Things to Do in Japan: Where Canadians Go and What a Trip Costs

These sights sit a train or bus ride apart, and a Fuji day trip only pays off on a clear day. Before you leave Tokyo, a HelloRoam Japan eSIM lets you check the cloud forecast over Fuji, your Otsuki transfer, and highway bus times from Shinjuku.

Two in three of those Canadian visitors were on their first trip to Japan. All of the Canadian respondents ate Japanese food, 91% walked busy shopping and entertainment districts, 80% visited nature or scenic spots and 68% tried something from Japan's history and traditional culture.

Our top 10 things to do in Japan, in the order this guide covers them:

1. Explore Tokyo, from Senso-ji in Asakusa to teamLab Borderless.
2. Walk the torii gate paths of Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto.
3. See Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion.
4. Meet the deer of Nara Park and visit the Great Buddha Hall at Todai-ji.
5. Eat your way along Dotonbori in Osaka, or spend a day at Universal Studios Japan.
6. Pair the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum with Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima.
7. Photograph Mount Fuji from the Chureito Pagoda on a clear day.
8. Soak in an onsen, or watch the snow monkeys at Jigokudani in winter.
9. See coral reefs, sea turtles and winter whales in Okinawa's Kerama Islands.
10. Time your trip for cherry blossoms, autumn maples or a sumo tournament.

Tokyo Pairs Old Temples With Free City Views and Digital Art

Start in Asakusa at Senso-ji, which the temple calls the oldest in Tokyo, with a founding story dated to 628. Nakamise, the shopping street that leads to it, sells traditional Japanese toys, cakes and other souvenirs.

Get your Japan eSIM before you flyInstall it at home, then turn on data roaming for it when you land. From CA$4.47.See Japan plans

For a free view, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku has two observation decks 202 metres above the ground. The South deck admits visitors from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm and the North deck until 5 pm, and each closes on two set days a month. Tokyo Skytree sells tickets for its higher decks, the Tembo Deck at 350 metres and the Tembo Galleria between 445 and 450 metres.

teamLab Borderless, the digital art museum, has been at Azabudai Hills since 9 February 2024, a two-minute walk from Exit 5 of Kamiyacho Station. Tickets are for a set date and time, prices move with demand, and slots can sell out, so book online before you fly. Tickets sold at the museum, when any are left, cost 200 yen more.

Across all their stops in Japan, 61% of Canadian leisure visitors went to a museum, gallery, zoo or aquarium, and 34% set time aside for Japanese pop culture.

Kyoto Has the Torii Gates and Golden Pavilion, Nara the Deer

Fushimi Inari Taisha sits right next to Inari Station on the JR Nara Line, two stops and five minutes from Kyoto Station. The shrine counts around 10,000 torii gates of all sizes along the paths of Inariyama, a 233-metre holy mountain that is part of the shrine grounds from top to bottom.

Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, opens every day of the year from 9 am to 5 pm. Admission is 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for primary and middle school students, and the temple's official name is Rokuon-ji.

Give Nara a day of its own. The Nara Deer Preservation Foundation counted 1,687 deer in Nara Park in its July 2026 survey. Nearby, the Great Buddha Hall at Todai-ji opens from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm from April to October and from 8 am to 5 pm from November to March. Adults pay 800 yen and children aged 6 to 12 pay 400 yen, and the temple describes the hall as the largest wooden structure in the world.

Osaka Brings Street Food, Giant Signs and Universal Studios Japan

Dotonbori, right outside Namba Station, is lined on both sides with restaurants that Osaka's official tourism site says are crowded all year, under giant three-dimensional signs such as Glico and the Kani Doraku crab. The district takes its name from Doton Yasui, who put his own money into digging the canal in 1612.

Universal Studios Japan is the other big draw. Its Mario area includes Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge, alongside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Minions attractions. Ticket prices change with the date of entry, so check the park's official site before you pick a day.

