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Plan a trip to Japan

Where centuries-old tradition and tomorrow's cities share the same street corner.

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Japan
Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Japan at a glance

Japan is a country in Eastern Asia; its capital is Tokyo. People mainly speak Japanese. The currency is the Japanese Yen (JPY). VoyaKin maps 229 places to see here, including 67 UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Where centuries-old tradition and tomorrow's cities share the same street corner.

Flag
🇯🇵
Capital
Tokyo
Region
Eastern Asia
Languages
Japanese
Currency
Japanese Yen (JPY)
More
Wikidata

Before you go: official information

Entry rules, visas and health requirements change. Confirm them with Japan’s official immigration authority or its embassy before you book and again before you travel.

Check your own government’s travel advice before you go.

Places to see in Japan

12 of the 229 places VoyaKin maps here. Descriptions from Wikipedia and photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each card.

  • Himeji Castle

    Himeji CastleUNESCO

    姫路城

    Fort · Hyōgo Prefecture

    Himeji Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in Himeji, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 structures with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period.

    Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Nikos Kitsakis (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map

  • Mount Fuji

    Mount FujiUNESCO

    富士山

    Mountain · Shizuoka Prefecture

    Mount Fuji is an active stratovolcano located on the Japanese island of Honshu, with a summit elevation of 3,776.24 m. It is the highest mountain in Japan, the second-highest volcano on any Asian island, and the seventh-highest peak of an island on Earth. Mount Fuji last erupted from 1707 to 1708.

    Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: 名古屋太郎, (edited by Hannes_24) (CC BY-SA 3.0). Map

  • Yakushima

    YakushimaUNESCO

    屋久島

    Island · Kagoshima Prefecture

    Yakushima (屋久島) is one of the Ōsumi Islands in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. The island, 504.88 km2 (194.94 sq mi) in area, has a population of 11,858. It is accessible by hydrofoil ferry, car ferry, or by air to Yakushima Airport.

    Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: tsuda from Tsushima, Aichi, Japan (CC BY-SA 2.0). Map

  • Shuri Castle

    Shuri CastleUNESCO

    首里城公園

    Museum · Okinawa Prefecture

    Shuri Castle is a Ryukyuan gusuku castle in the historic Shuri district of Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Between 1429 and 1879, it was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom, before becoming largely neglected. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed.

    Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: 663highland (CC BY 2.5). Map

  • Nijō Castle

    Nijō CastleUNESCO

    二条城

    Fort · Kyoto Prefecture

    Nijō Castle is a flatland castle in Kyoto, Japan. The castle consists of two concentric rings (Kuruwa) of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, various support buildings and several gardens.

    Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Keith Pomakis (CC BY-SA 2.5). Map

  • Iriomote Island

    Iriomote IslandUNESCO

    西表島

    Island · Okinawa Prefecture

    Iriomote Island is the largest of the Yaeyama Islands of Japan, and the second largest in Okinawa Prefecture after Okinawa Island itself.

    Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Anagounagi (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map

  • Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine

    Iwami Ginzan Silver MineUNESCO

    石見銀山遺跡

    Ruins · Shimane Prefecture

    The Iwami Ginzan (石見銀山) was an underground silver mine in the city of Ōda, in Shimane Prefecture on the main island of Honshu, Japan. It was the largest silver mine in Japanese history. It was active for almost four hundred years, from its discovery in 1526 to its closing in 1923.

    Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: 663highland (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map

  • Kiyomizu-dera

    Kiyomizu-deraUNESCO

    清水寺

    Religious · Kyoto Prefecture

    Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple located in eastern Kyoto, Japan. It belongs to the Kita-Hosso sect of Japanese Buddhism and its honzon is a hibutsu statue of Jūichimen Kannon. The temple's full name is Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera. The temple is the 16th stop on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage route.

    Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Martin Falbisoner (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map

  • Hiroshima Peace Memorial

    Hiroshima Peace MemorialUNESCO

    原爆ドーム

    Memorial · Hiroshima Prefecture

    The Hiroshima Peace Memorial , originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, and now commonly called the Genbaku Dome, Atomic Bomb Dome or A-Bomb Dome , is part of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

    Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Oilstreet (CC BY 2.5). Map

  • Itsukushima Shrine

    Itsukushima ShrineUNESCO

    厳島神社

    Religious · Hiroshima Prefecture

    Itsukushima Shrine is a Shinto shrine on the island of Itsukushima, best known for its "floating" torii. It is in the city of Hatsukaichi, in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan, accessible from the mainland by ferry at Miyajimaguchi Station.

    Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: JordyMeow (CC BY-SA 3.0). Map

  • Aokigahara

    AokigaharaUNESCO

    青木が原

    Park & nature · Yamanashi Prefecture

    Aokigahara, also known as the Sea of Trees , is a forest on the northwestern flank of Mount Fuji on the island of Honshu in Japan, thriving on 30 square kilometres (12 sq mi) of hardened lava laid down by the last major eruption of Mount Fuji in 864 AD.

    Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France (CC BY 2.0). Map

  • Tomioka Silk Mill

    Tomioka Silk MillUNESCO

    富岡製糸場

    Culture · Gunma Prefecture

    Tomioka Silk Mill is Japan's oldest modern model silk reeling factory, established in 1872 by the government to introduce modern machine silk reeling from France and spread its technology in Japan.

    Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo: Hasec (Public domain). Map

A few words in Japanese

From VoyaKin’s free Japanese lessons in the app, with audio there.

  • おはようohayōgood morning (casual)
  • おはようございますohayō gozaimasugood morning (polite)
  • こんにちはkonnichiwahello/good afternoon
  • こんばんはkonbanwagood evening
  • さようならsayōnaragoodbye
  • ありがとうarigatōthank you (casual)
  • ありがとうございますarigatō gozaimasuthank you (polite)
  • すみませんsumimasenexcuse me/sorry

Keep exploring

Cities: Kyoto

Also in Eastern Asia: South Korea · China · Hong Kong · Macao · Mongolia · North Korea · Taiwan

Last updated November 8, 2026. Sources: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons, OpenStreetMap (ODbL). Partner offers below are separate from this guide and never change what’s written here.

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