2010 • 2 min read

This is an excerpt from the food and drinks chapter of Lonely Planet's Tokyo guide.

Aug 19, 2010 • 2 min read

Sushi has come a long way from its street-snack origins back in the early 1800s; in 2009, a couple of Tokyo sushi bars each earned three Michelin stars…