I still dream about my trip to Japan daily. It was such a magical, memorable, beautiful country. It surprised me in so many different ways. I remember everything vividly too, probably because it was unlike any other country I’ve visited. It was as though Japan was my long lost sister. I felt so comfortable there, like I was meant to be there all along. The food was incredible. The people were insanely kind and generous. The sites and experiences we had were entirely unique. It was just… perfect. I miss it every day!
I took some of my favorite photographs during my trip to Japan and I wanted to share 15 Must-See Photo Locations that you absolutely cannot pass up while you’re there. Our trip was 11 days long, which allowed us to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, Hakone, Nara and Kamakura. We squeezed a lot into our trip but it truly never felt rushed somehow. I’m hoping to put together a travel guide for Japan soon to help you out with planning if you’re interested in traveling there! The Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto made it extremely easy to travel between those two cities. And the trains between the smaller cities were surprisingly easy to navigate too. We booked the JR (Japan Rail) Pass, which allows you to choose a railway pass based on how long you’re planning on staying in Japan. You could also book a super cheap flight between Tokyo & Kyoto if you prefer flying!
1. Sensō-ji Temple - Tokyo
The Sensō-ji Temple is the oldest temple in Tokyo, and also one of the most beautiful. We actually stayed in the Asakusa district so the Sensō-ji Temple wasn’t too far of a walk for us. There are many different beautiful structures to look at when visiting the temple and tons of delicious street food and shops around it. You could spend a whole day over here taking photos, eating food, shopping, and exploring Asakusa. It’s a lovely, quiet part of Tokyo. One of the reasons we decided to stay in Asakusa was to be close to this temple. And also because I typically try to stay somewhere that is a little off the beaten path. If we go back to Tokyo, I will definitely stay in Asakusa again. You can easily access any other part of the city by metro. The hotel we stayed in doesn’t exist anymore, unfortunately, but if I were to go again, the OTHER SPACE Asakusa Hotel is typically the kind of place we’d choose. We are budget travelers but we also like to stay in places that are clean, highly rated, and close to various sites. :) Honestly, every single hotel and hostel we stayed in during our trip to Japan was exceptionally clean, lovely, and safe. I slept like a baby on our trip!
You can check out my YouTube video about our day exploring the temple Sensō-ji Temple here!
2. Fushimi Inari Shrine (Kyoto)
The Fushimi Inari Shrine is a truly magical place. It is a shinto shrine dedicated to the Inari god and known for its paths of thousands of bright red gates. The messengers for the Inari god are thought to be foxes, which is why you will see fox masks for sale along the path to the Inari shrine. I was lucky enough to go during the off-season (mid-February) so there weren’t too many tourists. I’ve heard the shrine can get incredibly crowded, but just make sure you get there bright and early, or head further down the path before taking your photos. There are lots of different paths and directions so you can easily find a corner to hang out in that isn’t filled with people. If you’re up for a challenge, you can hike to the top of the shrine. It’s about 2.5 miles to the top. We hiked part of the way up to see a view of the city, but decided to save our energy for exploring Kyoto for the rest of the day. I took tons of photos here. Even on a slow day, I had to be patient and wait for other tourists to pass before taking photos, but it was absolutely worth it. You could book an early morning tour like this one to avoid crowds and if you’d prefer to be guided, as I will say it was a bit of an adventure getting to the Shrine from the center of Kyoto.
Check out my YouTube video about our visit to the Fushimi Inari Shrine here!
