From traditional villages speckled with temples and shrines to sprawling cities filled with illuminated neon lights and unique culinary delights, Japan is brimming with activity.

Whether you're short on time and want to capture the highlights, or are still nutting out your itinerary and want to make sure you're visiting the right cities, travel writer Jane Lawson has the lowdown on the top 20 attractions, activities and things to do to get the most out of your trip to Japan. 

Shibuya neighbourhood, Tokyo

If you’ve only got one day in Tokyo, target this larger than life precinct for its bottomless showbag of treats. Shop, imbibe, dance and sing till you drop within a 300-metre radius of Shibuya Station. Buzzing Harajuku, Meiji shrine, Yoyoji Park and posh Aoyama are all within skipping distance. Shibuya’s famed five-way pedestrian crossing (pictured) supplies great vlogger fodder, surging against a thousand-deep people sea.

Top tour: Best of Shibuya Food Tour, from $408

Mount Fuji

Increase your chance to bask in Fuji-san's magnificence by booking nearby “Fuji-facing” accommodation in either Fuji Five Lakes or Hakone regions. Alternatively zip up Tokyo Tower or Skytree on clear-skied days, sip sunset drinks with a complimentary Fuji show at top-tier hotel bars like Grand Hyatt and Metropolitan Ikebukuro or travel south from Tokyo via shinkansen, requesting “Fuji-side” seats - keep eyes peeled from 30 minutes in — you’re welcome!

Top tour: Mount Fuji and Hakone One Day Trip from Tokyo, Klook, $160

Kenroku-En, Kanazawa

Kenroku-en Garden (pictured), the best known and most accessible of Japan’s top three is perched overlooking the charming gold-flecked castle town of Kanazawa. An ultimate expression of traditional garden styles, dotted with koi-inhabited ponds and teahouses, linked by stepping stones and wooden bridges, Kenroku-en’s layout encourages joyful wandering or seated meditations over seasonal scenery. Okayama’s awesome Koraku-en and Kairaku-en in Ibaraki gardens prefecture complete the trio.

Top tour: Kanazawa City, Nomura Samurai Residence and Kenroku-en Afternoon Tour, Klook, $200

Cherry blossoms

Despite Sakura’s fickle reputation, spring’s domino-effect blossom explosion is unmissable. From end March to early April Kyoto’s powder-puff pink, snap-worthy scenery at key sights is delightful but inevitably overcrowded so do your ‘hanami’ (flower viewing) right; avoid weekends, grab a “bento” (packed meal), claim a tree along the Kamogawa riverbanks or in Maruyama Park and settle in picnic-style. Stroll Tokyo’s cherry-lined Meguro River (pictured) or Shinjuku Gyoen (park). Or beat the bloomin’ crowds all together by travelling further afield. Okinawa peaks early in late January, Kyushu turns from mid-March and Aomori pops in late April.

Top tour: Wendy Wu Cherry Blossom Tours

Downtown Gion, Kyoto

The best place in Japan to find yourself face to face with the world-famous elegantly poised Geish’ or Geiko in local dialect is Kyoto’s most famous hanamachi (flower town) - downtown Gion precinct. Around twilight, or much later in the evening, visit the atmospheric traditional laneways around Hanamikoji Street and Pontocho Alley and remain alert and respectful as these serene beings can move at lightning speed. Japan’s largest summer festival, Gion Matsuri (pictured) annually pulls in millions of tourists, simultaneously triggering dramatic spikes in beer sales!

Top tour: Gion Walking Tour By Night, from $35.

Cross-country shinkansen

No ride on the Shinkansen (bullet train) ever seems long enough but a mission to see the country in a single swoop, from its northernmost station of Shin-Hakodate in Hokkaido to the southern terminus in Kyushu’s Kagoshima might just scratch that itch. The 13-hour journey, reaching speeds of up to 320km/h, offers a rare opportunity to observe dynamic countryside from tip to toe and time to reflect on this incredible destination. Avoid numb-bum by booking new and luxurious Gran Class.

Book it: You can buy your JR Pass or individual Shinkansen tickets online through Klook.

