Japan travel
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Japan travel · Page 10
Adachi Museum of Art Guide: Japan's Top Garden, Taikan and Japanese to Use
The Adachi Museum of Art, in the countryside of Shimane, pairs a collection of modern Japanese painting with gardens that have been ranked the best in Japan year after year. You view the gardens from inside the building, like living paintings framed by the windows, and the few sentences you need are about photos, tea and the free shuttle bus.
11 min readTottori Sand Dunes Guide: Uma no Se, Sand Museum and Japanese to Use
The Tottori Sand Dunes are Japan's great coastal dunes, a sweep of sand between green hills and the Sea of Japan, free to walk and twenty minutes by bus from Tottori Station. Climb the ridge called Uma no Se, look out over the sea, and practise the Japanese for buses, distances and washing the sand off your feet.
11 min readNaoshima Guide: Art Island Museums, Ferries and Japanese to Use
Naoshima is a small island in the Seto Inland Sea that has become one of the world's great places to see contemporary art in a landscape. Most of its museums now work on timed online reservations, so a good visit is planned around ferry times, booking slots and a few useful Japanese phrases.
14 min readRitsurin Garden Guide: Takamatsu's Lord's Garden and Japanese to Use
Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu is one of the finest strolling gardens in Japan, built over more than a century for the lords of the Takamatsu domain and still tended pine by pine. A boat ride on the South Pond, a bowl of matcha in a lord's tea house and a few polite questions in Japanese make it a perfect half-day on Shikoku.
12 min readKotohira-gū Guide: Konpira-san's 785 Steps and Japanese to Use
Kotohira-gū, known affectionately as Konpira-san, is a great shrine of sailors and travellers reached by 785 stone steps up a wooded mountain in Kagawa. The climb, the views and the famous yellow good-luck charm make it one of Shikoku's classic day trips, and a perfect place to practise shrine Japanese.
12 min readShimanami Kaidō Guide: Island-Hopping Bike Ride and Japanese to Use
The Shimanami Kaidō is a road of bridges that hops across six islands of the Seto Inland Sea between Onomichi on Honshū and Imabari on Shikoku, with a dedicated cycle route of about 70 kilometres. It is one of the great bike rides of the world, and every rental counter, ferry pier and café stop along the way is a chance to use your Japanese.
12 min readDōgo Onsen Guide: The Restored Honkan, Baths and Japanese to Use
Dōgo Onsen in Matsuyama is one of Japan's oldest hot springs, and its wooden main bathhouse, the Honkan, fully reopened in July 2024 after five and a half years of careful restoration. Choosing a bathing course, reading the bath signs and following the rules is a small, satisfying test of your Japanese.
13 min readMatsuyama Castle Guide: Original Keep, Ropeway and Japanese to Use
Matsuyama Castle stands on a wooded hill right in the middle of Ehime's capital, and its keep is one of only twelve in Japan that survive from the age of the samurai. A ride up by ropeway or open chairlift, a climb through wooden gates and a look out from the top floor make it one of Shikoku's best half-days.
12 min readShikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage Guide: Henro Basics and Japanese to Use
The Shikoku Henro is a circuit of 88 temples linked to the monk Kōbō Daishi, looping around the whole island through all four prefectures. Whether you walk it all, ride between temples by car or bus, or visit just the first few, the pilgrimage has its own clothes, rituals and words, and learning them makes every temple visit richer.
13 min readKōchi Guide: Kōchi Castle, Hirome Market and Japanese to Use
Kōchi, on Shikoku's Pacific coast, is a relaxed, food-loving city with one of Japan's twelve original castle keeps, a lively food hall where strangers share tables over straw-seared bonito, and a street market held every Sunday for more than three centuries. It is a wonderful place to order food in Japanese and hear a strong regional dialect.
12 min readIya Valley Guide: Vine Bridges, Ōboke Gorge and Japanese to Use
The Iya Valley is one of Japan's most remote and dramatic corners: steep forested gorges in the mountains of western Tokushima, crossed by bridges woven from mountain vines. Buses are few and the roads are narrow, so a little Japanese for bus drivers, boat staff and innkeepers goes a very long way here.
13 min readNaruto Whirlpools Guide: Boats, Uzu no Michi and Japanese to Use
The Naruto whirlpools are giant eddies that form in the narrow strait between Shikoku and Awaji Island as the tides rush in and out. Seeing them is all about timing, so the most useful Japanese here is about tide tables, boat times and the best viewing hour.
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