Produced by Lonely Planet forKWANCHAI_K PHOTOGRAPH/GETTY IMAGES ©

Discoverthe Wondersof JapanMt Fuji, geisha, sushi, rāmen, Tokyo and Kyoto... allthese keywords conjure up images of Japan. But that’s
definitely not all. Japan is a remarkably diverse nation,
filled with wonders waiting to be discovered. From anime
to Zen, this guidebook is designed to help you discover
your own Japan.
Japan National Tourism Organization

http://www.jnto.go.jp/

EM7/SHUTTERSTOCK©

contents

Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma Prefecture

getting local

8

food & drink

20

culture & history

30

sights & activities

40

Produced by Lonely Planet for Japan National Tourism Organization.
All editorial views are those of Lonely Planet alone and reflect our policy of
editorial independence and impartiality.

FANCY YAN/GETTY IMAGES ©

Nigatsu-dō at Tōdai-ji Temple, Nara

Delve into a deep trove of culture,sights and activities…
Few countries make such diverse claimson the imagination as Japan. The mere
mention of the name is enough to set off
a cascade of contrary images: ancient
temples and futuristic cities, mistshrouded mountains and lightning-fastbullet trains, kimono-clad geisha andbusinessmen in sharp suits, quaint thatchroofed villages and pulsating neon urban
jungles. Amazingly, all of these images areaccurate. The peculiar synthesis of themodern and the traditional is one of thethings that makes travel in Japan such afascinating experience.
A long, island country, Japan stretchesnearly 3000km, from Okinawa at latitude
25 degrees north (think Cairo, Egypt) tonorthern Hokkaidō at 45 degrees north(think Paris, France). Everyone in between
has had to adapt to their own geographic
area, whether it be in the semi-tropicalsouth or the temperate north. There’s ahuge range of cultural diversity in Japan.
Different cuisines, different lifestyles
and even differences in language havedeveloped throughout the country.
For the adventurous traveller –interested in embarking on an in-depth
exploration of Japan’s rich culture, food,
hospitality and traditions – a deep trove ofexperiences awaits.

VLADIMIR ZAKHAROV/GETTY IMAGES ©

getting local

Two essential words for travellers to Japan tounderstand are tatemae and honne. Tatemaemeans ‘public face’, the one that Japanesepeople show the outside world. Honne means‘private face’, true feelings that are seldom
revealed in public. To get beyond the tatemaeof Japan itself, to find the honne, pick one ofJapan’s countless distinct neighbourhoods,
explore its local haunts and soak in the culture.
Every nook and cranny of the country offers
new discoveries. Here are a few places to start.

Ginza, Tokyo10

getting local

getting local

11

MORTEN FALCH SORTLAND/GETTY IMAGES ©

Akihabara, Tokyo

Yanaka, Tokyo

Akihabara, Tokyo

In a city where the sentiment ‘new is better’ goes almost
unquestioned, Yanaka stands out for its profound connection to the old. Having mirculously survived theGreat Kantō earthquake and the Allied firebombing of
WWII, Yanaka boasts a high concentration of vintage
wooden structures and temples. The neighbourhood
has long been popular with artists and many live andwork here. Scai the Bathhouse spent 200 years asa public bathhouse before being transformed into acontemporary art gallery. There are still reminders of its
origins, like the wooden lockers at the entrance and thevaulted ceiling.

Akihabara (‘Akiba’ to friends) is the centre of Tokyo’s
otaku (geek) subculture. It’s equal parts sensory overload and cultural mind-bender. But you don’t haveto obsess about manga or anime to enjoy this quirkyneighbourhood. In fact, as the otaku subculture gains increasing influence on the culture at large, Akiba is drawing more visitors who don’t fit the stereotype. Before
Akihabara became otaku-land it was Electric Town, theplace to buy discounted electronics, and there are still
plenty of opportunities to purchase everything from thenewest computers, cameras and televisions, to secondhand goods and electronic junk.

getting local

Kiyamachi, Kyoto
Kyoto’s biggest nightlife strip is a 600m stretch runningparallel to the central Kamo River, between the major
boulevards of Sanjō and Shijō. On one side of the narrow
street, slick-fronted concept restaurants promise cheap
drinks and no cover charge. On the other, a shallow,
tree-lined canal is laced by arched bridges. It’s romantic, especially in cherry-blossom season, and if you
keep your eyes open, you may spot maiko (apprenticegeisha) strolling along in colourful kimono. Local flavour
is wedged into the cracks and alleyways. Tucked away inthese authentic haunts is a side of Kyoto that is warm,
down-to-earth and stubbornly independent.

