Japan

Food, drink, activities and accommodation in Japan (filter by category and price). Personally chosen from experience, not sponsored.

Categories

• Food££

  More Than Bakery

  Tokyo · Tokyo · Breakfast

  Go-to breakfast stop. Pastries done properly, queue moves fast.

• Food£

  7-Eleven Snack Run

  Tokyo · Tokyo · Snacks

  Stock up on onigiri, egg sando, matcha KitKats, the lot.

• Food££

  Roar Coffee

  Tokyo · Tokyo · Coffee

  Multicoloured coffee art and one of the coolest little spots of the whole trip.

• Food££

  Justa Burger

  Tokyo · Tokyo · Dinner

  Underground spot. One chef, burgers cooked live in front of you, bar and DJ stage. A full experience.

• Drink££

  Shinjuku Neighbourhood Bars

  Tokyo · Tokyo · Bars

  Wander Golden Gai and the back lanes. Six-seat bars, no menus, all character.

• Activities£

  Meiji Jingu Shrine

  Tokyo · Tokyo

  Forested shrine in the middle of the city. Go early and walk it slowly.

  Best time

  Year-round, early morning

  Avg. cost

  Free

• Activities£

  Yoyogi Park

  Tokyo · Tokyo

  Pair it with Meiji Jingu. Buskers, picnickers, proper Tokyo people-watching.

  Best time

  Spring & autumn

  Avg. cost

  Free

• Activities£

  Shibuya Crossing

  Tokyo · Tokyo

  Do it once at night, then go up to a window seat above and watch it from the air.

  Best time

  After dark

  Avg. cost

  Free

• Activities£

  Shimokitazawa Shopping

  Tokyo · Tokyo

  Vintage shops, record stores, tiny cafés. Tokyo's coolest neighbourhood to wander.

  Best time

  Afternoon

  Avg. cost

  Free to browse

• Activities££

  teamLab Planets

  Tokyo · Tokyo

  Immersive digital art museum. Barefoot, mirrored, otherworldly. Book in advance.

  Best time

  Year-round

  Avg. cost

  From ¥3,800 (≈ £20)

• Activities£

  Ginza Shopping

  Tokyo · Tokyo

  High-end browsing. Duck into Uniqlo Ginza (enormous) and the vintage watch shops for genuinely incredible pieces.

  Best time

  Year-round

  Avg. cost

  Free to browse

• Activities£

  Don Quijote

  Tokyo · Tokyo

  Chaotic multi-floor everything-store. Snacks, skincare, souvenirs, weirdness. Worth a browse in any city.

  Best time

  Late night

  Avg. cost

  Free entry

• Food££

  Isotope Café

  Kanazawa · Kanazawa · Breakfast

  So cool. Breakfast spot with serious design energy and a great coffee.

• Food££

  Omicho Market

  Kanazawa · Kanazawa · Lunch

  Fresh, local, brilliant. Pull up a counter for sashimi or a seafood don for lunch.

• Food£££

  Sho Kichi

  Kanazawa · Kanazawa · Dinner

  Tiny, authentic yakitori counter. Cooked to order, do not skip this one.

• Activities£

  Kanazawa Castle Park

  Kanazawa · Kanazawa

  Reconstructed castle and gardens. Pair it with Kenroku-en next door.

  Best time

  Year-round

  Avg. cost

  Free (grounds)

• Activities£

  Saigawa River Walk

  Kanazawa · Kanazawa

  Slow riverside stroll. Locals running, cherry trees in spring.

  Best time

  Spring & autumn

  Avg. cost

  Free

• Activities£

  Ishiura Shrine

  Kanazawa · Kanazawa

  Tie a ribbon for good luck. Small, peaceful, easy to combine with Kenroku-en.

  Best time

  Year-round

  Avg. cost

  Free

• Activities£

  Kenroku-en Garden

  Kanazawa · Kanazawa

  One of Japan's three great gardens. Go at opening for the quiet.

  Best time

  All seasons

  Avg. cost

  ¥320 (≈ £1.70)

• Activities£

  Higashiyama District

  Kanazawa · Kanazawa

  Old tea-house streets. Shrines, temples, little shops, easy half-day wander.

  Best time

  Year-round

  Avg. cost

  Free

• Food££

  Tsumugi Café

  Kyoto · Kyoto · Breakfast

  Everything presented beautifully. Very aesthetic breakfast spot, worth the wait.

• Food££

  Arashiyama Coffee Shop

  Kyoto · Kyoto · Coffee

  The 'most beautiful coffee shop in the world'. You'll recognise it from TikTok the second you arrive.

• Food£

  Motoi Gyoza

  Kyoto · Kyoto · Lunch

  First stop after Nishiki Market. Fresh, crispy, legendary dumplings.

• Activities£

  Nishiki Market

  Kyoto · Kyoto

  Food stalls, sweets, pickles. Kyoto's kitchen, go hungry.

  Best time

  Morning

  Avg. cost

  Free entry

• Activities£

  Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

  Kyoto · Kyoto

  Go early or late. Pair with the food stalls and traditional shops along the main road.

  Best time

  Sunrise

  Avg. cost

  Free

• Activities£

  Yasaka Shrine

  Kyoto · Kyoto

  Bright vermilion shrine in Gion. Beautiful lit up at dusk.

  Best time

  Evening

  Avg. cost

  Free

• Food££

  Walden Woods Kyoto

  Nara · Nara · Coffee

  Minimal, aesthetic, all-white coffee shop. Go first thing on the way to Nara.

• Activities£

  Nara Park

  Nara · Nara

  Temples, shrines and the famous deer. The bowing deer were my favourite moment of the entire trip. Do not rush this.

  Best time

  Early morning

  Avg. cost

  Free (park)