Must-See Japan (2025 Edition): The insider's guide to seeing the best of Japan in one trip

by Tom Fay

* UPDATED FOR 2023 * - Now with more content, new maps and the latest tips and advice!

Must-See Japan (2023 Edition) is the most up-to-date, concise and best-value guide for discovering the top sights, the most delicious foods and the essential must-do activities in this fascinating and complex country. Written by an expert who has spent over 14 years living in and traveling all around Japan, this book is full of inside information to help you discover some of the best things on offer, from popular tourist attractions to hidden gems even the locals don't know. Offering detailed itineraries for trips lasting a week or a month, this guide will help you plan every detail of your stay in Japan.

Must-See Japan

• Insider tips and advice on when and where is best to visit, so you won’t miss a thing

• Original maps and Google map links for every location

• Practical information on everything from buying tickets, to entering hot springs, to Wi-Fi!

• Detailed itineraries for making the most of your Japanese adventure, whether it be from a couple of days to a few weeks

• Travel tips and clear explanations on how to get around, including rail passes, trains and buses

• Honest reviews of a variety of hotels, hot springs, restaurants and attractions

• Essential app recommendations and links to useful websites

• Straightforward advice on what to do and how to do it, drawing on the personal experience of the author, a long-term resident of Japan

• Quickly find the information you need with the active table of contents and logical layout

• Beautiful photos throughout

• Unbeatable value for a guide packed with a decade's worth of firsthand and trustworthy info

About the author

Tom Fay is a British author and freelance writer who has been living in Japan for over a decade. He has written extensively about the outdoors and travel in Japan, both online and in print, for The Guardian, Forbes Travel Guide, The Japan Times and many other media outlets.

He has a keen interest in landscape photography, and is the main author of the guidebook ‘Hiking and Trekking in the Japan Alps and Mount Fuji’ published by Cicerone Press (2019).

Genres: Nonfiction

233 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2016

About the author

Tom Fay is a British writer who has been living in Japan since 2007. He has written extensively about the outdoors and travel in Japan, both online and in print for the likes of The Guardian, The Japan Times, Forbes Travel Guide, Japan Travel, Wanderlust Magazine and many other media outlets.

He has a keen interest in mountaineering and landscape photography, and is the main author of the guidebooks 'Hiking and Trekking in the Japan Alps and Mount Fuji' (Cicerone Press, 2019), and 'Hokkaido' (Bradt Travel Guides, 2024). He also writes chapters for Lonely Planet and Fodor's Travel.

Reviews

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This relatively short book packs quite a bit of information (and links to information) in a pretty small space. There are very few pictures, and what are in there are black and white. The book is not long and does not go into great detail about any one subject of Japan, especially historical factors that might be interesting. But I really liked this book and how accessible and easy to read it was. I will probably have more to say after actually going on my trip, but I really liked that there were so many websites mentioned to expand each topic and direct links to certain attractions which made sense to me. Also I loved the insider tips that gave some information about really enjoying your trip by doing some things that most travelers would not be aware of. The itinerary section was also really helpful in giving a broad overview of what my trip could look like. I was also surprised by a couple times when the author actually encouraged you to avoid some attractions, which made it seem a little more authentic and not just saying every activity is good. One relatively significant complaint I have is that there is so much information at the end of the book (especially about when to visit Japan) that would have made more sense to me to have at the beginning. Other than this, I thought the insights and especially the "insider tips" we're really interesting and overall the book was helpful.

[Marilyn Bushman-Carlton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basics covered.

I read this book on Kindle on my way home from 3 1/2 weeks in Japan, a visit that was part tour group, part on our own with my husband, and part with a daughter in law who grew up in Fukuoka. I thought the book highlighted our experience in Japan, but that was all, nothing more. It’s a pretty useful travel guide but that’s all. I prefer travel essays of personal expectations with more interesting and creative prose.

[Yan Yang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good tips.

Useful tips for even seasoned travellers in Japan. Wish I knew about this book sooner so I could take advantage of a transportation tip for a little-known site I wanted to visit (a place not even the comprehensive Lonely Planet lists). It is not an exhaustive book about Japan, but I w

[Rainer F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many insights and lots of hints for travellers visiting Japan.