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 Steve Vickers
updated 28.07.2021
With sublime sushi, soaring skyscrapers and vending machines that churn out everything from eggs to ice cream, Tokyo is the planet’s most mind-boggling metropolis.
Wandering its neon-lit streets can easily eat up your time, and put serious pressure on your wallet. But as this round up of the free things to do in Tokyo shows, a trip to the Japanese capital needn’t be stressful or expensive.
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 ⤍Rising high above the gleaming department stores of Ginza, the ritziest district in Tokyo, is the sleek Sony Building. Ignore its high-end shops and restaurants and head straight for the free showroom, where you can get a sneak peek of Sony’s latest gadgets, including robots, laptops and high-definition TVs.
Unless you’re especially squeamish (or vegetarian), consider an early morning trip to Tsukiji Fish Market, which buzzes with traders and tourists from as early as 4am. It’s the world’s biggest wholesale fish market, and where most of the city’s Japanese restaurants source their sashimi.
A short walk from Tokyo Station is the Imperial Palace, home to the current emperor of Japan. Surrounded by moats, cherry trees and solid stone walls, the palace buildings are rarely open to the public, but it costs nothing to wander through the peaceful and meticulously kept East Garden, which bursts into colour during spring.
Tourists often pay a rickshaw driver to take them through Asakusa, the old entertainment district surrounding Sens?-ji, one of the city’s most important Buddhist temples. Our advice is to stay on foot, following wafts of sweet, smoky incense down towards the shrine. Alternatively, look out for the free, panda-shaped buses that cut through the district en route to the 634-metre-high Skytree building.
Art lovers looking for free things to do in Tokyo will be pleased to hear there's no cost to mooch around the first-floor gallery of the glass-and-steel Spiral Building, where young Japanese artists exhibit avant-garde collections. In the adjoining café, beer and wine are both cheaper than a cup of coffee.
The Life Safety Learning Center, run by the Tokyo Fire Department, is a free “disaster museum” educating people on what to do when the ground starts shaking. Visitors can learn first aid skills, step inside an earthquake simulator and even try to escape from a smoke-filled building.
With artefacts covering several centuries of sumo’s 2000-year-old history, the free Sumo Museum is located at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan stadium, which hosts major tournaments.
On Sundays, the Palace Cycling Course lends out 250 bicycles – from mountain bikes to tandems – on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s free, and visitors have until 3pm to explore a designated route running around the outside of the Imperial Palace.
For free, Lost in Translation-style nightscapes, head up to one of the two observation decks at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building No 1, the tallest skyscraper in Shinjuku.
Staffed by volunteers and designed to help promote intercultural understanding, Tokyo Free Guide gives visitors the chance to take a free tour of the city, guided by a resident. The only thing guests have to cover is the guide’s expenses.
Have you got any top tips for enjoying Tokyo for free - or even on the cheap? Let us know below.
written by Steve Vickers
updated 28.07.2021
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From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Japan