3. Owakudani Mountain (Hakone)
Owakudani Mountain is a perfect spot to get a clear view of Mount Fuji. Some people might opt for a Mount Fuji specific tour like this one to get a closer view of the mountain, but I was content with the view that I got from Owakudani mountain. We were extremely lucky to have a clear view that day! Owakudani is an active volcanic valley with beautiful views of Hakone. You might have heard of this place before because it’s known for it’s black eggs. They boil eggs right there in the natural spring water of the mountain. Apparently, you will have 7 years of good luck if you eat one of the eggs! I ate two for good measure, but maybe they cancelled each other out? I’d stick with just one next time. :) There is also a super cute tourist center at the top of the mountain and we ate one of the most delicious curry buns from our entire trip right there at the tourist center. Honestly, Owakudani Mountain was one of the most memorable parts of our trip. If you’re staying in Hakone, you absolutely need to stop by here for an hour at least! We rented a car, which made getting around super easy. The roads weren’t crowded at all and the landscape was stunning. I’d definitely rent a car again if we went back! You can check out some rental car options here.
Watch our YouTube video about our day on Owakudani Mountain here!
4. Robot Restaurant (Tokyo)
I’m sure you’ve heard of this one. The Robot Restaurant is known around the world for its incredible performances, insane interior design, and overall quirky and enjoyable entertainment. It’s a dinner show filled with music, dance, monsters, ninjas, drums, robots, and anything else you can think of. I’ve heard some people say the show is overrated, but my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, Personally, I’d recommend eating dinner elsewhere beforehand because the food and drink options are limited. I just remember my husband and I glancing back and forth at each other throughout the whole show because everything happening was so insane. We’ve already decided to go back there again next time we’re in Tokyo. Before the show, we stopped by the famous Cat Cafe that Katy Perry visited in her documentary, and that was another epic highlight of the night. There is truly no shortage of entertainment in Tokyo!
You can catch a glimpse of the Robot Restauarant in my YouTube video here!
5. Onshi Hakone Park (Hakone)
One of the reasons I was most excited to visit Japan was to go to the gardens and see some of the beautiful plants and flowers that Japan is known for. While we were a bit early in the season for cherry blossoms, I still greatly enjoyed every aspect of the Japanese gardens we explored. Onshi Hakone park is located on the edge of Lake Ashi, a stunning crater lake that offers boat rides and sightseeing cruises for views of Mount Fuji. Looking back, I wish we had taken the Pirate cruise, just to catch a glimpse of Mount Fuji again and to see a bit more of the lake. But we wandered around Onshi Hakone Park for hours and walked away feeling relaxed and in touch with nature. As usual, I took a million photographs. There is an amazing view of the lake from the top of the park too! You could also choose to take a tour like this one, that includes a boat ride on Lake Ashi and a visit to Owakudani Mountain that I mentioned above!
You could spend a whole day at the lake if you’d like, there is plenty to do around the lake, from shrines, to museums, to aquariums, to gardens, to boat rides. It’s a lovely place to visit if you’re looking for a day of serenity. As I mentioned, I would recommend booking a rental car if you’re staying in Hakone. We booked our rental car in Odawara after taking the train there from Nara. We kept the car for a few days and traveled to Kamakura and then dropped it off at the Tokyo airport on our way back home. I’m planning to put together a full itinerary from our trip to Japan soon, so make sure to check back!
Watch our YouTube video about our day in Hakone here!
6. Hakone Open-Air Museum
I remember my time in Hakone as being extremely peaceful and reflective. I had been looking forward to visiting the Hakone Open-Air Museum since we’d started planning our trip, so I was bummed when it turned out that the weather was dreary that day. But for some reason, wandering around in the open-air museum in the rain was even better than I could have imagined. The museum was empty except for a few random tourists, but we had practically the whole museum to ourselves. It was oddly meditative and calming. We stuck our feet in the hot spring water foot bath and looked out over the sculpture garden. We meandered through at a pace that didn’t feel rushed and we thoroughly enjoyed all of the art and sculptures. I’m always on the hunt for sculpture gardens when I visit new cities. As an artist, I always leave feeling inspired and interested in the world and the people around me. While we were in Hakone, we stayed at the Irori Guesthouse Tenmaku, which was incredibly stunning and inspiring too.
Watch our YouTube video about our day in Hakone here!