MYPOPPET/GETTY IMAGES ©

12getting local

13

Naramachi, Nara
South of Nara Park with its famous Daibutsu (Great
Buddha) and deer, Naramachi is the former merchantdistrict of Nara, with many well-preserved machiya(narrow wooden ‘townhouses’) and kura (warehouses). It’s a nice place for a stroll and there are goodrestaurants to entice the hungry traveller. Naramachi
has an abundance of creative energy and residents
are eager to share their culture with visitors. Drop in
to Saka-gura Sasaya (spot the sake barrels outside!)
to taste the various sake made in Nara Prefecture.

Nara Park, Naragetting local

JOHN BANAGAN/GETTY IMAGES ©

14

getting local

15

Nakanoshima, Osaka
Sandwiched between the Dōjima and Tosabori rivers,
Nakanoshima is an island oasis of trees and riverside
walkways in the midst of Osaka’s cityscape. Home to
Osaka City Hall and Nakanoshima Park, it is a goodspot for a picnic lunch or afternoon stroll. Top classare the Museum of Oriental Ceramics, with one of
the finest collections of Japanese, Chinese and Korean
ceramics anywhere in the world, and the underground
National Museum of Art, Osaka.

Namba, Osaka
Make sure you spend some of your time in Namba
after dark for the full, neon-lit experience. This is raucous, rowdy Osaka at its best. For both inhabitants andshops throughout the Shinsaibashi and Dōtonbori
arcades, the flashier the better. Head to Ebisu-bashi tosurvey the glittering nightscape. Below, the banks of
the Dōtombori-gawa have been turned into attractive
pedestrian walkways. This is the canal into which Hanshin Tigers fans have launched themselves in victorycelebrations for Osaka’s favourite baseball team.

Susukino, Sapporo

National Museum of Art, Osaka / Architect: César Pelli

The largest entertainment district north of Tokyo, Susukino
is at the centre of the action and nightlife in Sapporo. There
are bars, bars and more bars, plus an incredible numberof restaurants serving up jingisukan, an easy-to-love dish

SERGIO FORMOSO/GETTY IMAGES ©

Sapporo18

getting local

getting localof roasted lamb that pays tribute to everybody’s favourite
Mongol warlord, Genghis Khan. A short stumble south of
Susukino crossing is Ramen Yokochō, a legendary alleyway crammed with shops serving up steaming bowls of
Sapporo miso-rāmen, highly recommended when frigid
winter winds are blowing in.

this lovely old building is visited daily by bathers
wearing yukata (casual summer kimonos).

Makishi, Naha
This humble Naha neighbourhood is home to Makishi
Kosetsu-ichiba the city’s Public Market. Expect to find all
kinds of local Okinawan foodstuffs, from pig’s face, feetand stomach to colourful fish and shellfish, and uniquevegetables like goya (bittermelon) and hechima (sponge
gourd). One floor up, traditional eateries stand side byside for you to sample delicious Okinawan dishes.
Makishi is also home to Higaonna Morio Sensei, 10thdan karate master, ‘Okinawan Treasure’ and head of theInternational Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate Federation, with60 member countries. Check out what a real Okinawan
karate dōjo is like at his Higaonna Dōjo.

Motomachi, Hakodate

Dōgo Onsen, Matsuyama
This ‘hot springs’ neighbourhood east of Matsuyama’s magnificent castle is a must for visitors to
the island of Shikoku. Said to have been discovered
during the age of the gods when a white heron was
found healing itself in the spring, onsen enthusiasts
have been flocking to Dōgo Onsen ever since. Top
draw is Dōgo Onsen Honkan. Constructed in 1894,

TDUBPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES ©

Under the Kanagawa Treaty of 1854, Hakodate was one
of Japan’s first ports to open up to international trade,
and it soon became host to a small but vibrant foreigncommunity. Much of their influence can be observed in
the Motomachi district on the lower slopes of Mt Hakodate. With stunning panoramic views of the city and bay,
Motomachi is sprinkled with wooden buildings and brickchurches. Chief among them, and open to the public,
are the Old English Consulate (which serves afternoontea!), the old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward (built in1910) and the Russian Orthodox Church, rebuilt in 1916
after the 1859 original was destroyed by fire.

