Japan’s 10 Essential Travel Experiences

What are the top 10 experiences not to miss in Japan? This amazing country offers so much to see and do, it’s hard to know exactly what’s not to be missed.

Luckily, our local travel experts have insider knowledge of the country’s top attractions, so we’ve compiled an infographic of 10 experiences in Japan you definitely shouldn’t miss.

Whether you like picturesque mountain towns, shopping for gadgets or delving into the history of the geisha, there is an unmissable experience in Japan just for you.

10 Not-to-Miss Japan Experiences

More details about our 10 not-to-miss Japan experiences

Experience #1 – Ride bullet train

Make sure you the have original high-speed bullet train experience with a ride on the Shinkansen. These super efficient, super-fast trains are definitely not your average commute. Whiz through the picturesque Japanese countryside at 320 km/h.

Experience #2 – Drink in the views of Takayama

Get your camera ready for this one – Takayama is an unbelievably pretty mountain village of Edo-period merchants’ houses dating back to the 1600s. Located in the ‘Japanese Alps’, this little town is a must-see for its sheer scenic beauty.

Experience #3 – Stay in a ryokan and dip into an onsen

A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, where you can stay in a private tatami mat rooms and sleep on a futon. A key feature of the ryokan is the hot spring bath – the onsen. Relax in the style of Japanese wayfarers immemorial.

Experience #4 – See history in Kyoto’s incredible array of UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Kyoto is Japan’s former imperial capital, so it stands to reason that there’s much history to be found. In UNESCO terms, it is home to 17 World Heritage Sites, which is more than anywhere else on the planet. See Japan’s spiritual and cultural heritage in its ancient castles, temples and shrines.

Experience #5 – Visit an icon – Miyajima Island and the red torii gate

You’ve seen it in movies or online, but it’s much better in real life – Miyajima’s Itsukushima Shrine is the iconic ‘floating’ torii (‘gate’ in Japanese). Torii are all over Japan, but here are none as famous as this one.

Experience #6 – See a geisha performance

Trained in classical music, dance, games and more, the modern geisha performance is a rare, one-of-a-kind experience. No cultural Japanese trip is complete without taking in an authentic geisha performance.

Experience #7 – Go, go, gadgets in Akihabara, Tokyo

Imagine store after store jammed to the rafters with gadgets – cameras, phones, games, computers, robots, drones – that’s Akihabara. Affectionately known in Tokyo as Akiba, this neighborhood is home to a mind-boggling array of electronics. Also home to anime and manga shops and some eye-catching cosplay cafés.

Experience #8 – Discover ancient Kamakura

Kamakura was Japan’s capital from 1192 to 1333, and today this scenic seaside city provides a the best glimpse you could ask for at the country’s feudal past. Mountains, beaches, shrines, temples, forests – Kamakura is a resort town with historic clout.

Experience #9 – Taste Tokyo

Hot, steaming bowls of ramen, spicy katsu curry, Michelin-starred sushi, BBQ meat on a skewer from your local izakaya – sampling all the must-eat food on offer in Tokyo is enough to keep you busy for a whole trip.

Experience #10 – Learn the ‘Way of Tea’

If you’re interested in Japanese culture, this must-have experience highlights not only the importance of the brew in Japanese culture but teaches you the concept of wabi-sabi, the beauty of impermanence/imperfection.

3 insider recommendations

#1 – Explore the arts

Get into the eclectic array of arts Japan offers. Sumo wrestling, sake tasting, contemporary art, antiques, Japanese calligraphy, zen gardens, even Buddhist meditation – dive into hands-on cultural experiences to give yourself a uniquely memorable time in Japan.

#2 – Robot Restaurant

If you’ve always wanted to say domo arigato, Mr Roboto, here’s your chance. Shinjuku in Tokyo is home to the Robot Restaurant where you can have a truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience watching robots battling it out on stage and bikini-clad hype dancers cheering them on. Is it touristy? Yes, but it’s fantastic fun!

#3 – Draw Manga

Manga is one of Japan’s most popular modern exports and you can learn how to draw in this distinctive style by joining a workshop – no previous experience required.

---

From its ancient capitals to its modern metropolises, Japan offers a new discovery around every bend. Armed with insider knowledge from our Travel Specialists, you can now create a custom holiday full of Japanese experiences not to be missed. If you feel inspired to plan a Japan trip, choose your ideal tour and contact Backyard Travel today!

Travelore Tips: Japan's Top 10 Culinary Locations

Contributed by Simon Richmond 

Unesco recently added Japanese cuisine – known in Japan as washoku – to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. This puts it equal to French cuisine, the only other national culinary tradition to be so honoured. A journey around Japan reveals the wisdom of Unesco’s decision: every corner of the country boasts something special to eat or drink. Join our tour of Japan’s top 10 gourmet destinations to discover the many flavours of washoku.

Tokyo

Tsukiji by Jonathan Lin. CC BY 2.0.

For at least a century before Japan’s capital snagged more Michelin restaurant guide stars than any other city in the world, Tokyo has been playing at the top of its food game. The dish that the world knows as sushi – tantalising cuts of raw fish draped across pads of vinegared rice – was invented here, where it's known as Edomae-zushi, after Edo, the old name for Tokyo. And where better to sample sushi than at the stalls within Tsukiji (www.tsukiji-market.or.jp). Hurry, though, as the famed fish market will move to a new location across Tokyo Bay in 2015.

