FIELD NOTES — JAPAN
The main street of Narai-juku on the Nakasendo in winter, timber merchant houses on both sides below a forested mountain
PHOTO — NARAI-JUKU, 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 NOWIn season right now →
Skip this section →
Chureito Pagoda with Mount Fuji behind it at autumn sunrise, the snowcap lit pink
(Live) — Fujiyoshida

Japan, now.

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

Fresh ink.

New guides and stories from across Japan.

GUIDE Ginzan Onsen in Winter: Where to Stay, and Why a Night Beats a Day Trip (2026–27) OCT. 16Ginzan Onsen's lamp-lit winter street is at its best after dark, when day visitors are h… READ→ GUIDE Kurobe Gorge Railway in Autumn 2026: How Far It Runs, Fares and Getting There OCT. 15The Kurobe Gorge Railway has been running its full line, Unazuki to Keyakidaira, since 1… READ→ GUIDE Hakone Ryokan with Private Onsen: Which Bath Can You Actually Book? (2026) OCT. 15In Hakone, a room with an open-air bath, a private bath you book, and an in-room tub are… READ→ GUIDE Shinkansen Luggage Rules 2026: Big Suitcases, the Oversized Baggage Seat, and Forwarding Your Bags Instead OCT. 12Over 160 cm in total? On the Tokaido, Sanyo, Kyushu and Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen you need… READ→ GUIDE Northern Kyushu in 4 Days: Dazaifu, Yoshinogari, Arita, Imari and Karatsu by Rail (2026) OCT. 11A four-day loop from Fukuoka through Saga without a rental car: Dazaifu, the Yayoi settl… 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 Chubu10 PREFS Kansai6 PREFS Chugoku5 PREFS Shikoku4 PREFS Kyushu & Okinawa8 PREFS
(Routes)

Ready-made routes.

All itineraries →

A canopy of peak red and orange Japanese maple on the Mitsutoge trail, Yamanashi November, day by day — where the colour actually is → PHOTO — MITSUTOGE, YAMANASHI
Ryoanji temple steps, Kyoto
(About) — 徒歩採集

One camera, five years, every prefecture.

WALKEDALL 47 PREFECTURES
GUIDES420+ — EVERY PLACE VISITED
PHOTOGRAPHYSHOT ON LOCATION — NO AI IMAGERY

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 →