Japan, prefecture by prefecture
Travel guides to all 47 prefectures, the best month to go, what to eat and buy, the rules that catch visitors out — written from official sources, dated, and kept up to date.
42.7 millionforeign visitors in 2025
+15.8%vs 2024
Tokyomost visited prefecture
228,782 yenaverage spend per trip
Start here: before you book
All planning guides →Start here
First time in Japan: what to know before you go
A first-timer's guide to Japan: where to go, how long to stay, what visitors really do, and what to sort out before you fly: visa, money, trains and phone.
Start here
Japan itinerary ideas: 7, 10 and 14 days
Japan itinerary ideas for a first trip: 7, 10 and 14-day routes through Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka with Shinkansen times and fares, extra stops and dates to avoid.
Money
How much does a trip to Japan cost in 2026?
What a trip to Japan costs: official 2025 survey figures per visitor and per night by country, where the money goes, everyday prices and ten ways to cut the bill.
Before you go
Japan visa 2026: who needs one and how to apply
Who can visit Japan without a visa in 2026, the 74 visa-free countries and how long each may stay, how a tourist visa works if you need one, and when JESTA starts.
Before you go
Visit Japan Web 2026: how to use it step by step
How to use Visit Japan Web for Japan's arrival card and customs form: the account, passport scan, family, the QR code at the airport, offline use and tax-free.
Before you go
Travel insurance for Japan: do you need it?
Why Japan strongly recommends travel insurance, what hospital care can cost, what cover to look for, buying it after arrival and whom to call if you fall ill.
Free planning tools
All tools →Free tool
Budget calculator
Starts from what visitors from your country actually spent in 2025, then lets you change every line.
Free tool
Tax-free calculator
Does your purchase qualify, and how much comes back? Both the current rules and the November 2026 refund system.
Free tool
Shinkansen baggage checker
Length + width + height over 160 cm? Then you need a reserved seat with a baggage area. Check in seconds.
Free tool
Allergy card generator
Tick your allergens and diet, get a polite Japanese card to show at any restaurant. Copy or print.
Free tool
Travel phrases
Forty phrases that cover trains, taxis, restaurants, shopping and emergencies, with audio and romaji.
Free tool
Packing checklist
Tick off documents, phone, medicines, luggage and bookings — saved in your browser, printable.
Free tool
What to wear
Pick a city and a month: average highs, lows, rain and snow from the weather agency, plus what to pack.
Free tool
Public holidays
Every public holiday for 2026 and 2027 and the long weekends they create — the dates to book early or avoid.
Where to go: all 47 prefectures
Prefecture index →Pick a prefecture to see what it is known for, what to eat and buy, the best season, how to get there and how many foreign visitors it gets. 0 of the 47 full guides are published; the rest have a short page with climate and visitor figures while the guide is written.
Hokkaido
Tohoku
Kanto
Chubu
Kansai
Chugoku
Shikoku
Kyushu & Okinawa
When to visit: month by month
Full guide →- JanuaryTokyo 10°/1°C · 60 mm
- FebruaryTokyo 11°/2°C · 56 mm
- MarchTokyo 14°/5°C · 116 mm
- AprilTokyo 19°/10°C · 134 mm
- MayTokyo 24°/15°C · 140 mm
- JuneTokyo 26°/18°C · 168 mm
- JulyTokyo 30°/22°C · 156 mm
- AugustTokyo 31°/24°C · 155 mm
- SeptemberTokyo 28°/20°C · 225 mm
- OctoberTokyo 22°/15°C · 235 mm
- NovemberTokyo 17°/9°C · 96 mm
- DecemberTokyo 12°/4°C · 58 mm
Japan by the numbers
All rankings →Ranking · official data
Most visited prefectures
All 47 prefectures of Japan ranked by foreign visitors in 2025, with spending per visitor and nights stayed, from the Japan Tourism Agency survey.