7. Nara Park
If you google Nara, Japan, the first thing you will see is a park filled with wild free-roaming deer being fed little round cookies by tourists. And that’s exactly what it is. On the edges of Nara park, you’ll find street vendors selling “deer cookies”. There are crunchy wafers that the deer will follow you around for. I’m not gonna lie, some of the deer would get a little aggressive for a cookie, but we had a blast feeding the deer and took so many photos. It was a strange and exciting experience. I live in Virginia, so I’m used to seeing deer every day. But getting this close to them and having them not be afraid of me, was a new experience. It was super silly and a fun way to start the day on the way to visit the Tōdai-ji Temple. I’d recommend booking a tour like this one that includes a walk through the park, as well as entrance into the temple.
You can check out our YouTube video about our day in Nara here!
8. Tōdai-ji Temple (Nara)
The Tōdai-ji Temple is the main temple that Nara is known for. It is one of the oldest wooden structures in the world and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It difficult to capture it’s grandness in a photograph, but it’s a stunning place and house s a giant Great Buddha statue. It’s a bit of a hike to get to the Temple, but because of that, there are beautiful views of Nara next to the temple. This was one of my husband’s favorite places we visited on our trip, because he was obsessed with how old the temple was - it was constructed in 752! The fact that that is even a year that existed, blow my mind. If you don’t want to walk all day through Nara, you could try this bike tour of the city! I’d definitely recommend this if you've already been walking around Tokyo or Kyoto for a few days.
You can check out our YouTube video about our day in Nara here!
9. Chion-in Temple (Kyoto)
There isn’t a single spot in Kyoto that I didn’t want to photograph. Kyoto is an incredibly beautiful city. I also found it peaceful, calming, and filled with nature and beauty. The Chion-in Temple Sammon was right outside of our hotel, The Kyoto Hana Hotel, so we couldn’t help but explore it. There were so many picturesque buildings and meditative corners. We spent hours looking at the architecture and taking in the history. As a photographer, I was in heaven in terms of photo locations. There weren’t many tourists so I had practically the whole place to myself to take photos and fully capture every building, wall, garden and staircase.
You can check out our visit to the Chion-in Temple in our YouTube video here!
10. Gion District (Kyoto)
One of the most magical moments of my life happened in the Gion district of Kyoto. You can read my book, Temporary Beauty, to find out exactly what that was! :) The Gion district is known as the “geisha district”, where you’ll find lantern-lit streets, traditional teahouses, historic wooden buildings, winding alleys, and delicious authentic food. It feels like stepping into another world. If you’re in Kyoto, you absolutely need to wander through this area and take in the true culture of Kyoto. One of the things I loved most about Japan was that you could wander aimlessly and never run out of things to see or do. There is never a lack of food or snacks or street vendors to try out. We like to joke that we basically just had a “food vacation” because we ate everything we could find. They even have vending machines on the street filled with hot coffee and hot green tea! Obsessed. We stayed in the Kyoto Inn Gion The Second and loved it. The breakfast was ridiculously cute and we had such a lovely time in the Gion district.
You can watch our YouTube videos about our time in Kyoto here or here!
11. Kyoto Gyoen National Garden
We actually stumbled upon this garden on the way to Honke Owariya, the oldest noodle house in Kyoto, Japan, founded in 1465! All of the noodles are made in-house and it is known specifically for their soba noodles. We had a bit of time to kill before we were hungry for our lunch at Honke Owariya, so we looked at the map and saw this giant park, the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden, which we discovered was Kyoto’s national garden. We ran into a few early blossoming cherry blossoms trees which absolutely thrilled me. It was a gorgeous place to meander through and as a photographer, it was the perfect off-the-beaten path location to snap some photos. It’s a huge park with plenty to see, including the stunning Kyoto Imperial Palace, known for it’s gorgeous architecture, gardens, and long history. This tour includes a visit to the Imperial Palace if you’re interested in having a guided tour of Kyoto.
You can watch our YouTube video about Honke Owariya and the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden here!
