A journey to the real Japan

Find the Japan that is yours.

Not only the famous sights, but the beauty of Japan you do not know yet, its culture, and encounters with its people. Japan is full of charms still unknown to you.

Mayuno · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗

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Explore Japan by what you love.

Japan has many experiences that move the heart. Start from what you love and find a special trip.

Sightseeing spotsFrom popular sights to hidden gems.Mayuno · CC BY-SA 3.0

Culture & History663 entries663highland · CC BY 2.5

Food & Markets1,222 entriesOS6 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Nature & Scenery1,710 entriesFend, Ohtaka and Torii (2020) · CC BY 4.0

Festivals65 entriesPublic domain

Shrines & Temples1,459 entriesPublic domain

Art & Crafts1,685 entriesCygnus_morioka · CC BY 4.0

Japan now (autumn)Festivals, events and seasonal flavors. Travel the Japan you can only meet now.運動会プロテインパワー · CC BY-SA 4.0

POPULAR PLACES

You are sure to find the place you want to go.

See more of the 47 prefectures

NagasakiHarbor hills, enduring hope.

HokkaidoInto the vast northern wilds.

YamagataTemples, hot springs, and orchard country.

SaitamaLittle Edo, rivers, and room to breathe.

ToyamaFrom deep blue sea to soaring alpine peaks.

KyotoFind stillness in timeless beauty.

JAPAN BEAUTY

Japanese beauty, to take home from your trip.

Value Village Beauty: skincare and fragrances born in Japan, delivered online.

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VivéaVivéa Parfum (4.5mL)(21)¥1,500(tax incl.)

VivéaVivéa Body Mist (Skin Care)(12)¥2,800(tax incl.)

VivéaVivea LUNA NOX 17(22)¥1,500(tax incl.)

VivéaVivéa All-in-One Cream(5)¥4,000(tax incl.)

TRAVEL GUIDE

Make your trip to Japan easier.

Hotel searchFind a place to stay Transport & bookingBook Shinkansen, buses and flights Build a travel routePlan your own trip Trip mapFind places on the map

Now, start the trip that is yours.Find a trip Public domain

JAPAN GUIDE

Things worth knowing about Japan

No worries even on a first trip to Japan. Useful things to know, explained clearly.

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Q. What do people get wrong about IC cards (Suica, PASMO) in Japan?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete. The answ…

Read the answer →

Q. What do people get wrong about coin lockers and luggage forwarding in Japan?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete. The answ…

Read the answer →

Q. What do people get wrong about Golden Week, Obon and New Year travel?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete. The answ…

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REGIONAL SPECIALTIES

Meet the Japan you don't know yet.

It is not only the big cities. The regions are full of charm, and special experiences you can only have in each place are waiting.

Kamoizumi Sake Brewery Shusenkan

Naha City Traditional Crafts Center

Mizusawa Keibajo

Value Village

Japan's value, to the world.

Regional culture, tradition, food, sightseeing, nature and people. A directory that delivers the appeal of each to the whole world.

About Value Village

Value VillageLocal Value, Global Reach.

The photo is a generated image for concept purposes.

VALUE VILLAGE · JAPAN

Japan, your way.

47 prefectures, 13,918 places and stories. See for yourself the Japan no one has written about yet.

47 prefectures
13,910 places
600 questions answered
739 Instagram posts
5 languages

Explore the map →

Mitsumine Jinja · Mayuno · CC BY-SA 3.0 · ↗

JOURNAL

What's New

Stories on Japanese living, beauty, health and craft — every day.

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Trends2026.10.11The World Produces About 7.3 Million Tons of Tea | One Cup Supporting the Lives of 13 Million People

Health2026.10.1161.5% of People Age 80 Have 20 or More Teeth | Reiwa 6 Dental Disease Survey

Skincare2026.10.10Cosmetics Rules in Southeast Asia | The ASEAN Cosmetics Directive and the Notification System

Fashion2026.10.10The Cost of Clothing Collection Is Borne by the Makers | The EU’s Textile EPR

VILLAGE TSUSHIN

Village Letters

A visit to the crafts and industries of Japan, one prefecture at a time.