Hiroshima and Miyajima Fill One Long Day

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum charges 200 yen for adults and 100 yen for high school students, and junior high students and younger go free. It opens at 7:30 am and closes at 7 pm from September to November and at 6 pm from December to February. The museum says it is very crowded in the daytime and suggests early morning or evening visits, when entry needs an online booking.

Miyajima is about 10 minutes by ferry from Miyajimaguchi pier, on JR or Miyajima Matsudai Kisen boats. Since 1 October 2023, Hatsukaichi City has charged a 100 yen Miyajima Visitor Tax per visit, paid with your boat fare, and preschool children are exempt. Itsukushima Shrine charges adults 300 yen. It opens year-round from 6:30 am and closes at 5:30 pm from 15 October to 30 November and at 5 pm in December. Wear flat shoes: its corridors have small gaps between the floorboards to ease the pressure of the sea at high tide.

Mount Fuji Is a Day Trip From Shinjuku

The classic Fuji photo, the five-storey Chureito Pagoda with Fuji behind it, is in Arakurayama Sengen Park in Fujiyoshida. By train, take the JR Chuo Line from Shinjuku and change at Otsuki for the Fujikyu Railway to Shimoyoshida Station, about two hours in all. The express bus from the Shinjuku Bus Terminal also takes about two hours. From the station, Fujikyu Railway puts the walk to the pagoda at about 30 minutes, and the park's observation deck sits at the top of 398 steps.

Climbing is a summer-only plan. On the Yamanashi side, the Yoshida Trail was open from 1 July to 10 September in 2026. Climbers paid a 4,000 yen fee, the fifth-station gate closed from 2 pm to 3 am except for mountain hut guests, and once 4,000 climbers had passed in a day, only those with an advance reservation or a hut booking could go through. Check the official Mt. Fuji Climbing site for the 2027 dates.

Yamanashi, the prefecture on Fuji's north side, drew 12% of Canadian leisure visitors.

Onsen Bathing Has Rules Worth Learning First

Hot springs are the gap in many Canadian trips. In the same survey, 65% of Canadian leisure visitors said they want an onsen next time, second only to Japanese food at 79%, yet just 32% bathed in one on this trip.

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) sets out the basics. Wash thoroughly at the washing stations first, keep your small towel and your hair out of the water, leave swimwear in the changing room and speak softly. Tattoos are the main snag: Canada's travel advice warns that people with tattoos may be refused at hot springs, pools, beaches and some gyms. JNTO suggests a tattoo-friendly bath, a private bath (kashikiriburo) or a cover sheet for a small tattoo.

For a winter twist, the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park in Nagano opens from 9 am to 4 pm between November and March. Adults pay 800 yen and children aged 6 to 17 pay 400 yen until 30 November 2026. From 1 December, adults pay 1,000 yen and children 500 yen at the gate, or 880 yen and 440 yen online. The park notes that its monkeys bathe in the hot spring to keep warm in winter, not at all hours or all year.

Okinawa's Kerama Islands Trade Temples for Reefs and Whales

Keramashoto National Park covers more than 30 islets about 40 kilometres west of Naha, and it became a national park on 5 March 2014. JNTO counts 248 kinds of coral around the islands, and humpback whales gather there to breed from late December to early April. High-speed and regular ferries leave Tomari Port in Naha, and the fastest boat reaches Tokashikijima in 35 minutes. On Zamamijima, green sea turtles come ashore at quiet Ama Beach to lay their eggs in season.

Plan around the weather. Canada's travel advice says typhoons usually occur between June and October, that southern areas including Okinawa are more vulnerable, and that flights and ferries can be disrupted with little notice.

Blossoms, Maples and Sumo Shape the Calendar

Cherry blossoms arrive early. The Japan Meteorological Agency's normal date for full bloom is 31 March in Tokyo and 4 April in Kyoto and Osaka. In 2026, Tokyo reached full bloom on 28 March and Kyoto on 30 March, while Sapporo's normal is 6 May.

