Explore by interest

Interests

Discover Japan through the things you love — from ancient temples and hidden castles to steaming onsen and unforgettable food experiences.

Browse by Topic 11

Forest temple steps surrounded by autumn maple foliage in red and gold
Interest Hub

Autumn Leaves (Koyo)

Koyo is Japan's quieter sakura — six weeks of red maples and gold ginkgo, sweeping south from Hokkaido in late September to Kyushu in early December.

2 min read
Cherry blossoms over a traditional Japanese garden pond
Interest Hub

Cherry Blossoms (Sakura)

Two weeks of pink, six different varieties, and the timing problem nobody fully solves — sakura season is a moving target that drifts north from late March in Kyushu to early May in Hokkaido.

2 min read
Traditional Edo-Kiriko cut-glass craft with intricate facets
Interest Hub

Japanese Culture

Tea ceremony, kabuki, sumo, traditional crafts, anime, contemporary art — culture in Japan isn't a museum visit, it's the Tuesday-night programming.

2 min read
Depachika basement food hall in a Japanese department store
Interest Hub

Japanese Food

Sushi, ramen, izakaya, the depachika basement food halls — Japan's food culture is regional, layered, and the most over-Michelin'd nation on Earth.

2 min read
Cherry blossoms over a traditional Japanese garden
Interest Hub

Golden Week

Late April to early May — the worst week to visit Japan if you don't book six months ahead, and the best week if you do.

2 min read
Emerald river running through a forested gorge
Interest Hub

Japanese Nature

73% of Japan is forested mountain — most travellers see only the cities. Here is the nature that's actually accessible without a guide.

2 min read
Snow on a mountain temple in Japan
Interest Hub

Snow in Japan

The world's best powder, the most photogenic snow festivals, and ryokan onsen with snow on the rocks — Japan in winter is an entirely different country.

2 min read
Giant wooden torii gate in a cedar forest path
Interest Hub

Temples and Shrines

Buddhist temple, Shinto shrine — the difference, the etiquette, and the ones worth the detour.

2 min read
Tokyo skyline at sunset
Interest Hub

Year-Round Japan

Cherry blossoms get ten weeks of attention; the other 42 weeks of the Japanese year are quietly excellent. Here is what's worth doing whenever you arrive.

2 min read
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.

3 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 min read

Articles & Guides 4

Mountain mist over a traditional Japanese village
List

10 Hidden-Gem Destinations in Japan Worth the Detour

Past Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima — the cities and towns most travellers miss, ranked by how often I'd actually return.

2 min read
Forest temple steps surrounded by autumn maple foliage in red and gold
Experience

Autumn in Kansai: Three Days, One Sunrise, Forty-Two Maple Trees

Three days chasing the maple peak through Kyoto and Nara — and the lesson that the official forecast is two days late, every year.

3 min read
Cherry blossoms over a traditional Japanese garden
List

Where to Go in Japan in 2026: An Opinionated List

Five places that are noticeably better in 2026 than they were three years ago — and three that are now worth deliberately skipping.

3 min read
Illuminated Tokyo Skytree above Asakusa rooftops
Experience

A Year of Japan: What I Learned in 12 Months of Trips

Three trips, fourteen prefectures, two reservations I wish I'd cancelled, and the one thing I'll book differently next year.

3 min read