19

Fresh fish in a market, NahaBENJAMIN TORODE/GETTY IMAGES ©

food & drink
Savouring the delights of Japanese cuisine on
its home turf is half the reason to visit Japan,
and you can easily build an itinerary aroundregional specialties and sublime restaurants.
The attention to detail, genius for presentationand insistence on the finest ingredients resultsin food that can literally change your idea ofwhat is possible in the culinary arena.

Hot sake and edamame

22food & drink

food & drink

23

ADX COLLECTIONS/GETTY IMAGES ©

Yakitori grilling

Harmonica Yokochō, Tokyo
Harmonica Yokochō is a maze of narrow alleyways full oftiny shops, restaurants and drinking establishments. First
built as a flea market in the early post-war years, Harmonica Yokochō apparently got its name from the rows androws of small shops that look like the holes in a harmonica.
The bustle is turned up at night, when diners crowd thetrendy standing-only bars and miniature eateries.
Tecchan, a popular eatery here, serves classic yakitori(grilled chicken) fare including tebasaki (chicken wings),
tsukune (minced chicken balls) and nankotsu (chicken
cartilage). Drown it all with ice-cold beer. The nearby
Ahiru Beer Hall is, despite its name, a small bar andwine store, with a good selection of wine downstairs anda cosy space for eating and drinking upstairs.

Renkonya Restaurant andNishiki Markets, Kyoto
Kyoto’s local food culture is diverse, ranging fromaristocratic kaiseki ryori course dinners to the vegetarian shojin ryori of monks and simple obanzai ryori
home-style cooking. One restaurant specialising inthis relatively inexpensive style, which features multiple small dishes, is Renkonya. Open for over 60 years,
Renkonya’s most famous dish is karashi renkon (friedlotus root with Japanese mustard).

food & drink

The Nishiki Market is another of Kyoto’s real culinary highlights. Commonly called Kyoto-no-daidokoro(‘Kyoto’s kitchen’) by locals, Nishiki is where many of
the city’s high-end restauranteurs and wealthy individuals do their food shopping. This pedestrian-only
covered market is home to 126 shops (at last count!).
The emphasis is on locally-produced Japanese fooditems such as tsukemono (pickles), tea, beans, rice,
seaweed and fish.

ATW PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES ©

24

destination spotlights | food & drink

25

Imayo-tsukasa Sake Brewery, Niigata
On the Japan Sea coast, Niigata prefecture is known
for its cold winter temperatures, pure water andexcellent rice – all contributing to one of the region’s
most famous products. Sake, or nihonshu, as it is also
known, is a rice wine that was once the most popularalcoholic drink in Japan. As younger drinkers veer
toward Western-style drinks like beer and wine, sakeproduction in Japan has plummeted and many breweries have turned to automation to survive.
In Niigata city, one sake brewery is keen to keep thetraditional art alive. Imayo-tsukasa Shuzō has been in
operation since 1893 and uses only local rice and waterin its quest to make the perfect cup by traditional methods. Fourth generation kuramoto (sake master) Heikichi
Yamamoto claims he feels the spiritual presence of hisancestors while brewing sake, and he uses only the highest quality rice, polished down to a small percentage of
its original size. Visitors can tour the brewery, learn aboutsake and its production and, of course, taste the product.

Nishiki Market, Kyoto

food & drink | destination spotlights

Mt Hakkai, Niigata Prefecture

KATSUHIRO YAMANASHI/AFLO/GETTY IMAGES ©

26

destination spotlights | food & drink

27

28

food & drink

food & drink

bourhoods of Tenjin or Nakasu around dusk. These
stalls are no bigger than a few metres in length, but
churn out delicious food evening after evening, before
packing up and disappearing during the day. Most haveone or two chefs cooking on one side, with a bar thatusually has no more than ten seats for customers on theother. This is convivial eating and drinking with locals at
its best.