Autumn colour arrives late. The agency recorded maples turning on 23 November 2025 in Tokyo, 4 December in Osaka and 10 December in Kyoto, five days later than Kyoto's normal. Seasonal sights like these were part of 23% of Canadian trips, and 47% want them next time.

Sumo is the other timed event. The Japan Sumo Association lists the November 2026 tournament in Fukuoka from 8 to 22 November, then the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo from 10 to 24 January 2027, with tickets on sale from 5 December 2026. Osaka hosts the March tournament from 14 to 28 March 2027. Sport was a rare pick: 7% of Canadian leisure visitors watched a sport such as sumo, but 31% want to next time.

Japan's Golden Week holidays fall on 29 April and 3 to 5 May in 2027, so book trains and rooms early for those dates. Canada's travel advice also notes heat waves between July and September.

Japan With Kids Is Easier With a Few Early Bookings

On JR trains, children aged 6 to 11 pay half the adult price for basic fare, limited express and reserved seat tickets. Children aged 1 to 5 ride free, up to two per adult or child, unless they take their own reserved seat.

The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka sells tickets only in advance, from 10 am Japan time on the 10th of each month for the following month, and none at the door. Visitors 19 and over pay 1,000 yen, ages 13 to 18 pay 700 yen, ages 7 to 12 pay 400 yen, ages 4 to 6 pay 100 yen and children 3 and under go free.

Nara's deer delight children, but the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation warns that they are wild animals that can charge or butt, and that children face more risk because their eyes are level with the deer's. Hand over deer crackers promptly instead of teasing, and wash your hands if you touch a deer.

teamLab Borderless charges 2,800 yen online for ages 13 to 17 and 1,500 yen for ages 4 to 12, and children 3 and under go free; its demand-based pricing applies to adult tickets. Theme parks were part of 31% of Canadian leisure trips.

What Canadian Visitors Spend in Japan

The Japan Tourism Agency's survey gives a real benchmark. Canadians on leisure trips in 2025 spent an average of 329,617 yen each inside Japan, not counting international flights, over an average of 12.5 nights. Accommodation took 134,921 yen, food and drink 72,889 yen, shopping 56,902 yen, transport 44,018 yen, and entertainment and services 20,839 yen.

That works out to about 26,000 yen a night (329,617 yen over 12.5 nights). At the Bank of Canada's rate on 9 October 2026, when 1 yen was worth C$0.00902, common budgets compare like this:

• C$1,000 is about 111,000 yen, roughly four nights at the average pace. A full week on that budget means hostels, convenience-store meals and free sights such as the Shinjuku observation decks.
• C$2,000 is about 222,000 yen, roughly eight nights at the average pace. It covers a week on the ground, but not your flight.
• C$5,000 is about 554,000 yen, enough for two weeks at the average pace with money left toward flights.

Flights from Canada are the biggest extra, and our guide to flights from Toronto to Tokyo covers routes and fares. Hostels and guesthouses housed 9% of Canadian leisure visitors, while 91% shopped at convenience stores.

Rail Passes, IC Cards and Cash Keep Days Moving

The Japan Rail Pass costs 50,000 yen for 7 days in an ordinary car when bought online, or 25,000 yen for children aged 6 to 11. The 14-day pass is 80,000 yen and the 21-day pass 100,000 yen, and overseas agents charge more. On the Tokaido Shinkansen it covers Hikari and Kodama trains; a Nozomi needs an extra NOZOMI MIZUHO Ticket, which costs 4,960 yen from Tokyo to Kyoto.

Run the numbers first. JR Central's smartEX fare sheet lists a one-way Nozomi reserved seat from Tokyo to Kyoto, a ride of about 130 minutes, at 13,970 yen in regular season. A simple return comes to 27,940 yen, far below the 50,000 yen 7-day pass, and JNTO suggests a route simulation before you buy one.

