Featured Guides

Aomori Nebuta festival giant illuminated warrior float in night procession
Interest Hub

Japanese Festivals (Matsuri)

Japan's matsuri scene by month — yatai floats, hanabi, dance festivals, snow lanterns. When to go, how to attend without screwing it up. By Nick van der Blom.

Read guide → 3 May 2026 · 3 min read
Shinkansen pulling into Kyoto Station
Itinerary
Two Weeks in Japan: A Realistic Itinerary
Day-by-day 14-day Japan itinerary with Tokyo, Kanazawa, Takayama, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka. Hidden-gem detours, JR Pass strategy, and a real budget breakdown.
3 May 2026 · 5 min read
Shinkansen N700 series train at a Japanese station platform
Practical Guide
JR Pass: The Complete 2026 Guide
Complete JR Pass guide for 2026 — current prices, calculator that does the maths, regional alternatives, and the simple rule for whether the pass pays off your trip. By Nick van der Blom.
3 May 2026 · 5 min read
Steam rising from a stone-lined open-air rotenburo at a Japanese mountain ryokan
Interest Hub
Onsen
How onsen actually work in 2026 — six-step etiquette, the tattoo policy that nobody updates online, and five regions to start with. By Nick van der Blom.
3 May 2026 · 3 min read
All Guides

All guides

73 guides across Japan

Sanmachi-suji wooden Edo-era merchant street in Takayama lit by morning light
City Guide

Takayama

Hand-written Takayama city guide — Sanmachi-suji old town, sake breweries, Hida beef, Shirakawa-go and Kamikochi day trips, the spring/autumn matsuri. By Nick van der Blom.

4 min read
Tokyo skyline at sunset with cherry blossoms in the foreground and the Tokyo Skytree on the right
City Guide

Tokyo

Tokyo isn't one city — it's 23 wards stitched together, and most visitors see four. Senso-ji at 06:00, Yanaka, Shimokitazawa, Kichijoji, depachika basements. By Nick van der Blom.

4 min read
View across Hiroshima with the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park visible in the foreground
City Guide

Hiroshima

Hiroshima is a Setouchi port city, not just a memorial — peace park, Miyajima, oysters, okonomiyaki, lantern alleys, and the day-trip islands. By Nick van der Blom (visited Jan 2026).

4 min read
Beppu
City Guide

Beppu

Beppu produces more onsen water than any city on earth. Explore turquoise Umi Jigoku, the sand-bath ritual at Takegawara, and eight distinct hot-spring

2 min read
Kotohira
City Guide

Kotohira

Kotohira is a compact pilgrimage town with Japan's oldest kabuki theatre, a 1,368-step shrine climb, and a historic sake museum—all within 15 minutes of

2 min read
Matsuyama
City Guide

Matsuyama

Matsuyama blends Japan's oldest hot spring (Dogo Onsen), one of twelve original castles, and the Botchan Tram—all walkable. Temples, gardens, and local

2 min read