Seto Art Islands, Okayama Prefecture

Cradled lovingly by a laid-back island collective in the Seto Inland Sea are the tangible results of a local artisan creed, including awe-inspiring installations and futuristic architecture cavorting against natural backdrops of jagged cliffs, greenery and beaches. Thought-provoking, contemporary works surprise from within housings of rustic village homes. Naoshima (pictured), easily accessible from the mainland, connects by ferry network to Teshima, Inujima and Shodoshima. Stay several nights on Naoshima alone, in yurts or fancy Benesse House, exploring by local bus, foot or bicycle to appreciate this spectacular cultural enclave. The popular Setouchi Triennale draws massive crowds every three years.

Top tour: Private tour of Naoshima Art Island, Viator, $493

Dotonbori, Osaka

It’s bright and brash and if you’re over 25 it will make your head spin yet there’s something strangely alluring about Osaka’s Dotonbori commercial district. For full-tilt riotous effect kick-off evening visits around the Ebisu Bridge area where blaring neon signage, competing loudspeakers, car horns and 3D Gulliver-sized mechanical crabs, sushi, and gyoza advertising will assault every sense. Eateries along the Dotonbori’s river edge fill hungry students on all-you-can-can-eat and drink options, ensuring frivolity and intermittent stumbling. Don’t leave without sampling the area’s famous takoyaki — molten octopus balls. Better than they sound.

Top tour: The Ultimate Osaka Food Tour - Namba and Dotonbori, $150

Snow Monkeys, Nagano

Imagery of Japan’s native macaque monkeys contently bathing in hot springs is the best tourism promotion Nagano could wish for. Way cooler and more sophisticated than cats wrestling string, these resilient ambassadors survive long winters in Japan’s coldest regions (hence the snow monkey nickname). Get up close and … well, not too personal! by joining a day tour from JR Nagano station — just 1.5 hours north west of Tokyo by Shinkansen.

Top tour: Nagano Snow Monkey 1 Day Tour with Beef Sukiyaki Lunch from Tokyo, Viator, from $192

Bamboo Forest, Kyoto

Once a summer retreat for Japan’s elite, attractive Arashiyama village at the foot of Kyoto’s western mountain range is a year-round tourism hotspot for shopping, dining and cafe-hopping but the main attraction is a gently swaying grove of towering bamboo. The refreshing green oasis offers shade and relief from extreme heat and humidity, if only metaphorically. Arrive early morning to avoid coach armies and peacefully stroll along its central path, stepping off for temples, gardens and river boating.

Book it: Traversing Kyoto's Scenic West - Arashiyama to Kinkakuji, from $273.

Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture

So large it’s regularly mistaken for the sea, Shiga prefecture’s famous body of water provides relief from neighbouring Kyoto’s summer extremes, while in winter its cosy cabins deliver fireside quiet, snowdrifts, spectacular sunsets and monkeys. Popular with cyclists is a two-day, 200km ride around its circumference, stopping overnight in sleepy villages.

Top tour: Lakeside Cycling, Lac Biwa, from approximately $192 per person for 2-3 people

Nara Park, Nara

Bordered by ancient forests this sprawling wonderland (and the jewel in deeply-cultural Nara city’s crown) houses around 1200 free-roaming sacred deer, a 15m-high bronze Buddha, museums, restaurants and the divine 1000-year-old Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Nara is a short train ride from Kyoto or Osaka but worth more than a day’s attention.

Top tour: Nara Heritage Walkabout from Nara Park to Todaji Temple, from $254.

Hokkaido snow sculptures, Hokkaido

It’s inherently Zen to apply every effort to something that promises impermanent results and Sapporo’s logic-challenging snow and ice sculptures, a feature at the annual winter festivals, are the perfect example of the philosophy. February finds rugged up spectators flocking to ogle intricately carved, gargantuan characters and structures, even full-scale buildings! Asahikawa, further north holds a quieter, more kid-friendly version.

