Backpacking Japan: 24 best places to visit
The most rewarding stops for backpackers in Japan, ranked and mapped — and real routes through them, written by travellers who went.
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Tokyo
Tokyo
Neon megacity of everything.
2
Kyoto
Kyoto
Temples, geisha, bamboo groves.
3
Osaka
Osaka
Street food and neon energy.
4
Mount Fuji
Shizuoka
The sacred symmetrical volcano.
5
Hiroshima
Hiroshima
Peace Park and rebirth.
6
Nara
Nara
Bowing deer and giant Buddha.
7
Hakone
Kanagawa
Onsen with Fuji views.
8
Sapporo
Hokkaido
Snow, ramen, northern wilds.
9
Kanazawa
Ishikawa
Samurai districts and gardens.
10
Takayama
Gifu
Old wooden mountain town.
11
Miyajima
Hiroshima
Floating torii gate island.
12
Nikko
Tochigi
Ornate shrines in forest.
13
Okinawa
Okinawa
Tropical beaches and reefs.
14
Shirakawa-go
Gifu
Steep-roofed farmhouse village.
15
Kamakura
Kanagawa
Great Buddha by the sea.
16
Koyasan
Wakayama
Temple lodging on a holy mountain.
17
Nagano
Nagano
Snow monkeys and Alps.
18
Kobe
Hyogo
Port city, famous beef.
19
Fukuoka
Fukuoka
Ramen and Kyushu gateway.
20
Kumano Kodo
Wakayama
Ancient pilgrimage trails.
21
Matsumoto
Nagano
Black-and-white feudal castle.
22
Yakushima
Kagoshima
Ancient cedar rainforest isle.
- 23
Beppu
Oita
Steaming hot-spring hells.
24
Ishigaki
Okinawa
Subtropical southern beaches.
Backpacking routes through Japan
Real trips through Japan, drawn on maps by the people who took them.
Kyushu and the Onsen Trail: Japan's Steaming South Beyond the Golden Route
A ten-day Kyushu loop through Fukuoka, Nagasaki, the Aso caldera, Kurokawa Onsen and Beppu: volcanoes, hot springs and Japan without the crowds.
Hokkaido in Summer: Sapporo, Lavender Fields and Japan's Wild North
A summer route across Hokkaido: Sapporo beer halls, Furano lavender, the Biei hills, Daisetsuzan hiking, Noboribetsu's hell valley and Hakodate.
The Golden Route by Rail: Tokyo to Hiroshima for First-Time Japan Backpackers
Two weeks on Japan's classic rail spine: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Hiroshima, with 2026 rail pass maths, hostel costs and timing tips.
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