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Travel advice for Japan
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Japan
Book your individual trip, stress-free with local travel experts
written by Andy Turner
updated 20.02.2019
Snow-white beaches, giant coconut-eating crabs and karate-loving grannies: Okinawa is Japan but not as we know it. This alluring chain of sun-kissed, hibiscus-draped islands offers a blend of Southeast Asian heat, unique ‘un-Japanese’ culture and delicious, life-extending food. Andy Turner explores how to make the most of a trip to Japan’s subtropical paradise.
13 days / from3535 USD
Small Group Tour: Splendours of Japan
Discover the allure of Japan on our small group tour (max 16 guests). Unveil Tokyo, Kanazawa, Kyoto, Osaka, and Okayama through guided explorations. Immerse in tea ceremonies and relish in the captivating beauty of these iconic destinations. Regular departures ensure an unforgettable journey.
view tour ⤍14 days / from4070 USD
Small Group Tour: Secrets of Japan
Embark on an exceptional small-group tour, available monthly, unveiling Tokyo, Hakone, Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto, and beyond. Uncover Japan's hidden gems, from serene shrines to bustling cities, and immerse in enchanting forests.
view tour ⤍10 days / from2795 USD
Small Group Tour: Highlights of Japan
Exciting small-group tour with monthly departures. Immerse in Japanese culture, challenge a pro in a sumo suit, wander Arashiyama's bamboo groves in Kyoto, and relish a kaiseki feast with Maiko entertainment - all included in this fascinating small group tour.
view tour ⤍7 days / from4000 USD
Japan highlights: Tokyo to Osaka
From Tokyo to Osaka, this Japan trip features fantastic experiences. View a sumo session, visit ancient temples, and climb the Tokyo Skytree tower. Explore the resort town of Hakone in Mt Fuji’s shadow, savor a tea ceremony in Kyoto, and see cherry blossoms, in season, to complete a wonderful trip.
view tour ⤍10 days / from3000 USD
Self-Guided Adventure Tour in Japan
Immerse yourself in the breathtaking natural beauty, history, enchanting culture and warmhearted people of Japan, with our self-guided tour of Japan. Walk-through a bamboo forest, see how sake is made, join Samurai lesson, go bar-hopping in Tokyo and Osaka and extend your journey to Hiroshima
view tour ⤍10 days / from6000 USD
Culinary tour across Japan
This trip takes you from Tokyo to Kyoto, where you will experience authentic Japanese foods, visit morning markets in the local cities, learn how to make Japanese food and enjoy a unique stay at a monastery. A once in a lifetime experience.
view tour ⤍13 days / from3706 USD
Hiking the Japanese Alps
Traverse Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, hike Kamikochi's ancient forest, and marvel at Yake volcano. Explore Tokyo's palaces, Kyoto's temples, and Mt. Fuji's beauty. Relax in tranquil hot springs and discover Kanazawa's Kenroku-en Garden, along with Shirakawago's charming villages.
view tour ⤍12 days / from3415 USD
Japan Winter Tour with Monkey Onsen
Zip through snowy landscapes on a bullet train, exploring Tokyo, Kyoto, and Kanazawa's iconic attractions. Encounter snow monkeys in Nagano, wander through Shirakawa-go's picturesque village, and unwind in a traditional onsen ryokan. Experience Japan's winter charm at its finest!
view tour ⤍15 days / from5155 USD
Family Adventures in Japan
Discover Tokyo's shrines, Hakone's Mt. Fuji views, and Nagoya's Toyota Museums. Traverse Nakasendo's historic trails, experience Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Shrine and Nijo Castle, and savor a traditional tea ceremony. End in Osaka with a cooking class and a visit to Kobe Nunobiki Ropeway.
view tour ⤍9 days / from2495 USD
Japan Essentials
Experience Japan's essence! From Tokyo's modernity to serene Hakone, historic Kyoto, and bustling Osaka. Marvel at Mt. Fuji, cruise Lake Kawaguchiko, stroll Fushimi Inari-Taisha's torii gates, and savor Kansai's cuisine in Dotonbori. This journey captures Japan's diverse beauty and culture.
view tour ⤍An hour’s drive north of Okinawa's sprawling capital, Naha, the village of Ogimi is famous across Japan for having the most centenarians (people over 100 years old) in the country. In fact, you’re barely considered middle-aged when you hit 80 here.
