Harajuku is the center for shopping and entertainment, and is popular for the stylish and fashion conscious to spend a weekend at Harajuku. Youngsters just hang out with their friends on weekends here at Harajuku. It can be an interesting spot for tourists too, to see how the youth of Japan spend their time. Some of the famous streets here include Takeshita Dori (mentioned above) and Omotesando. There are lots of shopping complexes that will be interesting for buyers to visit.

You can also find culture in this area, such as the Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park, if shopping doesn’t interest you.

Fushimi Inari-taisha or the Fushimi Inari Shrine is said to be the head or principal shrine of Inari and is located in Kyoto. You will be delighted to see a number of foxes in the shrine. It is believed that foxes were messengers in ancient times. There are several statues of these messenger foxes all around the shrine premises. It is interesting to note that the number of visitors is maximum on Japanese New Year (January 1). The shrine is always open and entry is free for all.

Kinkaku-ji or Golden Pavilion Temple is a grand temple in Kyoto and is one of Japan’s most popular attractions. The golden pavilion is a 3 storey building in which the top 2 storeys are completely covered with pure gold leaf. Apart from the temple, there is an adjoining park on the temple premises. The design of the garden is very detailed and artistic. The temple is open from 9 am to 5 pm every day of the year, and the entry fee is 400 JPY (approx. 3 USD).

The Japanese art of flower arrangement is called Ikebana. This art form takes Japanese’ love for nature to a higher level. The flower arrangement is not just putting a few flowers together, but a disciplined way of bringing different flora together. So, similar to taking up cooking classes to learn to make soba noodles from scratch, those interested in flower arrangement can take up lessons in Japan to learn the art of Ikebana.

Anime refers to the animation style that originated in Japan, while Manga refers to Japanese comics. These are extremely popular all across the world, so when you are in Japan, it is important to purchase these as souvenirs to take back home. There are lots of shops in and around Tokyo and all across Japan where you can buy souvenirs featuring anime and manga characters.

Onsen refers to "natural hot spring" in Japanese. There are numerous hot springs all across Japan and are very popular among locals and tourists alike. There are different types of hot springs, differentiated by the type of minerals dissolved in the water. Any visitor is recommended a visit to an onsen ryokan (hotels with a spring bath) – there are public bath houses available too, but nothing like an onsen ryokan. Some of the popular hot springs include Kusatsu Onsen, Manza Onsen, and Minakami Onsen near Tokyo.