Japan Travelers Recommend

Japan will enjoy a rare, extended Golden Week in 2019: a full 10-day holiday beginning April 27. This presents a golden opportunity for a longer vacation. From trips to see cherry blossoms and cultural festivals around Japan to city breaks in Singapore, Vietnam, and South Korea, plus beach getaways in Hawaii and Bali, here are the top spots to spend Golden Week 2019. Find the best experiences for your trip below.

A visit to Tokyo is a feast for all the senses—thanks to everything from the sight of neon lights plastered onto soaring skyscrapers and sounds of festivals to the scent of tiny noodle stalls crammed into back alleys. See below for our top picks and experiences you can't miss in the Japanese capital.

Day 1: Get Oriented Tokyo is an enormous city, and with so much to do, it’s best to get yourself oriented (heh). A great option for those with a limited stay in Tokyo is the Tokyo Tower, Tea Ceremony, and River Cruise, which. provides stunning views.Day 2: Sights, Sounds, Smells Now that you’ve got some idea of what Tokyo is like, it’s time to immerse yourself in all that the city has to offer. Consider a morning tour to visit local shrines and the world-famous Ginza shopping district, or sushi lovers can head to breakfast at the hub of worldwide sushi fish commerce, the Tsukiji Fish Market Day 3: Tokyo and Beyond For a spiritual outing, a visit to the Great Buddha at Kamakura is a serene retreat, complete with views of the Pacific Ocean. Of course, no trip to Japan is complete without a visit to its snow-capped icon, Mt FujMt Fuji. Want to squeeze in one more city? Take a day trip to Kyoto from Tokyo.

The snow-capped peak of cone-shaped Mount Fuji can be seen from Tokyo on a clear day. Regardless of the weather, it can be reached by bullet train or coach bus in a matter of hours. Day trips to Mt. Fuji allow visitors to explore one of Japan's newest UNESCO World Heritage designated sites and the incredible surrounding attractions while leaving time to explore other parts of the country. Situated in Hakone and surrounded by Mount Hakone, a volcano, the scenic crater lake Ashi provides unparalleled views of Mt. Fuji. Pleasure boats and ferries traverse its famously blue waters. See both Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi on a bullet train day trip from Tokyo, complete with lunch on the iconic mountain and panoramic views of Hakone National Park. If you prefer the waterways to the railways, opt to see Mt. Fuji and Lake Ashi on a sightseeing cruise from Tokyo. If you plan to visit Japan in winter, visiting an onsen, or natural hot springs bath, should not be missed.

Trend-defining safety, pressurized cabin comfort, record-setting punctuality, Shinkansen are the easiest and most exciting option to see the Japanese countryside. If your time in Japan is limited and you don't want to miss the sights of Kyoto, zoom there and back on a comprehensive one-day rail tour from Tokyo, where you’ll have stunning views of Mt. Fuji before embarking on a guided afternoon tour of old-town Kyoto. If you feel like escaping the city and would prefer to see the countryside, why not visit Lake Ashi and UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mt. Fuji in one of Tokyo’s most popular day tours? Surrounded by stunning natural beauty, the icy caps of Mt. Fuji and the crystalline waters of Lake Ashi are sure to be the perfect antidote to the hectic city life. Want to sojourn out into Japan a little longer? Why not combine the two? Multiple day trips link Mt. Fuji to Kyoto, Nara, and Hakone, and any option between the two.