Kyoto

Kaiseki-ryōri by Charlotte Marillet. CC BY 2.0.

A visit to Japan’s beguiling ancient capital isn’t complete until you’ve treated yourself to kaiseki-ryōri, a multi-course banquet of seasonal delicacies that’s a feast for the eyes; try it at the 400-year-old restaurant Nakamura-rō in Gion. You can also dig into a vegetarian version of the banquet, known as shojin-ryōri at Izusen (http://kyoto-izusen.com), which faces on to a serene garden in the temple Daiji-in. The subtle mixture of tastes and textures and the artistry of presentation will linger long after you’ve cleared the exquisite lacquerware and china bowls in which the food is served.

Ōsaka

Takoyaki by hirotomo t. CC BY 2.0.

Takoyaki - octopus balls - is probably not what Unesco had in mind when it honoured washoku. But these unpretentious globes of seafood and veggies bound in batter are as emblematic of Japanese cuisine as sushi and ramen, and Ōsaka is where the recipe hails from. The nation’s second largest city is also famed for okonomiyaki, a batter pancake topped with meat, squid, shredded vegetables and garnished with sweet brown sauce, mayonnaise, powdered seaweed and wafer thin flakes of dried tuna. Head to the Dōtombori area of this food-crazy city to try these dishes.

Hakodate

Heavy crab at Asa-ichi by Photocapy. CC BY 2.0.

Japan’s main northern island of Hokkaidō is a gourmet destination in its own right, famed for several different takes on the noodle dish ramen, as well as a lamb barbecue known as jingisukan (after Genghis Khan, a reference to the Mongolian-warrior-helmet-like shape of the convex table grill on which the meal is prepared). But it’s fish and seafood that is special here, particularly crab and salmon. At Hakodate’s atmospheric morning fish market, the Asa-ichi (www.hakodate-asaichi.com), spoil yourself with bowls of noodles or rice topped with cuts of super fresh seafood.

Nagoya

Hitsumabushi by hiratomo t. CC BY 2.0.

Unagi (grilled eel) is one of the most delicious of dishes in washoku’s repertoire, and Nagoya is the place to try it. Atsuta Hōraiken (www.houraiken.com) is the city’s most famous restaurant for hitsumabushi, in which savoury sauce-basted strips of eel are eaten in three different ways: first in the traditional style atop a bed of rice; second with a sprinkling of dried seaweed, spring onion and wasabi (horseradish) paste; and third mixed in with soup.

Matsumoto

Handmade soba noodles by t-mizo. CC BY 2.0.

Soba noodles made from buckwheat are the pride of Nagano prefecture. In the attractive castle town of Matsumoto there are several famed vendors, such as Nomugi, where the handmade noodles have such a reputation that customers line up early to make sure they get a serving before it shuts at 2pm or the shop sells out. More adventurous epicureans may want to samplebasashi – thin slices of raw horsemeat – served at Kura (www.mcci.or.jp/www/kura), a restaurant in a replica of a traditional storehouse.

Takayama

Breakfast at Sumiyoshi ryokan by Andrea Schaffer. CC BY 2.0.

Another Central Japan destination favoured by foodies is this appealing town known for its sake breweries. Sansai-ryōri – dishes made from local mountain vegetables, ferns and wild plants – are among the meals to try along with hoba miso – vegetables or beef mixed with miso paste and roasted on a magnolia leaf above a small charcoal brazier. These dishes are served at the family-run Suzuya, which also specialises in the premium local beef Hida-gyū.

Fukuoka

Late-night street snack by Richard West. CC BY 2.0.

Fugu (blowfish) is one of the speciality foods of the main city of the southern island of Kyūshū – the potentially poisonous fish is best sampled during the winter. But great at any time of year is a steaming bowl of tonkotsu ramen, a rich pork broth noodle dish also known as Hakata ramen. The best places to slurp these nourishing noodles are at yatai; these street stalls are dotted all over Fukuoka, but the greatest concentration is at the intersection of Tenjin Nishi-dōri and Shōwa-dōri on Nakasu Island.

Takamatsu

Udon by Takuma Kimura. CC BY 2.0.

Sanuki udon – chunky white wheat noodles – are associated with this city on the north coast of Shikoku, Japan’s fourth main island. They are traditionally served plain to be dipped in a separate flask of stock that you can flavour with condiments such as wasabi. A great place to try them is Waraya, a restaurant set in a thatched-roof farmhouse, a short journey outsideTakamatsu, next to Shikoku Mura, a park of traditional architecture.

Naha

Makishi Market, Naha, by Hideyuki Kamon. CC BY 2.0.

The far southern islands of Okinawa prefecture are home to Japan’s highest percentage of centenarians, testament in part to the health properties of the local Ryūkū-ryōri cuisine. All part of the pig are used in cooking here, from tibichi (trotters) to mimi (ears) and, as you’d expect, seafood is also key to culinary mix. Tuck into dishes made from these ingredients at the stalls above the lively food market Dai-Ichi Kōsetsu Makishi Ichiba in the Okinawan capital of Naha.

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/asia/travel-tips-and-articles/japans-top-10-culinary-locations#ixzz2wpVq4BtY