Japan

This Japan travel guide brings every OneLife guide into one place. Japan is a country of quiet contrasts. You can wake to mist sitting over a temple roof. You can be moving through a crowded station by the afternoon. Then you find a small street that feels like it belongs to another century.

The country runs long from north to south, so the season shapes the trip as much as the map does. Up north you get deep snow and open space. The old cities, mountains and temples sit through the centre. Down south it turns warmer, greener and closer to the sea. Picking one region and moving through it slowly beats trying to cover the whole country in one visit.

We have gathered our guides by region so you can find your part of the country fast. For now the focus is the classic route, from Tokyo across to Kyoto and the old capital region. More regions will be added here as we publish them, each with its own guides for temples, food, walks and where to stay.

Every guide here is built from time actually spent in the place. We focus on where to stay, what is worth the train ride, and the quieter details most itineraries miss. Use this Japan travel guide as your starting point. When you want to research the country itself, the official Japan travel site is a good place to begin.