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The Takaoka Great Buddha, made with Takaoka Copperware

Village Letters2026.10.10VILLAGE Report vol.16 Toyama Prefecture | Takaoka Copperware, a Town That Began with 7 Metal Casters

Village Letters2026.10.09VILLAGE Report vol.15 Niigata Prefecture | Tsubame Tsuiki Copperware, Vessels Hammered from a Single Copper Sheet

Village Letters2026.10.08VILLAGE Report vol.14 Kanagawa Prefecture | Hakone Marquetry, Geometry Drawn Only with the Colors of Wood

Village Letters2026.10.06VILLAGE Report vol.13 Tokyo | Edo Kiriko, Glass Engraving with Roots in 1834

Q&A

Your travel questions, answered from Japan.

Send us a place, a question or a photo you want. Value Village goes there and answers with articles, photos and video.

Ask a question

Can I use hot springs if I have a tattoo?It depends on the facility. Some inns allow tattoos small enough to cover with a sticker, some accept guests in family or private baths, and some refuse tattoos entirely. The surest way is to call ahead and ask whether you can bathe with a tattoo. We have set out the details here.Read the answer I heard the tax-free procedure changes from November 2026From November 2026, instead of the tax being taken off at the shop, you pay the tax-inclusive price first and receive a refund when you leave Japan. The minimum amount and eligible items are changing too. We have summarized the current and new systems in a table.Read the answer What is the difference between a shrine and a temple? Are the manners different too?Shrines are Shinto and temples are Buddhist: they belong to different religions. At a shrine you pass through the torii gate, then bow twice, clap twice and bow once. At a temple you pass through the main gate and simply put your palms together, without clapping. We explain the entrance, purification and prayer steps for both, side by side.Read the answer All questions & answers

FOR OVERSEAS BUYERSValue Village DirectoryTechnology, products, services and businesses from across Japan. Value Village supports trade with overseas companies.Explore the directory

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THINGS TO DO TODAY / 6

Six things to do today

A fresh pick from somewhere in Japan, every day.

IbarakiHike Mount TsukubaPass unusual rock formations and an ancient shrine before viewing the Kanto Plain.See things to do in this prefecture →麒麟坊 · CC BY-SA 3.0

TokyoHike Mt. TakaoFollow forest trails to broad views just beyond central Tokyo.See things to do in this prefecture →KENPEI · CC BY-SA 4.0

SaitamaDiscover Bonsai CultureExperience living bonsai traditions in Omiya Bonsai Village and its museum.See things to do in this prefecture →京浜にけ · CC BY-SA 3.0

TochigiVisit Nikko ToshoguExplore World Heritage shrine buildings covered in vivid color and intricate carving.See things to do in this prefecture → · Public domain

KanagawaTour Kamakura TemplesVisit the Great Buddha and Zen temples of Japan's former samurai capital.See things to do in this prefecture →Dirk Beyer · CC BY-SA 3.0

ChibaCruise Historic SawaraSee Sawara's Edo-period merchant quarter from a boat on the Ono River.See things to do in this prefecture →katorisi · CC BY 2.5

VALUE VILLAGE

Places in Japan no one has written about yet.

Shrines and temples, crafts, industry and art across all 47 prefectures: we wrote every entry ourselves. Not one is reproduced.

13,910Entries
600Japan Q&A
5Languages
6,783Licensed photos

SMILE NEWS / 136

Smile news from Japan and the world

Stories that lift your spirits a little, collected with their sources.