Learn more: Sapporo Snow Festival

Kamakura

Within one hour by train from Tokyo you can be staring into the eyes, ok – kneecaps, of Kotoin temple’s breathtaking Daibutsu (an enormous bronze, seated Buddha), climbing Hasedera temple’s exquisite hillside garden for sweeping beach and bay views, or swanning through the prefectural Museum of Modern Art’s intimate exhibits. Dreamy daytrippin’.

Top tour: Kamakura Half Day Walking Tour With Local Guide, from $143.

Ramen alleys

Single-focus restaurant strips showcasing delectable regional noodle ‘bowls’ are often located near train stations or universities. You’ll find some of the best ramen streets at Tokyo, Shinagawa and Kyoto stations. Sapporo’s Susukino entertainment district and Asahikawa have theirs at street level and Yokohama has dedicated a tasty museum to the blissful broth!

Top tour: Ramen Tasting - Mini Bowl Ramen Tour, from $209.

Castles

Be quick! Although an estimated 5000 fortresses were built across Japan during feudal times only 100 remain standing, with considerable assistance. The most visually dramatic, historically and socially relevant examples include black-walled Matsumoto, brilliant-white Himeji (pictured), Kumamoto, Kanazawa, Nijo, Osaka, Okayama and Shuri castles.

Top tour: Himeji Castle tickets, Himeji Castle, around $10 for adults

Onsens

No bathing enthusiast’s trip to Japan is complete without experiencing the deeply relaxing, restorative properties of natural hot spring baths, or ‘onsens’. Kurashiki, Beppu, Noboribetsu, Hakone and Izu Peninsula are dedicated onsen escapes. If too shy for communal options, choose a ‘ryokan’ (Japanese inn) or a resort with private baths and soak in style.

Top tour: Solaniwa Onsen, Osaka, Tickets, Klook, $22

Peace parks

The realities of war-time are captured within extraordinarily beautiful, thought-provoking memorial spaces which stand steadfastly for peace. In Nagasaki (PICTURED) and Okinawa children run, squealing with delight, between flower beds and incredible sculptures whilst adults contemplate quiet inscriptions. Process Hiroshima’s soul-stirring Atomic Bomb Dome exhibits by strolling its pretty river banks strewn with paper crane garlands.

Top tour: Hiroshima Peace (Heiwa) Walking Tour at World Heritage Sites, Klook, $141

Seafood markets

Japanese seafood markets, large or small, are fascinating for their incredible array of unfamiliar, wondrous and sometimes confronting aquatic creatures. Tokyo’s whiz-bang new Toyosu market is popular for its frenetic tuna auctions and sushi. Mid-sized regional markets, like in Hakodate (pictured), offer rustic local character and tastings of the freshest fish in the village.

Top tour: Tsukiji Fish Market Food Walking Tour from $120.

Ancient pottery villages

Some of Japan’s most famous woodfired kiln-centric enclaves were established as long as 12,000 years ago. A visit to still-operating ceramic and porcelain villages such as Shigaraki, Mashiko, Arita (pictured), Karatsu and Bizen offer insight into the distinctive styles produced in each region, tangible potter-porn for the clay curious and pre gallery-commission prices.

Do Australians need a visa to enter Japan?

Australians do not need to visa to visit Japan if they are visiting as a tourist for under 90 days.

What's the best time to visit Japan?

Japan experiences four seasons, each of which offers a very different experience. Winter is popular for snow sports with resorts such as Niseko and Hakuba being some of the most popular and spring is marked with cherry blossom season where beautiful blooms. Autumn offers cooler weather with less crowds while summer is brings with it fireworks displays and festivals.

Is it cheap to go to Japan?

Japan is one of the most expensive countries in Asia. That said, it offers a wide range of budget-friendly stays and free attractions for anyone keeping a tight budget. For an idea of costs, according to Budget Your Trip on average travellers spend $196 per day (18,700 yen). This includes meals, transport and accommodation.

For more great holiday deals and savings, check out these coupons from Klook, Wotif, Redballoon and Luxury Escapes.

See also:

-Best things to do in Osaka

-Best theme parks in Japan

-Best things to do in Japan with kids