This could all be down to the local diet: steaming bowls of dark green vegetables, tofu, fresh fish and muzuku seaweed, the latter hoovered up from the Okinawan seabed and exported across Japan. Or perhaps it’s the knobbly goyu cucumber, apparently packed with all kinds of medicinal goodies (and often served up fried with SPAM, of all things).
Whatever the secret, it’s probably no thanks to the local hooch, awomori, 'island sake' which can pack a 60% alcohol punch. But that shouldn’t stop you sampling a glass – try the smooth, three-year aged version from local distillery Chuko Awamori.
Not only are people incredibly long-lived in Okinawa, chances are they’re also handy in a fight. Karate was invented here in the seventeenth century (80s movie buffs may remember a certain Mr Miyagi was Okinawan), and you’ll see young and old heading to the local dojo every week (though perhaps not catching flies with their chopsticks).
Okinawan karate is less about flashy moves and more a way of life – the 'why' more important than the 'how' as they put it. Enthusiasts can arrange lessons with an experienced sensei (instructor). Alternatively drop in to Naha’s Dojo Bar, to lap up the martial arts memorabilia and an ice-cold Orion beer.
Okinawa is often dubbed the 'Japanese Hawaii', and the comparison seems apt when you head to the outer islands or jima. With over 130 to choose from it’s tricky to pick out a favourite but Aka-jima (in the Kerama islands), a short if bumpy ferry ride from Naha is hard to beat for sheer beauty. Once the boat departs, you’re left with the sound of waves gently lapping against white sand and the scent of Ryūkyū pines in the sea breeze; you might even spot an elusive Kerama deer taking a dip.
For classic white-sand and emerald water eye candy you’ll need to hop on a plane to Ishigaki, part of the Yaeyama group of islands, 400km southwest of Naha. Here Kabira Bay is as close as Japan gets to Boracay or Waikiki Beach, with only half the level of commercialisation. There’s even a gloriously unpretentious hostel which makes for a tempting place to wake up.
The further you travel from the Japanese mainland Okinawa’s wildlife gets progressively weirder. On Hatoma in the Yaeyamas, huge armour-plated coconut crabs, up to a metre across, lumber past traffic to mate in the sea. A short boat ride away on Iriomote, tiny wild boar, half the size of their mainland cousins, roam the beaches snaffling up turtle eggs, while inland a rare miniature ‘leopard’, the Iriomote cat, prowls the forest.
Gliding into Naha, aboard the sleek airport monorail, you could be forgiven for thinking that not a single building survived World War II (the city was devastated during the US assault on Okinawa in April 1945). Yet hidden amongst the utilitarian modern architecture are several reminders of its heyday as the capital of the Kingdom of Ryūkyū.
An independent state sandwiched between Ming dynasty China and feudal Japan, Ryūkyū developed its own culture and language, before finally being annexed by the Japanese in the nineteenth century.
The influence of its neighbours can be seen at Shuri Castle, painstakingly rebuilt in the 1990s. Here, vermillion Chinese pagodas and ornate dragons stand side-by-side with minimalist Japanese rooms kitted out with tatami mats. Look up and you’ll spot shīsā or ‘lion dogs’, glaring down from the roof. This uniquely Okinawan mascot can be seen warding off evil spirits and typhoons across the islands.
Diving is excellent across Okinawa (check out our rundown of the best sites) but the most intriguing is off tiny Yonaguni, an edge of the world kind of place, within binocular-spotting distance of Taiwan. As well as being a hotspot for hammerhead sharks, it’s also home to a mysterious series of ‘ruins’ that resemble a mini Atlantis. With giant sandstone terraces and steps seemingly cut out by hand, it’s tempting to believe this was the work of an ancient civilization and not just a quirk of geology.
Andy Turner travelled with Inside Japan who offer a twelve-night island hopping trip to Okinawa as well as specialist itineraries for karate and diving enthusiasts. For a video taster of the islands see Be Okinawa.
Top image: Aharen Beach, Tokashiki island, Kerama Islands group, Okinawa © mapman/Shutterstock
written by Andy Turner
updated 20.02.2019
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From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Japan