The Ultimate Japan Bucket List | Places to visit in Japan | Attractions | Activities

Leave your worries behind, and get on your sunbathing grove on Chiba beaches like Tateyama, Kujukuri, and Onjuku and nature havens such as Hitachi Seaside Park. Gunma flower park and the Oze national park offer a different kind of soothing experience, entailing indigenous plants and animals like the Japanese Serow and the Asian Black Bear. Tochigi’s Ashikaga Flower Park and Nikko National Park are desirable for their flora and fauna as well.

For a slice of traditionalism and history, make time for the Kamakura buddha in Kanagawa, Ushiku Daibutsu in Ibaraki, and Kawagoe city in Saitama, which hosts merchant homes and clay warehouses of old. Don’t forget to checkout out Mario go-kart tours and the imperial palace Tokyo when in the compelling capital! Hakone and Yokohama also offer different- and fantastic- takes on city life!

From Shiga SUPs on Lake Biwa and Himeji castle tours to Hyogo watersports and the Nara Deer Park, Kansai features a nature lover’s perfect menu. This list of Mother Nature’s delicacies covers Mount Yoshino, Shirahama beach, and Nara temple gardens. On the actual culinary side, Hyogo is also the place to be for the best Kobe beef known to man!

When in need of some soul-searching, you could use a Kumano Kodo pilgrimage or a visit to the sacred grounds of Mount Koya! The Wakayama castle and Wakayama watersports, additionally, are an excellent way to relax! Kyoto and Osaka are among Kansai’s other vocal attractions known for cultural and natural delights and deserve sightseeing time too!

The capital of Japan has plenty for your list of things to do in Tokyo! Enjoy the bizarre and really cool themed restaurants, including Kawaii monster café, animal cafe joints, and the maid cafe Akihabara. For a taste of brimming pop culture, be sure to hit the Harajuku street and the Akihabara electric town, renowned for its endless shopping options. Rent a kimono and experience the traditional side featuring temples like Senso Ji.

Famous for its electrifying skyline, you can get views of the city lights, high-rises and skyscrapers, including the Eiffel-like Tokyo Skytree and Imperial palace Tokyo, from helicopter rides, cycling tours, and a Tokyo Bay cruise.

Having passed down the administrative torch to its anagram counterpart Tokyo, Kyoto still retains most of its past-age appeal and symbols of power like the Kyoto Imperial Palace. Gion Kyoto is especially the heart of cultural experiences such as a tea ceremony Kyoto, a Kyoto massage, and kimono rental strolls across ancient sites like the Fushimi Inari Shrine and the Kinkakuji Temple.

More cultural things to do in Kyoto entail sitting down to a Geisha dinner, and savoring Kaiseki, among other foods, at the best restaurants in Kyoto. Moonlit walks around the Yasaka pagoda are an enthralling affair, while sunset strolls in the Kyoto botanical garden are just as magical! There are many incredible things to do in Kyoto!

When summer rolls around and vacationing in beaches is all the rage, all signs point to Okinawa! Littered with sandy beaches, Ishigaki island serves up the best Okinawa beaches and bus tours, and the same can be said of Miyakojima that ensures tons of great things to do in Okinawa!

Wonders like the blue cave Okinawa, mysterious limestone caves at Okinawa World, and the giant whale sharks of the Churaumi Aquarium afford plenty for nature enthusiasts. More on the unique experiences department, riding a pineapple cart in the Pineapple Park Okinawa, wandering in the American village Okinawa, and snorkeling and diving with turtles and sea crabs in the region’s underwater are without equal!

Perhaps most famous for its exuberant nightlife, Osaka is a town of maid cafes, culinary experiences, and handicraft workshops. The best Osaka sightseeing undoubtedly entails journeying on Osaka street food tours involving delicacies like the Takoyaki Osaka and Kobe beef, and some good-old-fashioned haggling at the Osaka fish market!

Besides food, Dontonbori Osaka also avails enchanting night walks in the neon-lights of buildings, making for one of the best things to do in Osaka! Other Osaka attractions for your bucket list include the Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, Osaka castle, the artistic marvel that is the Tower of the Sun, pottery classes, Osaka aquarium, and the Osaka Museum of housing and living!

