Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima; Mount Fuji, Lake Biwa and the Japanese Alps; neon and skyscrapers, geisha districts and famous temples – all of these can be found on Honshu. Japan’s main island, it’s also the country’s largest and most populous. More than 100 million people are squeezed into pockets of flat land among the many volcanoes which form a long, mountainous arc from the northeast tip to the southwestern end. The perfect 3,776 meter peak of Mount Fuji, easily spotted from Tokyo on a clear day, reigns over them all.
Tohoku is the more remote, known for skiing and onsen (hot spring baths), while Kanto is dominated by the megalopolis of Tokyo and Yokohama. Mount Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes are in the Chubu region, as well as tourist-favorite Takayama. Visitors will usually head to Kansai for the famous temples of Kyoto and the buzzing alternative scene of Osaka, day tripping to nearby Kobe to get their fill of wagyu beef, before taking the train down south into Chugoku to see Hiroshima and the floating red gate at Miyajima.
For the second year in a row, Japan has been named the world's favorite travel destination by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler in the 2024 edition of the magazine's annual Readers’ Choice Awards. Tokyo was also designated the world's number one "Large City", climbing from the number two spot from last year. Condé Nast Traveller, the UK version of the magazine, has also named Japan as the Best Country in its Readers' Choice Awards.