For an exciting and remarkable trip to Japan, make sure to include the following places and activities to your itinerary:

Sumo

Student sumo wrestler

Sumo is a type of wrestling sport that is practiced professionally in Japan for many centuries now, and is among the must-sees when visiting. The Ryoguku district in Tokyo is the place to be to watch sumo tournaments.

A night in a temple

A lush Japanese garden of topiary trees and shrubs lines the entrance to a Buddhist temple in Koyasan

For an authentic Buddhist monk lifestyle experience — tatami floors, tea ceremony, hot spring bath, and all — spend a night in a Japanese temple. Koyasan, in the Wakayama Prefecture, is a highly recommended temple town that provides temple lodgings to tourists.

Local cuisine

Eating sushi rolls. Japanese food restaurant, maki gunkan plate or platter set. Closeup of hand with chopsticks taking roll. Ginger, soy, wasabi dish at black rustic wood background.

Japan has many five-star restaurants, food kiosks, and family restaurants that serve a wide array of mouth-watering local dishes, including different types of sushi, ramen, soba, and grilled meat.

Ancient sites in Kyoto

Fushimi Inari Shrine is an important Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto. It is famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates

Kyoto is one of Japan’s most visited cities as it is home to more than 1600 ancient shrines, palaces, and temples, including numerous UNESO World Heritage Sites like Ginkaku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Nijo-jo, and Tenryu-ji.

Hot springs

Umi jigoku (Sea hell) Cyan hot spring ,Beppu

Natural hot springs or “onsen” are plenty all over Japan, whether you are in Hokkaido (Noboribetsu Onsen), Kanto (Nikko and Hakone hot springs), Kyushu (Beppu Onsen), or Kansai (Arima and Konisaki Onsen).

Ginza

Ginza at night

If you are into luxury shopping, schedule a trip to Tokyo’s Ginza district and spend hours exploring its large department stores that sell many of the world’s top fashion brands.

Kabuki

Kabuki

To watch kabuki, a traditional form of Japanese dance-drama theater, check out the calendars of Kokuritsu Gekijo (National Theater of Japan, located in Tokyo), Kabuki-za (Tokyo), Shochiku-za (Osaka), and Minami-za (Kyoto) for show dates that would fit in your itinerary.

Japanese gardens

Beautiful Japanese Maple in the fall

Magnificently landscaped, complete with streams, groves, and pavilions, Japanese gardens offer the best sceneries during cherry blossoms and autumn seasons.

Akihabara

Asian woman tourist is using smart phone connecting at Akihabara back ground in Tokyo, Japan

Akihabara in Tokyo is widely regarded as an “otaku” hub as it is a haven for electronic shops, maid cafes, and stores that sell manga, toys, games, and other things related to Japanese pop culture.

Skiing

Back view of a female skier as she sets off down a freshly groomed ski slope in the light sno

Japan has some of the world’s best skiing resorts that offer copious amounts of white, high quality snow during winter. Hokkaido’s Niseko is the most popular among foreigners as it has numerous ski resorts, all on Mount Niseko-Annupuri, that have amazingly light powder snow that are perfect for various ski activities.