Abashiri Beer, Abashiri

MAKOTO WATANABE/GETTY IMAGES ©

While in Abashiri, in eastern Hokkaidō, all beer-lovers
should take the opportunity to visit the innovators at
Abashiri Beer – the guys who brought you ‘Bilk’. Thisamazing concoction, made of 70% beer and 30%
Hokkaidō milk, may not have been a smash hit, butthese guys keep trying. On offer now is the most mindbogglingly colourful range of beers on the planet, including the Ryūhyō (drift ice) Draft, which represents winterand is a startlingly bright blue, and the Hamanasu Draft,which was developed for summer in the cherry-red
colour of the hamanasu flower. The Abashiri Bīru-kan
brewery restaurant is found on the main drag, about a
10-minute walk east of Abashiri Station. All beers are up
for tasting with brilliant yakiniku (grilled meat) meals.

Tenjin and Nakasu Food Stalls, Fukuoka
Throughout Japan, Fukuoka is famous for its
tonkotsu-rāmen – noodles in a distinctive heartybroth made from pork bones, topped off with thickslices of chashu pork. This ‘Hakata-rāmen’ has swept
Japan by storm and chain stores are now popular
across the country. Other local food specialties include yakitori (grilled chicken on skewers), yakiniku(grilled meat) and fresh seafood.
The Fukuoka way to eat and drink is at yatai, mobile
open-air food stalls with simple counters and seats. Fukuoka claims about 150 yatai spread across the city; fora real local experience, try the yatai around the neigh-29

Food stalls in Nakasu, Fukuoka PrefectureDAVID HILL/GETTY IMAGES ©

culture & history
The Japanese have spent millennia taking in andrefining the cultural bounties of Asia to produce
something distinctly their own. From the splendour of a Kyoto geisha dance to the spare beautyof a Zen rock garden, Japan has the power toenthral even the most jaded traveller. And traditional culture is only half the story – Japan
is well known as a modern mecca for technology. Ascending from Tokyo’s Shibuya Station,for instance, can feel like stepping out of a time
capsule into a future world.

Kanazawa

32

culture & history

culture & history

33

IAN COLLINS/GETTY IMAGES ©

Nakanoshima Park, Osaka

Nakanoshima Park & National Museum ofArt, Osaka
Nakanoshima Park, an 11-hectare oasis of green in
the busy city, became Osaka’s first public park in
1891. It’s situated on the urban island of Nakanoshima, a narrow strip of land between the Dōjima andTosabori rivers. Surrounded by office buildings, thesetranquil grounds provide office workers and visitors
alike respite from the hustle and bustle of Japan’s
second-largest city. There are 310 species of roses
among the park’s 3700 bushes, which blossom inMay, while azaleas, hydrangeas and winter-blooming
camellias also catch the eye. That rushing noise you

may hear is the sound of the Osaka subway, tens ofmetres underground.
Another Nakanoshima gem is the National Museum of Art, Osaka, which opened in Suita City in
1977, and moved to its current location in 2004. It
focuses on Japanese and foreign contemporary art,with exhibitions from the museum collection of over
6000 pieces, as well as special exhibitions. Designed
by Argentine–American architect César Pelli, nearly
the entire museum is subterranean except for a striking structure that pops up to represent reeds wavingin the wind.

culture & history

Nagamachi Samurai District (Nagamachi
Buke Yashiki), Kanazawa
Kanazawa’s array of cultural attractions makes it the
drawcard of the Hokuriku region. In the Edo period(1603–1868), Kanazawa was a castle town of the Kaga
Clan, governed by the Maeda family from 1583 until
1868. Their top- and middle-class samurai lived in the
Nagamachi area during that period. This attractive andwell-preserved district, framed by two canals, features
winding streets lined with tile-roof mud walls and stately
entrance gates that mark the wealth of the Maeda
retainers.
A stroll through the maze-like streets is enhanced
by a visit to Nomura-ke, a restored samurai residence
displaying the lifestyle and artefacts of the era in alovely old wooden villa. There is a suit of armour in theentrance hall, an exquisite garden and a tiny teahouse,
where you can enjoy a cup of green tea and a traditional
sweet. If you want to see how the other half lived, checkout the Ashigaru (Footsoldier) Museum, also in Nagamachi, which displays the somewhat austere lifestyleof the lowest ranked soldiers.
The Hokuriku region is now more accessible than everwith the March 2015 opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train, allowing travellers to get from Tokyo to
Kanazawa in 2½ hours.