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2026.10.10Akita

Omoriyama Zoo to celebrate International Snow Leopard Day

Akita City Omoriyama Zoo will hold an event on October 24 tied to International Snow Leopard Day, which falls on October 23. Plans include a talk by WWF Japan staff and zookeepers, a feeding session with commentary on its two snow leopards, and a live stream of the enclosure.

source: Akita City Omoriyama Zoo

2026.10.10Patagonia National Park, Chile

Women rangers return Darwin's rheas to the wild in Chile

In Chile's Patagonia National Park, a women-led ranger team returned 13 Darwin's rheas to the wild in April 2026. Working with the Rewilding Chile Foundation, they care for the birds around the clock; surveys once estimated only about 11 to 15 remained.

source: Mongabay

2026.10.10Hiroshima

Miyajima Aquarium opens a 'living insect lab' exhibition

Miyajima Aquarium opened a 15th-anniversary special exhibition on October 10 that presents a 'living picture book' of insects. The first-floor exhibition room shows 160 living creatures of 14 species, letting visitors observe live insects up close until November 30.

source: Miyajima Aquarium

2026.10.10Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe

New 210-million-year-old dinosaur species named from Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba shore

A new dinosaur species, Musango matusadonaensis, has been described from rocks about 210 million years old in Matusadona National Park on the shore of Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. The bipedal, not-yet-adult animal was about 4.5 metres long, and the find suggests Zimbabwe's dinosaur fauna differed from South Africa's.

source: Phys.org (The Conversation)

2026.10.09Gifu

Autumn Rose Festival at Gifu World Rose Garden

Gifu World Rose Garden in Kani City will hold its Autumn Rose Festival from October 17 to November 15. Visitors can enjoy autumn roses with deeper colors and scents, along with events such as talks with rose breeders and fragrance guides.

source: Gifu

2026.10.09Okavango Delta, Botswana

Young people survey wildlife in Botswana's Okavango Delta

More than 20 students from Australia, Botswana, the US and the UK joined a one-week field course in the World Heritage-listed Okavango Delta. Running since 2017, the course has them take part in yearly animal and bird surveys and collect data on the wetland's health.

source: ABC News (Australia)

TRAVEL TIPS / 600 × 5

600 questions for when you are stuck or curious on a trip to Japan

Concrete answers to what first-time visitors to Japan tend to get lost on.

See all in this category →

How things work in Japan — before you need them

Where can I find a public toilet? Can I use a convenience-store restroom? How do payments and onsen etiquette work? Find practical answers before and during your trip.

Before you come to Japan

100 questions

Q1What do people get wrong about drugstores in Japan?Q2What do people get wrong about convenience stores in Japan?Q3What do people get wrong about 100-yen shops in Japan?

Find the Japan that is yours.

Explore Japan by what you love.

You are sure to find the place you want to go.

Japanese beauty, to take home from your trip.

Make your trip to Japan easier.

Things worth knowing about Japan

Meet the Japan you don't know yet.

Japan's value, to the world.

Japan, your way.

Your travel questions, answered from Japan.

Show the places Japanese locals already love.

Local creators in 47 prefectures

Six things to do today

Places in Japan no one has written about yet.

Smile news from Japan and the world

Find by prefecture

Hokkaido1 · 251

Tohoku6 · 1,576

Kanto7 · 2,117

Chubu9 · 2,775

Kansai7 · 2,134

Chugoku5 · 1,481

Shikoku4 · 1,184

Kyushu & Okinawa8 · 2,392

600 questions for when you are stuck or curious on a trip to Japan

Find by interest

Shrines & Temples1,572

Nature & Scenery1,756

Hot Springs345

Historic Districts788

Castles & History35

Gardens35

Architecture1,140

Museums720

Art & Crafts2,021

Contemporary Art289

Craft Experiences2,291

Culture & History689

Festivals65

Food & Markets1,233

Experiences746

Stays185

Get to know Japan. Through its regions and its culture.

Recommended tickets in Tokyo

Get to know Japan, region by region.

Where to on your next trip?

Find a trip through what you love.

Read the Japan library

Turn the things you found and love into a trip.

Stays that value your travel time.

Hotels around Tokyo Station

Transport and places to stay. Connecting your trip in Japan.

See more of Japan by car.

From city to city by highway bus.

ANA flights and a place to stay, together.

On to your next trip with JAL flights and a place to stay.

Your Japan is waiting.