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PlaceAllTokyoKyotoOsakaFukuokaSapporo

Guides5 min readIkebukuro for fans: shops, cafes and fan cultureIkebukuro has anime store floors, a street of romance-story shops and character cafes. Here is how to plan a fan visit and shop with good manners.Practical5 min readA break-even test for the JR PassMost first-time visitors need a clear test before they buy a Japan Rail Pass. Use this method to compare the pass with single tickets for your own route.Seasons5 min readJuly heat and fireworks: a hot-season planJuly is hot and humid in most of Japan, with festivals and fireworks at night. Learn how to plan the heat, the evening events and the crowded trains.Seasons5 min readJune: the rainy season and hydrangea walksJune is the rainy season in most of Japan. Learn how to plan rainy days, where hydrangea blooms near Kamakura and how to keep the trip dry and enjoyable.Guides5 min readKamakura from Tokyo: temples, Great Buddha and coastA calm day trip from Tokyo to Kamakura: how to get there, which temples to pick, and what to check before you go.Festivals5 min readKanda Matsuri: a festival near AkihabaraKanda Matsuri is one of Tokyo's big shrine festivals, a short walk from Akihabara. Learn what happens, where to stand and what to check first.Guides5 min readKawaramachi and Pontocho: a shopping and evening walkA walk from the afternoon arcades to the Kamo riverbank and the lanes of Pontocho at dusk, with dinner, respect for the district and a plan for late nights.Practical5 min readGetting to Kinkaku-ji without a taxi: buses and walkingKinkaku-ji is best reached by city bus, not by taxi. Here is how to plan the bus, board and pay, and when a walk makes sense.Guides5 min readKinkaku-ji and north-west Kyoto: the Golden Pavilion areaKinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, sits in a quiet north-west part of Kyoto. Here is how to plan a visit with other temples, and how to avoid the crowds.Guides5 min readKobe from Osaka: harbour, hills and a slow afternoonA slow day in Kobe from Osaka: the harbour, the old foreign houses on the hill, Chinatown and the food to try.Guides5 min readKoyasan: a mountain temple day or night from OsakaHow to visit Koyasan from Osaka for a day or a night: the old cemetery, the temples, the way up the mountain and what to check first.Guides5 min readKyoto's first day: Fushimi Inari, then HigashiyamaHow to spend your first day in Kyoto: an early walk up Fushimi Inari, then the temple lanes and streets of Higashiyama in the afternoon.

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