Recently updated on January 22nd, 2020 at 04:23 pm
From the neon lights and bustling streets of Tokyo, travel to the serene temples and gardens of Kyoto, boisterous streets of Osaka, and the country’s most captivating sight, Mount Fuji. These five beautiful travel videos of Japan are sure to inspire wanderlust.
Tokyo
Japan’s capital is a vast metropolis, spanning a staggering 2,188 square kilometres, that is known across the globe for being a city of stark contrasts. Ancient temples and atmospheric winding alleyways lie amidst the neon-lit skyscrapers that dominate the city’s skyline. Tokyo is a city where revered traditions collide with diverse sub-cultures, and where the tranquillity of its temples and gardens contrasts with the 24-hour frenetic bustle of its entertainment districts.
Kyoto
Kyoto is the Japan each person imagines before they’ve even arrived, encompassing thousands of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, with traditional wooden houses tucked within the city’s oldest districts. This is the city to come to for a glimpse of the illusive Geisha as they scurry between engagements, to walk through the orange torii gates of Fushimi Inari-Taisha, and to follow a path through the lush bamboo grove of Arashiyama.
Osaka
Osaka is the boisterous sister to Tokyo, where the neon lights and sci-fi architecture rises up from its vibrant, fun-loving entertainment and shopping districts, and where the street food is deemed to be the among the best in this food-obsessed nation. Delve into the city’s lively eating and drinking scene, wander beneath the cherry trees that grow around Osaka Castle, and see the urban sprawl from above from the top of the city’s highest skyscrapers.
Mount Fuji
Arguably Japan’s most iconic sight, this 3,776-metre peak is one of three sacred mountains in Japan, a revered pilgrimage site and the inspiration behind the work of famous artists Hokusai and Hiroshige. Whether hiking to the summit, taking in its reflection on one of the Fuji Five Lakes, or catching a glimpse from Tokyo and its surrounds on a clear day, Fuji is a mountain that always surprises with its deceptive closeness as well as its sheer beauty.
A Journey through Japan
As snow monkeys gather in natural hot springs within the mountains, where mist rises over the forest, devotees pay their respects at temples and shrines, while trains rattle through each city that bustles with life from long before dawn until well after dusk. In this captivating country, the unique contrast of the old and the new is revealed at every turn.
Travel to Japan yourself on the Splendours of Japan, Splendours of Japan with Hiroshima and the Samurai Discovery trips with Trafalgar.
Image and video credits: Cover photo Tokyo © iStock / TommL. Tokyo video © Vimeo / Mark Bramley. Kyoto video © Vimeo / Osamu Hasegawa. Osaka video © Vimeo / Brian Leong. Mount Fuji video © Vimeo / damdiver. A Journey through Japan © Vimeo / Steven Sheehy.