Big suitcases need a booking. On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen, bags whose length, width and height add up to between 161 and 250 cm need a seat with an oversized baggage area reserved in advance. Without one you pay a 1,000 yen fee, and anything over 250 cm cannot board. Packing light avoids the issue, and our tips on carry-on luggage for Canadians help.

For city trains and buses, tap an IC card. JNTO says the cards work on trains, buses and boats, at many vending machines and convenience stores and in some taxis, all across the country. Most need a 500 yen deposit, but visitor cards such as Welcome Suica and TOURIST PASMO have none.

Carry cash as well as cards. Canada's travel advice calls Japan a predominantly cash-based society and says many ATMs don't accept foreign debit cards. Seven Bank's more than 28,000 ATMs in 7-Eleven stores take many overseas cards, though some may not work. Canadian visitors used both: 91% paid in cash and 91% used a credit card.

Tax-free shopping changes for purchases from 1 November 2026. The Japan Tourism Agency says tax-free shops will charge consumption tax at the till, and you get it back once customs confirms, within 90 days of purchase, that you are taking the goods out of Japan. Do the passport check at the airport kiosk before you check your bags, because all the goods must be with you. The minimum is 5,000 yen before tax in one shop on one day, so check the agency's tax-free site before you shop.

Japan Offers Four Ways to Get Online, From Roaming to eSIM

JNTO lists the usual ways to get online: a SIM card, an eSIM or a pocket Wi-Fi, bought or rented at the airport or reserved online ahead of time. It calls eSIMs and pocket Wi-Fi especially convenient for short stays. Before you pick one, our checklist on will my phone work in Japan covers the phone lock, Japan's 4G bands and your plan.

Your Canadian plan can roam too. Rogers, for example, listed its International Travel Pass, which covers Japan, at C$75 for 7 days or C$100 for 14 days in October 2026. The pass uses the data, talk and text already in your plan. Check your own carrier's price, then see how an eSIM compares with roaming.

Depending on the plan, a HelloRoam Japan eSIM connects to KDDI (au), NTT docomo, SoftBank or Rakuten Mobile, and our support team answers 24/7. First check that your phone supports eSIM, then install the eSIM before you fly so data works when you land at Narita, Haneda or Kansai.

Not sure how much you need? Estimate how much data you need from your trip length and apps. A traveller who stays in one city and leans on hotel Wi-Fi may need very little.

Canada Advises Normal Security Precautions in Japan

As of October 2026, Global Affairs Canada's travel advice for Japan says to take normal security precautions; the page was last updated on 29 September 2026. It says travellers with a regular Canadian passport don't need a tourist visa for stays of up to 90 days. Overstaying is a criminal offence, and your passport must be valid for your whole stay. Officials photograph and fingerprint visitors on arrival, and customs may ask to see a return or onward ticket, hotel bookings and proof of funds.

Carry your passport at all times, because the advice says a photocopy will not satisfy police. Crime against foreigners is low but rising, and the advice warns about overcharging at bars and spiked drinks in nightlife areas such as Kabukicho, Roppongi and Golden-gai. Women-only train cars run during rush hour on some lines.

Japan has thousands of earthquakes a year. JNTO's Safety tips service explains Earthquake Early Warnings, which sound on phones, and its Japan Visitor Hotline answers 24 hours a day in English. Dial 110 for police and 119 for an ambulance or the fire service. Typhoons and summer heat can change plans, so check what Canadian travel insurance covers before you book.

Rules can change, so read the official Japan page on travel.gc.ca before you go.

One Route Works for 7, 10 or 14 Days

JNTO's rule of thumb is that about a week covers Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and two weeks or more lets you add nature and hot spring areas. Built on the stops above:

• 7 days: three nights in Tokyo with a Fuji day trip, then the Shinkansen to Kyoto for three nights, with a day in Nara.
• 10 days: add two nights in Osaka and a long day to Hiroshima and Miyajima.
• 14 days: add the snow monkeys in Nagano in winter, or fly to Okinawa for the Kerama Islands.

With Canadians averaging 12.5 nights, the 14-day plan is close to a typical visit.