FIELD NOTES — JAPAN
Zenkoji temple main hall at dawn, Nagano
PHOTO — ZENKOJI, NAGANO
(Plan)

Choose your way in.

NOT SURE WHERE TO GO?Find your region in five questions → MOUNT FUJIPlan your Mount Fuji visit → JAPAN RIGHT NOWWeather & seasonal updates →
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Mount Fuji over Lake Kawaguchi in spring
(Live) — Fujiyoshida

Japan, now.

IS MOUNT FUJI VISIBLELOGGED DAILY
JAPAN TIME--:--:-- JST
THE RECORDLOGGED EVERY MORNING — SEE THE FULL RECORD →
(Journal) — five new dispatches

Fresh ink.

New guides and stories from across Japan.

GUIDE Who Actually Forecasts Japan’s Autumn Colours (and Why the Government Stopped) SEP. 8Japan has had no government autumn forecast since 2008, and it only ever covered Kanto. … READ→ GUIDE Happo-one 2026-27: The 39% Lift Discount You Need a Japanese ID Card to Buy SEP. 7Hakuba Happo-one cuts its ¥9,800 day pass to ¥6,400 from 1 October. The only condition i… READ→ GUIDE Hotokuji Temple Floor Maples in Kiryu, Gunma: 2026 Dates, Rules and What the English Pages Get Wrong SEP. 6The 2026 floor-maple opening runs 17 October to 30 November, at 800 yen in October and 1… READ→ GUIDE Kamakura Power Spots: the Money-Washing Cave and the 49-Torii Fox Valley SEP. 5Two of Kamakura's best luck shrines share one wooded valley: wash your money at Zen… READ→ GUIDE Japan’s 3 Great Autumn Foliage Spots: 2026 Peak Dates SEP. 5Arashiyama, Nikko and Yabakei share a title nobody officially awarded. In 2026 they peak… READ→

All 420+ guides →

(Most-read)

What travelers read.

(Quick answers)

Before you ask.

When is the best time to visit Japan?
April and November hit the sweet spot of weather and colour — but each season trades something. See every season compared →
How many days should you spend in Japan?
Seven days covers the Golden Route basics; 10 lets you breathe. Compare the 7-day and 8–10-day routes →
Can you see Mount Fuji today?
We log visibility every morning from Fujiyoshida. Winter mornings are your best bet; summer is a coin flip. Check the live forecast →
Is the Japan Rail Pass worth it?
At ¥50,000 it only pays off on long multi-city routes. Run your route through the math →

VISIBILITY LOGGED EVERY MORNING FROM FUJIYOSHIDA — SEE THE FULL RECORD →

(Regions)

Start witha place.

Hokkaido — The Empty North 北海道 / Hokkaido Hokkaido The Empty North Tohoku — Quiet Countryside 福島 / Fukushima 山形 / Yamagata 秋田 / Akita 宮城 / Miyagi 岩手 / Iwate 青森 / Aomori Tohoku Quiet Countryside Kanto — Tokyo & the East 神奈川 / Kanagawa 東京 / Tokyo 千葉 / Chiba 埼玉 / Saitama 群馬 / Gunma 栃木 / Tochigi 茨城 / Ibaraki Kanto Tokyo & the East Chubu — Alps & Mt. Fuji 愛知 / Aichi 静岡 / Shizuoka 岐阜 / Gifu 長野 / Nagano 山梨 / Yamanashi 福井 / Fukui 石川 / Ishikawa 富山 / Toyama 新潟 / Niigata Chubu Alps & Mt. Fuji Kansai — Kyoto & Nara 和歌山 / Wakayama 奈良 / Nara 兵庫 / Hyogo 大阪 / Osaka 京都 / Kyoto 滋賀 / Shiga 三重 / Mie Kansai Kyoto & Nara Chugoku — Hiroshima & West 山口 / Yamaguchi 広島 / Hiroshima 岡山 / Okayama 島根 / Shimane 鳥取 / Tottori Chugoku Hiroshima & West Shikoku — Pilgrim Country 高知 / Kochi 愛媛 / Ehime 香川 / Kagawa 徳島 / Tokushima Shikoku Pilgrim Country Kyushu & Okinawa — The Warm South 沖縄 / Okinawa 鹿児島 / Kagoshima 宮崎 / Miyazaki 大分 / Oita 熊本 / Kumamoto 長崎 / Nagasaki 佐賀 / Saga 福岡 / Fukuoka Kyushu & Okinawa The Warm South

Tap or click any region · 47 prefectures, 8 regions

HokkaidoThe Empty NorthTohokuQuiet CountrysideKantoTokyo & the EastChubuAlps & Mt. FujiKansaiKyoto & NaraChugokuHiroshima & WestShikokuPilgrim CountryKyushu & OkinawaThe Warm South
CHUBU — 10 PREFECTURES — ALPS & MT. FUJI
Hokkaido1 PREF Tohoku6 PREFS Kanto7 PREFS Chubu9 PREFS Kansai7 PREFS Chugoku5 PREFS Shikoku4 PREFS Kyushu & Okinawa8 PREFS
(Routes)

Ready-made routes.

All itineraries →

Kusamomiji grass autumn on the Ozegahara boardwalk, Gunma Oze’s autumn grasslands — read the guide → PHOTO — OZEGAHARA, GUNMA
Ryoanji temple steps, Kyoto
(About) — 徒歩採集

One camera, five years, every prefecture.

WALKEDALL 47 PREFECTURES
GUIDES420+ — EVERY PLACE VISITED
PHOTOGRAPHYNO AI — EVERY PHOTO MINE

I’m Nobu — Kyoto-born, based in Fujiyoshida, writing about the Japan you reach when you stop walking where the guidebook points.

— Nobu Read the story →