Hokkaido is known for many things such as the blue pond Hokkaido, the historical village of Hokkaido, the Hokkaido shrine, skiing in Niseko, and the Otaru Canal. That said, nothing quite compares to summertime in the lavender fields of Furano and Biei and the rainbow tulips of Farm Tomita! Colorful nature is Hokkaido’s standout quality, and attractions like Shiroi Koibito Park and Asahikawa Zoo (a haven for penguins) offer more proof of that.

The Sapporo Clock Tower makes up more great things to do in Hokkaido as far as unique architecture is concerned, while the Noboribetsu hell valley never disappoints with its showing of hot springs. Also, you’re sure to love Hokkaido dairy farming and foods like ramen!

The Miyagi fox village should be at the top of your list of things to do in Tohoku! You’ll get to spend time with adorable arctic and red foxes, as well as miniature horses and rabbits. Beautiful greenery at the Oirase gorge ensures sightseeing adventure in Aomori, a prefecture famous for beautiful seclusions like Hirosaki Castle and canoe trips on Lake Towada.

A trip to Mount Iwate and Chuson-Ji temple visits are a must-do on Iwate tours, as is visiting the Matsushima Bay to explore its assortment of pine-clad islets. For Fukushima, the 14^th century-built Tsuruga castle and Mount Bandai are excellent stopovers while Akita boasts Godzilla rock, amazing kiritanpo tours, and Lake Tazawa! Meanwhile, the Yamadera temple and Mount Haguro define Yamagata sightseeing!

Blankets of sand stretch out as far as the eye can see at the Tottori sand dunes! Among Chugoku’s most prized possessions, alongside the Tottori Manga kingdom, you can explore this ocean of dunes by segway, paragliding, and sandboarding. Cross over to Hiroshima for a cruise around the floating torii Miyajima shrine gate, before paying respects and uncovering history at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

Smell the flowers at Yuushien Garden and appreciate the old Edo designs of Izumo shrine, on a Shimane outing. When in Okayama, detour at Okayama castle and also check out Okayama denim and crafts. In terms of what to see in Yamaguchi, the five wooden arches that make up Kintai bridge are certainly beautiful!

It might be the smallest among the country’s islands size-wise, however, it’s a case of great things coming in small packages. Shikoku beaches are full of green and white, although the island is more famous for its 88 temple Shikoku pilgrimage route and the feudal memories at the Matsuyama castle in Ehime. 22 of the 88 are found in Kagawa prefecture, also home to Naoshima island and Chichibugahama beach, including the largest temple Zentsu-Ji.

Iya valley provides beautiful scenery for sightseeing tours involving steep forest slopes, while Oboke gorge, also in Tokushima, turns into a colorful ravine in summer. The scenes and nature at Kochi castle, Niyodo river, and Shimanto River, famously known as Japan’s last clear stream, are spectacular too and ensure picturesque SUP and rafting!

Whether you’re in it for the relaxation, wildlife, volcanoes, white sandy beaches, or cherry blossom strolls, Kyushu holiday delights cater to everyone’s taste. The tunnels of purple and green at the Kawachi Wisteria Garden, Fukuoka, make for immersive sightseeing experiences. You can find more beautiful settings at the Nagasaki Peace Park, and Ohori Park as well as the Huis ten Bosch Nagasaki, which offers an oasis of the Netherlands within Japan.

Kagoshima beaches, wildlife-laden Yakushima island, and Sakurajima volcano make up interesting things to do in Kagoshima. In Saga, the cultural experiences, not just pottery and noodle-making, proves to be interesting activities. The Hells of Beppu in Oita and Takachiho Gorge in Miyazaki are just as good an experience as watersports in Kumamoto! Don’t forget about Kumamoto castle, and Mount Aso!

Stealing most of Chubu’s spotlight, Mt. Fuji spins many great things to do in the Chubu region. Enjoy hiking, ATV tours, the Chureito Pagoda in Yamanashi, and much more around the beautiful plains in the backdrop! Kamikochi hiking and the Nagano monkey park should also be on an ideal Japan itinerary, particularly for those on the hunt for top things to do in Nagano.

If you have a weekend to spare in Niigata, Hokuriku, the purple illuminations of Takada Park at night are not to be missed! Yamanashi wine, Lake Saiko, and the UNESCO world heritage village of Shirakawago in Gifu. Tokai is also held in similar high regard. Uncover more beautiful trekking trails through nature via Aokigahara Jukai forest and cave explorations in Yamanashi, Koushinetsu.