Japan Travel

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Travelling to Japan is a wonderful cultural and historical experience. The people are very friendly and the sights and scenes are breath taking. You may want to learn some Japanese before you go so grab our free 1 week Japanese starter kit to get you speaking Japanese quickly.

In this guide I have outlined the great places to visit, festivals to look out for, best times to go, estimated budget and general travel advice.

When To Go?

March-April is the best time to travel Japan in my opinion, this is the Japanese Spring, the temperatures are not too hot and there is less rain than other times of the year. The great thing about visiting Japan in Spring is that it is also Cherry Blossom season, which makes for a spectacular display of blossoming flowers and lifted spirits.

A tradition in Japan is to celebrate the arrival of these beautiful flowers with Hanami (flower viewing) parties, where groups find a great spot and enjoy some Saki, perhaps a little too much sometimes...

However please note that I would not recommend going between April 27th - May 6th as this is what's known as 'Golden Week' which is the longest holiday of the year and everything books up pretty quickly!

The Summer is still a great time to go, especially if you are anything like me and love the hot weather and humidity, but bear in mind that in August temperatures can reach 40 degress celcius and humidity is tough to handle for people who don't like it. You can always head up north to Hokkaido to cool down if you need to though. The rainy season is also in full swing in June just prior to the hot weather of Summer.

Summer is the season of festivals and a great one to keep an eye out for is the Hanabi Taikai Fireworks display in Tokyo. It is held on the Sumida River and gathers a large crowd of over 1 million people.

Autumn or Fall is also beautiful with the leaves falling and also the temperatures, so isn't a bad time to plan a trip. However this is also the Typhoon season so make sure you plan your trip carefully as Kyushu in the south is hit first.

In the Winter the snow comes down abundantly in the north and is a great time to go if you are planning a Ski holiday. In the Hokkaido region there are a number of great snow spots, with Niseko being one of the most famous.

The snow season can be quite long and run from the end of November to the beginning of May. The Yuki Matsuri Snow Fastival held in Sapporo is also well worth trying to catch.

Where To Go?

Well it really depends on what you are looking for, if you want the ski mountains then head north to Hokkaido, and if you want to relax on beautiful beaches and enjoy snorkelling, marine wildlife and pleasant temperatures then head down south to the Okinawa Islands.

Below I have provided a brief snapshot of a few places to check out:

Tokyo

Tokyo is found in the Kanto district and is the largest city in Japan. The population is 12 million which is approx 10% of the Japanese population. When in Tokyo I recommend that you go to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which stands 248 metres high. There is a viewing platform which is free of charge. On a clear day you might even see Mount Fuji.

Another great spot in Tokyo is the Imperial Palace East Gardens, which is especially nice in spring when the cherry blossoms are out.

If you want to go shopping I recommend visiting the Shibuya area where you will find the lastest fashions, or if you are more into electronics then pop down to Akihabara, a bustling area of electronics markets.

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