Japan, City by City
Twenty city guides covering the whole country — Tokyo's neon and Kyoto's temples, the Alps and the onsen towns, Hiroshima's memorials and Okinawa's reefs — each written three ways: budget, family and luxury, with honest costs, gear lists and a map. For the country-wide picture, start with the Japan travel guide.
Tokyo & Around
Tokyo
Complete Tokyo travel guide: cheap eats and capsule hotels, kid-paced family days, luxury stays, essential gear, real costs and a map of the city.
March-May for cherry blossoms or October-November for clear skies and autumn color
Yokohama
Yokohama travel guide: Japan's biggest Chinatown, the Cup Noodles Museum, Minato Mirai's waterfront, costs for budget, family and luxury trips, and a map.
Year-round — the waterfront is the point, and it works in every season
Kamakura
Kamakura travel guide: the Great Buddha, Hase-dera Temple, hiking trails and beaches an hour from Tokyo — with budget, family and luxury plans plus a map.
Spring for fresh green and June hydrangeas; autumn for hiking weather and maple color
Hakone
Hakone travel guide: hot spring ryokan, the Lake Ashi loop, Mt. Fuji viewpoints and the Hakone Free Pass — budget, family and luxury plans plus a map.
Spring and autumn — clear Fuji mornings, comfortable onsen weather, peak foliage in November
Nikko
Nikko travel guide: the gilded Toshogu Shrine, Kegon Falls, Lake Chuzenji and the national park — with budget, family and luxury plans, costs and a map.
April to November — fresh green in spring, cool summers, and Japan's most famous autumn foliage in October
Kansai: Kyoto & Osaka
Kyoto
Kyoto travel guide: Fushimi Inari, the Golden Pavilion and Arashiyama without the crowds — budget stays, family pacing, luxury ryokan, costs and a map.
Late March-April for cherry blossoms; October-November for autumn color — book far ahead for both
Osaka
Osaka travel guide: Dotonbori's neon food streets, Osaka Castle, Universal Studios Japan and kuidaore eating — budget, family and luxury plans plus a map.
March-May for castle-park blossoms or October-November for eating weather; USJ is year-round
Nara
Nara travel guide: bowing deer, Todai-ji's Great Buddha and lantern-lined shrines — with budget, family and luxury plans, honest costs and a map.
Spring and autumn — blossoms and fawns in April-May, golden park foliage in November
Kobe
Kobe travel guide: the harborfront, Mount Rokko's night view, Nunobiki Herb Garden, real Kobe beef on every budget — plans, honest costs and a map.
Spring and autumn — clear night views from Mount Rokko and comfortable harbor-walking weather
Japanese Alps & Hokuriku
Kanazawa
Kanazawa travel guide: Kenroku-en garden, the samurai and geisha districts, gold leaf and the freshest seafood market — budget to luxury plans and a map.
Spring and autumn for the garden at its peak; winter's snow-ropes on the pines are the secret season
Takayama
Takayama travel guide: the preserved Edo old town, riverside morning markets, Hida beef and Shirakawa-go day trips — budget to luxury plans and a map.
Spring and autumn — festival seasons in April and October, alpine foliage, crisp market mornings
Matsumoto
Matsumoto travel guide: Japan's finest original castle, gateway hikes into the Japanese Alps and Kamikochi — budget, family and luxury plans plus a map.
Spring and autumn — snow-capped Alps behind the castle in April, golden larches in October; Kamikochi open mid-April to mid-November
Hokkaido & Tohoku
Sapporo
Sapporo travel guide: the February Snow Festival, Odori Park, world-class powder skiing, crab and ramen — budget, family and luxury plans plus a map.
February for the Snow Festival and powder season; June-August for cool green summers while the rest of Japan swelters
Sendai
Sendai travel guide: Matsushima's pine islands, the Date clan's gilded mausoleum, gyutan and the City of Trees — budget, family and luxury plans plus a map.
Spring and autumn — May's fresh green in the City of Trees, crisp bay-cruise weather in October-November
Hiroshima & Western Japan
Kyushu & Okinawa
Fukuoka
Fukuoka travel guide: yatai food stalls, tonkotsu ramen at the source, Canal City, Ohori Park and city beaches — budget, family and luxury plans plus a map.
Spring and autumn — open-air yatai weather, park picnics, and beach days stretching from May to October
Nagasaki
Nagasaki travel guide: Peace Park, Dejima's Dutch trading post, Glover Garden and the famous night view — budget, family and luxury plans plus a map.
Spring and autumn — clear harbor-amphitheater views, comfortable hillside walking, festival seasons
Beppu
Beppu travel guide: the seven Hells, sand and mud baths, steam-cooked food and Japan's greatest onsen town — budget, family and luxury plans plus a map.
Year-round — steam and hot water don't keep seasons; cool months make the baths sweetest
Kagoshima
Kagoshima travel guide: the smoking Sakurajima volcano, Sengan-en garden, sand baths and shochu in Japan's deep south — budget to luxury plans plus a map.
Spring and autumn — clear volcano views, comfortable garden weather, and the sand baths at their most pleasant
Okinawa (Naha)
Okinawa travel guide from Naha: tropical beaches, Shurijo Castle, snorkeling and diving, island-hopping — budget, family and luxury plans plus a map.
April-June before typhoon season, or September-October for warm seas — swimming stretches from late March to November