Japan Travel Guide

Home to a unique cultural heritage, Japan is the sort of place where you'll want to know more before you arrive. If you're planning a visit, have a browse through our useful travel guide resources that include when to go for the best weather and most popular festivals, top sights and experiences you should include on your itinerary, what to expect of the local transport and what visas you'll need. There's also reviews from past customers and latest updates on safety in Japan - it is a hotbed for seismic activity after all.

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Best Places to Visit

Some places deserve your attention and here's our choice of Japan's top 10

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Best Time to Visit

Plan your visit to Japan with our guide to the seasons and what they have to offer

Currency

Top Travel Tips

Everything you'll need to know on the currency, cuisine, shopping, tipping & more

Visas

Tourist Visas

Not sure if you need a visa for Japan? Check out our guide on visa requirements

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Transport in Japan

What to expect of Japan's trains and how to get around the extensive network

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Travel Advice & Updates

The latest travel alerts for Japan, plus info on earthquake measurement

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Cherry Blossom Festival FAQ

A comprehensive guide to hanami

Geisha girls

Top 10 Experiences

Don't leave Japan without experiencing a traditional ryokan, onsen or tea ceremony

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Japan Reviews

See what fellow travellers think of our tours to Japan and what they love most

Plan your trip to similar destinations!

Get to know Japan

Recommended Reading

  • Shogun
    by James Clavell
  • Memoirs of a Geisha
    by Arthur Golden
  • Shutting Out the Sun
    by Michael Zielenziger
Did you know...?

Facts about Japan

  • Japanese trains are among the most punctual in the world: the average delay is just 18 seconds.
  • Japan has more than 50,000 people who are over 100 years old, the majority of which are women.
  • The biggest Japanese community outside of Japan is in Brazil with the first immigrants having arrived in 1908.

Japan Travel Advice for Travellers from New Zealand:

The safety of our travellers is of utmost importance and we keep informed of the latest travel updates on Japan. We recommend that you check the latest travel advice from Safe Travel New Zealand when planning your trip.

Flying to Japan from New Zealand:

Japan is an 11 hour direct flight from Auckland with Air New Zealand. The main international gateway in Japan is Tokyo where our tours start. The majority of our tours end in Kyoto or Osaka, and you will need what's known as an open jaw flight ticket flying into one city and out of another. Osaka international airport serves Kyoto and if flying with New Zealand, All Nippon Airways will operate the leg from Osaka to Tokyo to connect on with Air New Zealand back to Auckland.