FRÃ©DÃ©RIC SOREAU/GETTY IMAGES ©

34

culture & history

35

Painter Allan West’s Studio in Yanaka, Tokyo
American artist Allan West’s studio and gallery is tuckedaway on a narrow street in one of Tokyo’s oldest and

Kanazawa Castle

culture & history

AWL IAMGES/GETTY IMAGES ©

36

culture & history

most interesting neighbourhoods, Yanaka. Not far from
Ueno, Yanaka is one of those rare areas that have managed to preserve the old shitamachi (Tokyo ‘lower town’)atmosphere. West, who first came to Japan in 1982, has
become an accepted master of Nihonga painting, produced in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic
conventions, techniques and materials. He discovered
Nihonga for himself during graduate school at the Tokyo
University of Fine Arts. After receiving an MFA, he set up
his studio in Japan and has been there ever since.
West’s work is mostly commissioned and large scale,often in the form of Japanese folding screens called byobu,
or hanging scrolls called kakejiku. He uses natural paper
such as handmade mulberry washi, made-to-order horsehair brushes, natural mineral pigments that he mixes inshells, handmade bamboo tools and natural glues, plus
gold, silver and copper leaf.

Akan National Park, Hokkaidō

Lake Akan, Akan National Park, Hokkaidō

37

Around 20,000 years ago, during the glacial age, agroup of people eventually known as ‘Ainu’ moved into
Hokkaidō from north Asia via Sakhalin and the Kuril
Island. By the end of the Edo period in 1868, Japanesecolonisation of these ‘Northern Territories’ began inearnest – Ainu customs were banned and an 1899
government act effectively forced assimilation. The
people almost disappeared. In 2008, after a century
of protests, the Japanese government recognised the
Ainu as ‘an indigenous people with a distinct language,
religion and culture’, marking a shift toward something

38

culture & history

Benesse Art Site Naoshima, Kagawa
Until not too long ago, the arty island of Naoshima was
no different to many others in the Inland Sea: home to adwindling population subsisting on the joint proceeds ofa dying fishing industry and the old-age pension. Today,
as the location of the Benesse Art Site Naoshima, theisland is one of the area’s biggest attractions, offering aunique opportunity to see some of Japan’s best contemporary art in gorgeous natural settings. The island
now has a number of world-class art galleries and installations, and has attracted creative types from all overJapan. In addition to the main sites, numerous works ofoutdoor art are situated around the coast, including a
pumpkin sculpture by Yayoi Kusama that has become asymbol of the island.
Success has bred revitalisation, both around39

Naoshima and on neighbouring islands. The Art
House Project has seen half a dozen traditional buildings in the village of Honmura on Naoshima restored,
and turned over to contemporary artists to use as
settings for creative installations.
IPPEI NAOI/GETTY IMAGES ©

of a comeback for the Ainu.
The best place to see Ainu culture in action is at
Akanko Onsen in Akan National Park. The Ainu kotan(village) is inhabited by one of the largest remaining
Ainu communities in Hokkaidō. There are Ainu shops
and galleries selling woodcrafts, leatherwork and otherhandmade items, plus restaurants such as Poronno
serving delicious Ainu dishes. The theatre Ikor has daily
Ainu music and dance performances. A bit further east,
at Lake Kussharo, is the restaurant Marukibune, which
offers Ainu-style accommodation, meals and musical performances. It’s run by a genuine Ainu character
named Atuy.

culture & history

Naoshima Island, Kagawa

TRAVELASIA/GETTY IMAGES ©

sights & activities
Everyone has heard of Mt Fuji, Tokyo’s neonlights and Kyoto’s temples, but for every wellknown sightseeing spot in Japan, there are
hundreds of other lesser-known attractions
that you’ll find just as interesting.

