Japan travel, checked against official sources
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Practical Japan travel guide: rail passes, IC cards, airport access, entry procedures, and sight hours and fees, each with a dated official source.
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Map photo credits
- Hokkaido: t-konno, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Aomori: 掬茶, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Iwate: 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Miyagi: Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Akita: Calistemon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Yamagata: Japanexperterna.se, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fukushima: SQZ, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ibaraki: Miyuki Meinaka, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Tochigi: Jpatokal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Gunma: YedidyaPopper, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Saitama: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Chiba: Manish Prabhune, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Tokyo: Kakidai, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kanagawa: Dandy1022, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Niigata: Nihongo1234, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Toyama: elminium, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ishikawa: Daderot at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fukui: 雷太, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Yamanashi: Manish Prabhune, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Nagano: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Gifu: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Shizuoka: InvictusOU812 from USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Aichi: Base64, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mie: Pierre André Leclercq, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Shiga: Lonely Planet Japan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kyoto: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Osaka: Martin Falbisoner, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Hyogo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Nara: The original uploader was UE-PON2600 at Japanese Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Wakayama: Naokijp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Tottori: Suicasmo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Shimane: Saigen Jiro, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Okayama: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Hiroshima: Balon Greyjoy, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Yamaguchi: そらみみ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Tokushima: ume-y, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kagawa: Leela Soden, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ehime: z tanuki, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kochi: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fukuoka: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Saga: そらみみ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Nagasaki: Suicasmo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kumamoto: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Oita: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Miyazaki: Kzaral, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kagoshima: TANAKA Juuyoh (talk), CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Okinawa: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
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Latest
Is Ginzan Onsen Worth It? Day Trip, Last Bus 18:21 (2026)
Worth it for the lamp-lit street. A Tokyo day trip works on the 06:12 Tsubasa and the 18:21 bus back; in winter 2026–2027 you book a shuttle from ¥1,000.
Is Snow Monkey Park Worth It? Fees and ¥3,000 Bus (2026)
Worth it from December to March, when the monkeys bathe. Adults pay ¥800 until the December 1, 2026 fee change; the winter bus from Nagano is ¥3,000.
Where to Stay for Naoshima (2026): Last Boat to Uno 00:15
Sleep on Naoshima for slow evenings, or base in Uno, where boats from Miyanoura run until 00:15. The last boat back to Takamatsu leaves at 19:45.
Snow Monkey Park: Where to Stay (2026), Shibu's 9 Baths
Stay in Shibu Onsen or Yudanaka: Shibu guests bathe free in nine public baths, and buses reach the park from 9:28. Nagano suits a day trip on the express.
Gokayama vs Shirakawa-go (2026): Worth It, Museums from ¥300
Ainokura or Suganuma? Gokayama's museums cost ¥300–¥500, light-ups need no booking by car, and the World Heritage Bus links Shin-Takaoka and Shirakawa-go.
Onsen Near Kanazawa (2026): Which Town? Kaga 15 Min Away
Yuwaku is a ¥630 bus ride, Kaga Onsen 15–19 min by Shinkansen, and 11 of 19 Wakura ryokan take guests again: pick the onsen town for your night.
Is Shirakawa-go Worth Visiting? 2–3 Hours and Fees (2026)
Yes for most visitors: allow 2–3 hours, ¥400 per farmhouse, ¥800 for the open-air museum. Snow lies from late December to late February.
Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass 2026: ¥19,800 Worth It?
JR Central's 5-day pass costs ¥19,800. It suits one-way trips between Kansai Airport or Osaka and Nagoya via Shirakawa-go, not round trips from Nagoya.
Kaga OnsenIshikawaThings to do
Is Yamanaka Onsen Worth Visiting? 15-Min Gorge Walk (2026)
Yes for an easy half day from Kanazawa: a 1.3km gorge path, the Kiku no Yu bath and a ¥470 bus from Kaga Onsen Station. The last bus back leaves at 18:35.
