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The best Japanese cities to visit, according to someone who’s traveled there 11 times — and Tokyo’s not one of them

July 30, 20240
Grace Cheng is a Gen Z travel blogger who has visited Japan over 10 times and says tourists shouldn’t just stick around Tokyo if they wanted to immerse themselves in the culture.

Courtesy of Grace Cheng

Cheng has a particular soft spot for Kyoto, which was the capital of Japan for over a thousand years until 1868, when Tokyo took its place.

Though often thought of as a natural second city to visit alongside Tokyo, Kyoto is Cheng’s undisputed No. 1 Japanese city.

The old city is lined with small walkable roads, has many temples, and boasts a riverbank lined with small houses and shops. One of Kyoto’s famous features is the Gion district, a historic neighborhood dotted with ochaya, or teahouses, run by traditional female entertainers known as geisha.

Even though it is also a tourist hot spot, Cheng said Kyoto feels more serene than Tokyo. It’s not surprising, considering the current Japanese capital’s population dwarfs the former. The latest UN data, from 2022, estimates Kyoto’s population is just over 1.46 million, a fraction of Tokyo’s 9.73 million.

“I know a lot of people love Tokyo, and I do as well, but I think Tokyo is kind of overrated, and I feel Kyoto has more in a cultural sense,” Cheng said. “It has the teahouses, it has the Gion district, all the temples, the shrines.”

“It’s just a lot calmer and peaceful,” she said, adding that the city’s qualities exemplify “Japanese culture.”

Sapporo is often overlooked, but Cheng said it has the warmest locals and is home to one of her favorite Japanese dishes.
Takoyaki, small fried balls of octopus, are a local delicacy in Osaka.

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Osaka, often nicknamed “Japan’s Kitchen,” is another city Cheng prefers over Tokyo.

Located just over three hours away from the capital via the Shinkansen, or bullet train, the city is famed for its street food and bustling produce markets.

“Whenever I go there, my sole mission is to eat,” Cheng said. One of the most popular delicacies in Osaka is takoyaki, fried dough balls containing octopus slathered in sauces and topped with scallions and bonito flakes, Cheng said.

Another dish Cheng makes sure to grab every time she’s in Osaka is tonkatsu, or fried pork cutlet, at a restaurant called Tonkatsu Daiki. She said it’s made to “perfection” and served with a side of all-you-can-eat shredded cabbage.

“There’s usually a line out the door,” she said. The tiny restaurant is run by one chef who “cooks everything on the spot,” so Cheng recommends visitors arrive 30 minutes before it opens at lunch to improve their chances of grabbing a bite.

As much as Cheng says Tokyo is “overrated,” she still thinks all first-time tourists to Japan should go.
It only takes around an hour by train to get from Tokyo to seaside spots in Kamakura, Cheng said.

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Some travelers don’t have enough vacation time to traverse the country.

For them, Cheng recommends day trips using Tokyo as a base.

She said Kamakura, a coastal city in the Kanagawa prefecture less than an hour away from Tokyo by train, is worth checking out for a change of scenery.

Many Tokyo locals flock to Kamakura during the warmer seasons for its beaches and seaside restaurants. It’s also known for its large Buddha statue.

“It can just be done on a day trip, and you have the ocean right there,” she said.

Tourists can also take a short train ride from Kamakura to nearby Enoshima, a small island connected to the mainland that has shrines, parks, and caves, Cheng added.

Another plus? “You have really good food there, too,” she said.