Tea ceremony

42sights & activities

sights & activities

43

GEORGE PACHANTOURIS/GETTY IMAGES ©

Imperial Palace, TokyoTokyo

Imperial Palace
The Imperial Palace, residence of Japan’s emperor, sitson the site formerly occupied by the 15th century’s Edojō, the Tokugawa shōgunate’s castle (only the moat andwalls remain). The current palace, completed in 1968,is structurally modern but traditional in style. While thepalace is closed to the public, visitors can take a freeguided tour of the grounds and can visit the Imperial
Palace East Garden. The original moat, dating to the
Edo-jō period, wraps around the palace grounds. Even
if you skip the tour, you can walk along the edge of themoat to see Nijū-bashi, one of Japan’s most famous

bridges, an elegant succession of stone arches used forformal ceremonies and receptions.
Super Potato Retro-kan
Up the road in Akihabara, a love of the new is temperedwith a deep affection of the old, even if it is on a completely different level. Case in point: Super Potato Retrokan, which is like a video game museum where you can
buy and play on old-school consoles in a multi-storey
shop, jam-packed with game cartridges from throughout the history of the medium. The consoles and games
are in excellent condition, and while most stock is onshow, extremely rare and expensive titles are behindglass, as if in an art museum.

sights & activities

Nara

Nara ParkThe first permanent capital of Japan (710–784 AD), Narais one of the most rewarding destinations in the country.
Its famous park is filled with fascinating sights that lendthemselves to a day of relaxed strolling amid greeneryand an estimated 1200 tame deer. The deer roam thepark in search of handouts from tourists and are just as
likely to eat your paper map as they are the shika-sembei(deer biscuits) sold by vendors throughout the park. The
park’s centrepiece, however, is the Daibutsu, or Great
Buddha, an outstanding 15-metre bronze statue and oneof the largest bronze Buddha images in the world (theDaibutsu’s nose is 98cm wide!). The statue is housed in
the enormous Daibutsu-den Hall of the Tōdai-ji, a soaring
temple that presides over Nara Park.

JON BOWER AT APEX PHOTOS/GETTY IMAGES ©

44sights & activities

45

Naramachi
Just south of the storied grounds of Nara is Naramachi,
a town of laid-back shops and cafes, renovated from old
town houses rapidly built within the precincts of a temple that burned down in the early 19th century. The town
developed into the commercial and industrial centre of
Nara and still features white stucco walls and wooden
lattice windows that give visitors a good impression of
the daily town life of old.

Daibutsu, Daibutsu-den Hall of the Tōdai-ji, Narasights & activities

GLOWIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES ©

46

sights & activities

47

Kanazawa

Kaikarō Tea House
To visit one of the country’s most treasured geisha districts, head to Higashi-Chayagai (the Eastern Teahouse
District), Kanazawa’s original tea and geisha area. At
Kaikarō tea house, visitors can enjoy a cup of green
tea and Japanese sweets, and soak in the atmosphereof the tatami room decorated with kimono, the glossy
vermillion stairs and the golden tea-ceremony room. For
the full experience, arrange a dinner party in a privateroom with Kanazawa cuisine, local sake and attentive
geisha (or geiko).
Sakao Kanrodo Sweets Shop
For another place offering unrivalled attention todetail, look no further than Sakao Kanrodo, a tiny
traditional sweet shop to the west of Kanazawa Castle
in the Kōrinbō shopping area. Opened in 1804, thisshop’s most famous product is its monaka, a beanpaste-filled wafer imprinted with the five-petal plumflower that was the crest for the Maeda family, thefeudal lords of Kanazawa. The design and packaging
here are exquisite.

Kōchi

Kōchi Castle, Kōchi

Kōchi Castle
The capital of Shikoku’s Kōchi prefecture is home to thecastle Kōchi-jō, one of just a dozen castles in Japan tohave survived with its original tenshu-kaku (keep) intact.

