This Kanazawa, Takayama, and Shirakawa-go itinerary explains how many days to allow, which direction to travel, where to stay, and how to fit the route into a wider Japan trip.
Choose where to go in Japan based on your time, season, and how much you want to move, with route ideas for first and repeat trips.
Tohoku is huge, so the route needs more thought than Kansai or the Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka run. Here’s how I’d choose bases, plan the right trip length, and pick the best season for a first trip.
My practical Takayama travel guide covers where to stay, what to do, how many nights to give Takayama, how to get there, and the best day trips.
My practical Kanazawa travel guide covers where to stay, what to do, how many days you need, how to get around, food, and the best day trips.
For a first visit to Tokyo, I recommend Shibuya Sky around sunset. You can walk around the outdoor rooftop while it’s still light, then…
I recommend Hokkaido for a summer trip if you want time in the mountains, flower fields, and lakeside hot springs, with plenty of good…