12. Kotoku-in Buddhist Temple (Kamakura)
One of my goals on our trip to Japan was to see as many giant Buddha statues as possible. The Kotoku-in Buddhist Temple is known for its giant copper Buddha statue. We ate a delicious lunch at a vegetarian restaurant called NatuDeco right outside the gates of the temple, and apparently Barack Obama had eaten there once too! It ended up being one of my favorite meals in Japan because the presentation was so beautiful and the matcha was incredible. The Kotoku-in Temple isn’t very big so you don’t need to stay there more than an hour I’d say. We wandered around some of the local neighborhood streets nearby afterwards and imagined what it would be like to live in Japan. I can’t say I’d need to revisit the Kotoku-in Buddhist Temple but I’m glad I checked it off my bucket list, and we did truly enjoy experiencing the local food and seeing the gorgeous homes and families that lived nearby. There are also walking tours of Kamakura that include other temples we didn’t get a chance to see, so if we ever make it back, I’d consider going on one just to see more!
Watch our YouTube video about our time in Kamakura here!
13. Shibuya Crossing (Tokyo)
I’m sure you’ve heard of Shibuya Crossing, also known as the Shibuya scramble. It’s a giant intersection in Tokyo where you can watch hundreds of people cross paths on their way to work in the grand city of Tokyo. To me, the Shibuya Crossing is a little overrated. I prefer less people and more nature on my travels, but it is something to cross off the bucket list if you’re visiting Tokyo. The area is a bit like the Times Square of Tokyo, but we actually found that there wasn’t that much to do in that area of Tokyo. We did eat at a delicious izakaya but we were happy to head back to our hotel in Asakusa once we were done with the big city vibes. I’d recommend finding a good spot to people watch like the Shibuya Sky deck. If I ever make it back to Shibuya, I will definitely be doing the Go-Cart tour. We saw so many people riding these Mario-Kart style go-carts through the city and it looked like so much fun!
Check out our YouTube video about our time in Tokyo here!
14. Harajuku (Tokyo)
If you’re on the hunt for good shopping and Japanese fashion and culture, Harajuku is the spot. There were tons of clothing shops, food vendors, and quirky bars. We didn’t spend as much time here as I would have liked because it was a bit crowded, but it was super fun to check out. I bought a few clothing items that I’m still obsessed with. I do remember even the metro being jam-packed with people, so next time I’ll be sure to do some research to figure out a good time to visit Harajuku when it’s not crazy busy.
You can see more of our time in the Harajuku district in our YouTube video here!
15. Kamakura Zaimokuza Beach
I’m always on the hunt for the ocean. It seemed only right to see the ocean at least once on our trip to Japan, considering Japan itself is technically an island nation! We stayed at the Kamakura Prince Hotel, and spent our day walking up and down the beach, taking photos, picking up seashells and watching surfers. It was a perfect way to end our trip to Japan. We ate a delicious dinner at Moana Makai. While I don’t remember there being a whole lot to do near the beach, it was the off-season technically so I’m sure it picks up there in the summer time. This tour includes a visit to the beach, as well as all of the other important landmarks in Kamakura.
Watch our YouTube video about our time in Kamakura here!
BONUS IDEAS:
There are so many places I didn’t get a chance to visit that are on my list for next time, like the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto, teamLab Borderless: MORI Building Digital Art Museum, and of course, the new Studio Ghibli theme park is definitely on my bucket list. I do think we did a pretty good job seeing as much as we did in 11 days, but another trip to Japan in (hopefully) in the works for next year. Maybe I just won’t come home next time though. :)
I hope this list helped you out in some way with your planning! I can tell you one thing, you will NOT regret your trip to Japan. It was life-changing for me. I can hardly wait to go back!
RECOMMENDED TRAVEL SITES
Booking.com (hotels, rental cars, flights)
Expedia (travel packages, flights, hotels, etc.)
Viator (for booking tours)
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