Japan Travel Guide 2026

Explore 3 cities in Japan including Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo. Compare budget, mid-range and luxury travel options across every destination.

Currency

JPY (¥) — cash is essential; many traditional restaurants and shops don't accept cards

Language

Japanese. Less English than Tokyo — signage is bilingual on major routes; staff in tourist areas usually manage basics.

Visa

90 days visa-free for most Western passports. Same rules as Tokyo — check your nationality.

Staying connected

A travel eSIM gets you online the moment you land in Japan — data plans start at $4 — no roaming bill, no queue for a local SIM, and nothing to swap in and out of your phone. Install it before you fly.

Get a Japan eSIMfrom $4 Or one Asia-wide plan

Cities in Japan

Kyoto

Japan

Kyoto was Japan's imperial capital for over a thousand years, and its extraordinary concentration of temples, shrines, and traditional culture has made it the country's most visited city. Seventeen UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the geisha districts of Gion and Pontocho, bamboo forests at Arashiyama, and a kaiseki cuisine tradition that influenced world gastronomy make Kyoto an essential destination. The city is most magical in cherry blossom season and autumn foliage.

Osaka

Japan

Osaka is Japan's culinary capital and most exuberant city — a place where the food is extraordinary, the people are famously warm, and the streets pulse with neon and street food from dusk until dawn. The locals' saying "kuidaore" (eat until you drop) is not an exaggeration.

Tokyo

Japan

Tokyo is the world's greatest city for food — from a ¥600 standing ramen bar to a ¥60,000 kaiseki dinner, the quality is extraordinary at every level. Layer in the cleanest subway system on earth, convenience stores that would be destination restaurants in most countries, and a depth of culture that takes a lifetime to explore.

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