48

sights & activities

sights & activities

Originally built in the first decade of the 17th century
after the Tokugawa came to power, the castle was a
product of an age of peace – it never came under attack,and for the remainder of the Tokugawa period, was more
like a stately home than a military fortress. Its magnificent grounds make an impressive park and the castle
itself can be explored extensively, revealing sensationalviews out over the city.

plentiful artwork. In fact, unlike other Japanese cities,
Sapporo was designed with a grid of wide, tree-lined
streets with ample public parks created at the suggestion of European and American architects.
Underground World
The surprises continue under the surface. It’s now possible to walk all the way underground from the JR Sapporo to Ōdori subway stations and then on to Susukino,browsing in the intriguingly named Aurora Town andPole Town shopping malls along the way. Everythingimaginable is down there, and when winter winds areblowing and sitting on a park bench in Ōdori Park isn’t aviable option, head to the warm world below.
MIXA/GETTY IMAGES ©

Hirome Ichiba
Just outside the castle’s massive stone walls, Hirome
Ichiba is the centre of Kōchi’s cheap eats scene. Hirome,as most locals call it, has over 60 small shops, most being izakaya (drinking establishments) and restaurants,though there are also plenty selling local produce, souvenirs, jewellery and clothing. Much more than a foodcourt, it has become a social hangout, and on weekends,
it’s positively buzzing with young people drinking hardand happy.

SapporoŌdori ParkA product of Japan’s 1800s expansion northward into
Hokkaidō, Sapporo has developed into a hub of urban energy and high-profile festivals, centred on the
13-block-long Ōdori Park, which splits the city into its
northern and southern parts. A true haven in all seasons, the park hosts the Snow Festival in February, andin the warmer months features beautifully manicured
flower gardens, green lawns, overhanging trees and49

Snow Festival, Sapporo

Japan Revealed.
Published January 2015.
Produced by Lonely Planet for Japan National Tourism Organization. All editorial views
are those of Lonely Planet alone and reflect our policy of editorial independence andimpartiality.
www.lonelyplanet.biz
Published by:Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
ABN 36 005 607 983
Lonely Planet offices:
Australia
Locked Bag 1, Footscray, Vic 3011
tel 613 8379 8000, fax 613 8379 8111
lonelyplanet.com/contact
USA
230 Franklin Rd, Building 2B, Franklin TN 37604
150 Linden St, Oakland, CA 94607
tel 510 250 6400, toll free 800 275 8555, fax 510 893 8572
UK
240 Blackfriars Rd, London SE1 8NW
tel 020 8433 1333, fax 020 8702 0112
India
302 DLF City Court, Sikanderpur | Gurgaon 122002
tel 91 124 423 1645
Japan National Tourism Organizationwww.jnto.go.jp/
This book was commissioned in Lonely Planet’s Franklin office and produced by
the following:
Author Craig McLachlan Sales Manager Yoko Kawahara Project Managers
Katie Johnston, Kate Dumbrell Commissioning Editor Matt Parish
Designer Mike Johansen Proofer Bella Li
With special thanks to Rebecca Milner, Ivey Hanson, Becky Leonhardt, Nadia
Abdullah, Andrew Hinshelwood, Laura Crawford, Larissa Frost and Sarah McCahon.
For sales enquiries contact csasia@lonelyplanet.com.au
Text © Lonely Planet Publications 2015; text on page 1 supplied by Japan
National Tourism Organization.
Cover image: Aerial view Tokyo Tower cityscape sunset at dusk. Photo by vichie81/
Shutterstock ©. Architect: Tachū Naitō. Back cover: Tokyo Skytree. Photo by amespi/
Getty Images ©. Architect: Nikken Sekkei.
Printed in the USA by Jano Graphics
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic,
mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose ofreview, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written
permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo aretrademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark
Office and in other countries. Other trademarks are the property of theirrespective owners. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to beappropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or
hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip. Although theauthors and Lonely Planet have taken all reasonable care in preparing this book,
we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, tothe maximum extent, disclaim all liability arising from its use.

Go beyond well-known sites
like Mt Fuji and signature
dishes like fresh sushi todiscover a wide world of
unforgettable experiences inJapan. Explore the bustlingalleyways of Tokyo’s Harmonica Yokochō neighbourhood,dine in tiny Fukuoka foodstalls, experience historical
Ainu culture in Hokkaidō,and much more. Let thisguide serve as inspiration forin-depth cultural adventures
throughout Japan.

getting local
food & drink
culture & history
sights & activities