Ranking · official data
Where each nationality goes
The prefectures visitors from the US, UK, Australia, Korea, Taiwan, China and 13 other countries actually visit, from the 2025 Japan Tourism Agency survey.
Ranking · official data
Visitors by country
Every source market for tourism to Japan ranked by 2025 arrivals, with growth, share and the January–August 2026 figures, from JNTO statistics.
Ranking · official data
Busiest months
Monthly visitor arrivals to Japan for 2024, 2025 and 2026, the peak and quietest month for each nationality, and what it means for your dates.
Ranking · official data
Visitors by year
Foreign visitor arrivals to Japan for 2019, 2023, 2024, the record year 2025 and 2026 so far, with the month-by-month figures, from JNTO.
Ranking · official data
What visitors buy
The shopping categories foreign visitors bought in Japan in 2025, what they spent on each and which nationalities buy what, from the official survey.
Japanese food: what to eat and how
All food guides →Food
What to eat in Japan: must-eat foods for 2026
What to eat in Japan in 2026: the must-eat foods visitors rate best, what Japanese people eat every day, regional dishes, prices and how to order.
Food
Japanese convenience stores: what to buy, prices
Japanese convenience store food and prices for 2026: what to buy at 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart, which chain is best, and how to pay, use ATMs and print.
Food
Ramen in Japan: prices, styles and where to eat
Ramen in Japan in 2026: what a bowl costs (about 620 yen in Tokyo), the regional styles to try, where to find the best ramen, how to order and pork-free bowls.
Food
Japanese snacks to buy: best picks and prices
The best Japanese snacks to buy in Japan in 2026: the most popular brands, where to buy them cheaply, prices in yen, Japan-only flavours and what you can take home.
Shopping in Japan: what to buy, tax-free rules
All shopping guides →Shopping
What to buy in Japan 2026: the shopping list
What to buy in Japan in 2026: snacks, skincare, clothes, knives, anime goods, electronics and crafts, where to find each, tax-free rules and what you can take home.
Shopping
Japanese souvenirs 2026: what to bring home
The best Japanese souvenirs for 2026: omiyage for coworkers, cheap gifts, traditional crafts, gifts for kids, and where to buy them in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
Everything on this site
- Destinations Guides to all 47 prefectures of Japan by region: what each is known for, what to eat and buy, how to get there, and which ones foreign visitors go to most.
- Plan Money, trains, SIM cards, entry rules, luggage, hotels and the questions that come up before every trip to Japan — answered from official sources and dated.
- When to go Japan month by month: average weather in nine cities, public holidays, long weekends, crowds and what is on — from official data, so you can pick the right month.
- Food What to eat in Japan and how restaurants work: ordering, prices, allergies, regional dishes, convenience-store food and the manners that matter at the table.
- Shopping What visitors actually buy in Japan, where to buy it, how tax-free shopping works in 2026 and what you can and cannot take home.
- Culture Japanese etiquette, customs, festivals and traditions explained for visitors: what to do at a shrine, in an onsen, on a train and at the table.
- Things to do Ideas for what to do in Japan by interest: nature, hot springs, skiing, anime, temples, theme parks, day trips and seasonal experiences.
- Rankings Japan tourism by the numbers: most visited prefectures, visitors by country and month, what people buy, do and spend — official 2025–2026 data, ranked and explained.
- Tools Free tools for a Japan trip: budget and tax-free calculators, Shinkansen baggage checker, Japanese allergy card, phrases with audio, packing list, holidays.
- News Dated, sourced updates on rules that change a trip to Japan: entry, tax-free shopping, rail passes, payments and prices — each linked to its official source.
How this site is written
Japan Pocket Guide is an independent site. Facts come from official and primary sources — the Japan National Tourism Organization, the Japan Tourism Agency, the Japan Meteorological Agency, ministries, railway companies and prefectural tourism offices — and each page lists its sources and the date it was last checked. We do not publish invented reviews, star ratings or affiliate-driven “best of” lists. Read more on the about page.