15 Things to Do in Japan

Ten thousand vermilion torii gates winding up a sacred mountain — Japan's most photographed sight and one that genuinely exceeds expectations in person. Go at 5am to walk in near-silence through the tunnels of gates; by 9am the crowds make it a different experience entirely.

Japan's most recognisable silhouette — a perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone that appears on lacquerware, in woodblock prints, and behind you unexpectedly on the Shinkansen. Climb it in July–August, or view it from Hakone or Fujikawaguchiko for one of the world's great landscape photographs.

Shibuya Crossing — the world's busiest pedestrian intersection — at rush hour is a spectacle that needs to be stood inside to be understood. Shinjuku's Golden Gai, 250 tiny bars stacked in six alleys, is where Tokyo drinks. The view from the Tokyo Skytree at dusk is when the city finally reveals its full scale.

A forest of giant bamboo stalks that creak and sway in the wind, filtering light into green patterns on the path below — one of Japan's most ethereal natural experiences. The 15-minute walk at dawn, combined with the Tenryu-ji temple garden nearby, is a perfect Kyoto morning.

The Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima is one of the most moving museum experiences in the world — and the city itself, rebuilt from nothing into a vibrant modern place, is its own form of testament. Fifteen minutes away, Miyajima's floating torii gate rising from the tidal flats is Japan in a single image.

For two weeks in late March to early April, Japan turns pink. Hanami (flower viewing) picnics fill every park; the sakura petals fall like snow; and the country collectively pauses to appreciate it. Maruyama Park in Kyoto and Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo are the classic spots — arrive early, bring snacks, and stay for the evening light.

Japan's former imperial capital has over 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrines — but the real magic is the Gion district at dusk, where geisha in full kimono navigate lantern-lit stone lanes, and time feels genuinely suspended.

Shibuya Crossing at rush hour, ramen in a six-seat counter in Shinjuku's Golden Gai, vintage shopping in Harajuku, the world's best sushi breakfast at Tsukiji Outer Market — Tokyo is a city that never needs a plan to be extraordinary.

Japan's sacred peak is best viewed from Hakone — a mountain resort town with an open-air art museum, volcanic hot springs (onsen), and views across Lake Ashi to Fuji's perfect cone. The 2-day Hakone Free Pass is the most efficient way to do it.

800 wild deer roam freely through a park surrounding Japan's largest bronze Buddha at Todai-ji — the deer bow for special deer crackers (shika senbei) sold at park entrances. Incredibly photogenic, genuinely magical.

Osaka is Japan's food and fun capital — a 16th-century castle surrounded by cherry trees, and Dotonbori's neon-lit canal district is where you eat takoyaki and kushikatsu until you need to be rolled onto a train.

Soaking in a traditional ryokan's outdoor onsen (hot spring bath) while snow falls and Mount Fuji looms in the distance is the most Japanese experience available to foreign visitors — and one you'll think about for years.

Tokyo's Electric Town — floors of electronics, manga, anime collectibles and retro gaming stacked in multi-storey buildings. Even if you're not a fan, the sheer density and enthusiasm is fascinating.

A tunnel of giant bamboo in western Kyoto that makes sound like nothing else on earth when the wind blows through — combine with the nearby Tenryu-ji garden and a boat ride on the Oi River for a perfect Kyoto morning.

Eight of Japan's most legendary regional ramen shops recreated in a 1950s-themed underground village — the world's most delicious museum, where you eat your way through Sapporo miso, Hakata tonkotsu and Tokyo shoyu ramen in a single visit.