
Vacation rentals in Japan
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Pet-friendly vacation rentals in Japan

[Autumn Travel] Beach Exclusive Season! Starry sky jacuzzi and pleasant breeze cottage charcoal BBQ/pets also allowed Ryugukutsu/Izu

A simple yet rich rural life that has continued since the Edo period!

Traditional house of Japan. Near the station.

Rent a 100-year-old house | Free sake and matcha green tea | As a base for sightseeing in Kanazawa and Hakusan

Kamakura's old house, 1 building, with a garden, 2 minutes on foot to the sea (pets allowed)

[Traveler's Inn] Limited to one group per day | Exclusive use of a nostalgic house with a clear stream flowing in the mountains! There is also a Goemon bath

100y kyoto traditional villa with big garden「観月荘」

Haruya Guesthouse
House rentals in Japan

Lakeside Kyoto Getaway Hira-Ya

6min to Hakone Loop & your Private open-air bath !

Kyoto countryside , 5 min.from Hozugawa kudari

Japanese traditional house

IORI SETOGAWA【Luxury Antique house with Sauna】

[Live like a local] KOYA ~ A small private inn on a hill overlooking the sea and islands ~

[Teshima] YUI: Traditional Japanese Folk House

A historical old house lodge "Kusanoniwa"
Apartment rentals in Japan

Reikyo Garden「Twin Studio」

Based location for visiting Tokyo near Station#102

Kyoto Escape: Outdoor Bath & Mountain View

Peaceful Riverside View, Asakusa
Perfectly Located Castle - Near Osaka Castle

#3 spacious 46㎡ apartment central Kyoto

6 min walk to Shinjuku Gyoenmae! J House Gyoenmae 201

Subway 3 min, near Onsen, Chinatown & night views!
Your guide to Japan
Welcome to Japan
Whether you’re new to Japan or you’ve traveled here many times, this country of 430 inhabited islands will unveil a new facet at every turn. You can take in the lakes and shrines surrounding Mount Fuji, the brilliant building-high signs of Osaka, the ancient temples of Kyoto, and the avant-garde architecture on remote Naoshima Island. Tokyo is a feast for urban aesthetes, with globally chic design stores, fashion boutiques, and cocktail bars, while the dramatic gorges and vapor-wrapped volcanos of Hokkaido’s national parks will thrill lovers of the outdoors.
It’s hard not to make Japanese cuisine a cornerstone of your visit, whether you’re sampling your way through regional styles of ramen or honoring the season’s most evocative ingredients with an elegant kaiseki meal. The twin assets of Japanese hospitality and the country’s well-designed infrastructure make it easy to experience Japan’s many delights, traveling between megacities and remote coastal villages.
The best time to stay in a vacation rental in Japan
Though it’s hard to make generalizations about an archipelago that stretches 1,900 miles, Japan is generally considered to have a temperate subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers, cool but mild winters, and a distinct spring and fall. The farther from Tokyo you travel, of course, the more you’ll want to consult local conditions. The climate in the snowy northern island of Hokkaido — where winter temperatures dip below freezing for a month or two — can be quite different from that of semi-tropical Okinawa in the south, where humid 90-degree summer days are the norm. On the main island of Honshu, spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November) are the most comfortable, not to mention the most popular times to visit. The landscape is at its most expressive then, especially during Japan’s famed cherry-blossom season in late March and early April. If you are traveling to Japan in late summer, monitor the weather reports for tropical cyclones blowing in from the Pacific Ocean, and keep in mind, September and October are the height of the country’s rain season, so bring waterproof outerwear as well as indoor plans.
Top things to do in Japan
Kyoto’s Higashiyama District
As the imperial seat for more than a millennium, Kyoto has preserved hundreds of stunning temples, palaces, gardens, and of course, the legendary geisha districts. The historic Higashiyama District is one of the most atmospheric corners in this tradition-minded city, and you can spend hours wandering down narrow streets lined with wood-frame houses and centuries-old artisan shops, darting into side streets to peek in small shrines, before visiting the 1,200-year-old Kiyomizudera temple, with its terrace overlooking downtown. Higashiyama shines brightest during the 10-day Hanatoro festival in March, when thousands of paper lanterns appear.
Hiking in the Japanese Alps
Seventy percent of Japan’s landmass is covered in mountain ranges, which curve along the entire sweep of the archipelago. One of the most glorious spots in the northern Japanese Alps is the 673-square-mile Chūbu-Sangaku National Park, located between Toyama and Nagano, 150 miles northwest of Tokyo. In the summer, you can hike along the Azusa river at Kamikochi, seek out the hot springs around Okuhida, or if you’re an experienced mountaineer, trek from mountain hut to mountain hut (make reservations beforehand). In winter, skiers and snowboarders make pilgrimages to the resorts at Hakuba.
Island-Hopping in Okinawa
If you don’t think of traveling to Japan for sublime beach time, you’ve never visited the Okinawan archipelago at the southern end of Japan. Using Okinawa City as your base, you can take ferries or short flights to reach some of its 160 far-flung islands. Go snorkeling in the clear turquoise waters surrounding Tokashiki Island, where clownfish and butterfly fish dart among the coral reefs. Loll on the powdery white-sand beaches of Hateruma Island. Wander around historic houses with tiled roofs and sculptures on Taketomi Island. Everywhere you go, you can sample Okinawa’s distinctive Ryukyuan cuisine, which incorporates influences from China and southeast Asia.
Destinations to explore
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- Family travel hub Tips and inspiration
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