JAPAN
Japan
From Kyoto’s thousand-year-old festivals to Hokkaido’s flower fields, discover the Japanese respect for manners, seasons and the gods.
City guides
Start with a city
Every city guide has a timeline, stories of local figures, must-see sights, festivals and local etiquette.
東京 Tokyo
Tokyo
11 places
From the fishing village of Edo to a world city: old temples, neon and working-class shitamachi in one city
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京都 Kyoto
Kyoto
9 places
An imperial capital for over a thousand years: temples, machiya and festivals are the best textbook on Japan
大阪 Osaka
Osaka
7 places
City of merchants and 'Japan's kitchen': eating, shopping and laughing are louder here than anywhere
奈良 Nara
Nara
2 places
Japan's first permanent capital: the Great Buddha, sacred deer and the end of the Silk Road
鎌倉 Kamakura
Kamakura
4 places
The first samurai capital: the Great Buddha, old temples and the Shōnan coast
広島 Hiroshima
Hiroshima
4 places
A city of peace reborn from ruins, and Miyajima out at sea
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福岡 Fukuoka
Fukuoka
4 places
A thousand-year-old port facing Asia: yatai, tonkotsu ramen and the god of learning
長崎 Nagasaki
Nagasaki
3 places
Japan's only window on the West during national seclusion: Dejima, churches and prayers for peace
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金沢 Kanazawa
Kanazawa
2 places
Castle town of the million-koku Kaga domain: a famous garden, teahouse districts and gold leaf
札幌 Sapporo
Sapporo
2 places
A northern new town laid out on Kyoto's grid: the Snow Festival, beer and miso ramen
仙台 Sendai
Sendai
2 places
The 'City of Trees' built by the One-Eyed Dragon, Date Masamune
函館 Hakodate
Hakodate
1 places
One of Japan's first open ports: Western-style slopes, a star fort and a million-dollar night view
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Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival
July 25, 2026
Japan's oldest fireworks festival, with about 300 years of history on the river in old Edo: about 20,000 shells light up the night sky over Asak…
Nagaoka Fireworks Festival
August 2, 2026
One of Japan's three great fireworks displays, themed on remembrance, recovery and peace: the giant 'shōsanjakudama' and the 'Phoenix fireworks …
Ōmagari National Fireworks Competition
August 29, 2026
First among Japan's three great fireworks competitions, where the country's top fireworks makers compete side by side — with Japan's only 'dayti…
Yodogawa Fireworks
October 17, 2026
Kansai's most popular water-city fireworks, reflected in the Yodo River; in recent years it has moved to autumn.
Atami Marine Fireworks
Famous seaside fireworks held more than ten times a year: the 'bowl-shaped' bay, surrounded by mountains on three sides, makes the sound roar li…
Miyajima Underwater Fireworks
A dreamlike display where hemispherical 'underwater fireworks' rise from the sea against the Great Torii of Itsukushima Shrine, a World Heritage…
Tsuchiura National Fireworks Competition
November 7, 2026
The only one of Japan's three great fireworks competitions held in one of the three big metropolitan areas — an autumn contest where about 800,0…
Lake Suwa Festival Fireworks
August 15, 2026
Held on 15 August, the main day of Obon: about 40,000 shells rise from the lake, and the natural acoustics of the surrounding mountains make it …
Tenjin Matsuri dedication fireworks
July 25, 2026
The climax of Tenjin Matsuri, one of Japan's three great festivals: about 100 boats parade on the Ōkawa while about 3,000 offering fireworks lig…
Ise Jingū Hōnō National Fireworks Festival
July 18, 2026
Japan's only competitive fireworks display offered to Ise Jingū, with about 50 selected fireworks makers from across the country competing on th…