Japan National Tourist Organization ( JNTO )
A great website for most of the information you'll need to know before departing your flight to Japan, like whether you need to prepare any special documents, or whether you need to obtain a VISA beforehand ( although you will find that a valid passport is about all what people need most of the time ), what to do when entering the country and what to expect at the customs. But essentially it's a great resource on basics of history, a detailed list of regions to visit, has articles on seasonal events and attractions with lots of easy to follow and fun model trips and guides... and all this in well-written English Has in-depth information on each area, prefecture and famous districts of major cities, with useful notes on festivals you could come by when visiting them at the proper time. It's a good one-stop reference site to plan your trip before arriving to, or little excursions when already in Japan. And if you look close enough you'll find a huge amount of help on how to customize your trip exactly to your needs, including hints for budget travelers, and one of the best English accommodation search/reservation systems available.

Web-Japan
Always up-to-date in every aspect, this website's sole purpose is to keep all interested parties informed both on a causal and an encyclopedic level. It's basically a hub of official, useful or simply interesting information, with links to ( seemingly ) separate sites within its network, themed into pages of interest, guides, current cultural news and travel related pages, but also features its own articles on economy and society. When it comes to laws and foreign policy you could call this website more or less an "official" source, for it is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MOFA ), although written and run by a non-government related organization. It's very much like an extensive weekly magazine on Japan in English with official textbook precise data added as reference.

Sublinks you might find interesting: NIPPONIA magazine, Study in Japan, Trends in Japan

Yokoso Japan! ( Ministry of Foreign Affairs )
One of the several different gateways to provide travelers and interested people with information this website is THE officially official collection of links and current VISA, customs and border information. In case you want to read up on how to obtain special visas that would allow you to stay longer, study or work in Japan, this is the place to start reading up on it.

Sublinks you might find interesting: Embassies, Detailed Visa information*

* Note that if you're reading this you're more likely than not are already eligible for the temporary visitor's visa, which is granted upon arrival to Japan and lasts for 90 days most of the time. Look up the country of your residence on this list to let go of any concerns you may have.

As a general, although not an official rule, hotels and ryokans will not initially charge you anything when you make a reservation on the net. Meaning some will, but most won't. The system will most likely only check whether you hold a valid credit or debit card or not, but the actual payment is made at the facilities when checking out. You will only be billed on your cards in case you do not show up, show up late, or do not pay for the rooms you reserved, which is quite a reasonable measure. ( Please note this is NOT some official rule, and is up to the preferred business procedures of each and every place... )

Japan hotels from AsiaRooms.com - Provides a broad range of more than 60,000 hotels around the world ( of which there are a lot from Asia, more precisely in Japan ), hotel information and over 45,000 hotel reviews. You can also do online reservations. The site is available in English and French.

Tokyo Hotels from HotelTravel
Well, actually there are hotels featured on the website for many major cities in Japan ( including Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Kobe, Yokohama, Nagoya, Fukuoka... well you get the idea ), but it surely offers the most spots for Tokyo. The feature we found the most useful is that you can pick places by district names ( visit the Tokyo page on our site if you don't know how much this can mean... ;-) and can even spot the right location from a detailed map, which shows the given neighbourhood, major transportation lines, nearby attractions... the hotel locations of course, and all this in English. ( Site is available in Japanese if you'd like to get used to the Kanji of your possible surroundings, but the maps are always romanized ).

International Tourism Center of Japan
Accommodation search based on location, accommodation type, available facilities and price range within an extensive database.

JNTO Accommodation Search
Even if you don't use the JNTO website for its articles and regional guides, it may be quite helpful when looking for a place to stay. The system features lots of participating hotels, ryokans, public lodgings to choose from for even the smallest cities, and a search feature in which you can pinpoint your needs and the desired services or room types quite accurately.

Tour Club - Ryokan style Kyoto guesthouse
Based on the backpacker experiences of the young owner, this ryokan ( Japanese inn ) style guesthouse was designed to give pretty much an all-inclusive cultural experience while still staying in the category of hostels as for its prices. It's located in the center of Kyoto, walking distance from just about everything, including historic sights and facilities alike ( not mentioning Kyoto Station! ). Based on what you're after, the Tour Club offers both dorm and private rooms in Japanese style, there's a zen garden, traditional Japanese rooms, kimono try-on for women ( for free ;-), but also has western style rooms, is generally fully equipped, and the list goes on... with the person behind this venture having had his own experiences on what exactly budget travellers need... the motto seems to be "dive into the culture of where you go". And this lodging facility lets you do just that. The website is featured in nine languages ( just to make sure everyone gets the message ;-), and has information on the guesthouse, its surroundings, Kyoto attractions, transportation, even recommendations on where to dine out or shop... all detailed to a level where it's almost a guide on its own. The Tour Club has also been mentioned as a recommended place to stay by Lonely Planet a few times. The little independent chain also has a different location nearby with nearly the same parameters called Budget Inn Kyoto, just in case the Tour Club is all booked.

Sakura-House ( recommended )
Described as a Tokyo apartment and guest house portal, although the service is probably much more serious and extensive than of a portal... the office coordinates the lease of apartments, takes on all guarantees and responsibilities, so that even a person with a low budget for rent or a casual traveler can rent a place in minutes, over the Internet, and as easily as if booking a hotel room. All you need to do is look up the location to your liking, check the attributes and included services, go through photos or even video clips, and either reserve it or reserve the apartment or room for later. You only need to pay the first month at the office on the day you move in, and in exchange you get the key for your room/apartment and some helpful guides about Japanese household customs, rules, and maps to show you around your residence. Also, everyone at the office speaks English quite well and are usually very helpful when it comes to aiding the clueless travelers like giving hints on programs, events, reserving hotel rooms in other cities, or explaining the methods of buying train tickets.

Hostelling International - Japan
Not an exclusively Japan related site, but a useful resource for people opting for Hostels with hundreds of registered locations to choose from.

Rakuten Travel ( english version )
Rakuten Travel surely is the largest and most commonly used option for reserving accommodation online, but before proceeding to the english version of the website please read our article - by clicking here - on how to make the most of their services.

iKjeld.com
Kjeld Duits is now one of the most sought out freelance journalist and phographer when it comes to covering Japan - for both Japanese and western media. His insight is second to none, a straightforward, friendly and unbiased view on both everyday problems of people and global issues touching the lives of the Japanese. The articles are often the world debut of information of soon-to-be-news issues, and the photographs he takes are just a wonderful resource to explore Japan and get to know the Japanese people without an artificial aftertaste. ( May we mention his visual culture is close to how we like to portrait the country, but unlike us, he's very good at photography. The images have a nice touch of realism. ) Ikjeld.com articles and photo pages are as updated as ever... if you'd like a deep dive into an easy to comprehend, everyday-issue driven view on Japan, you may want to visit to balance out mainstream media with his up-close and people oriented coverage. ( Stock photos are also available for download. )

Antipixel.com
At first sight it may be mistaken for just a random personal blog ( which it was probably intended to be ), but it's in fact a quite entertaining and informative read on today's Japan. The culprit, Jeremy Hedley has been giving away his good hearted comments ( for five years now ), dotted with great photographs every now and then ( which you can also catch on flickr by the way ), letting you experience everyday life in Japan from the perspective of a designer / (copy)writer / Mac and photo enthusiast. An eye out for just about everything creative ( perhaps that would be the key to the interests ), books, movies, advertisement ( even classic Japanese ads, cultic icons ), and entries on nature ( there are some amazing shots ), city life, family life, recent news that have an(y) impact on local life or are just food for thought. As for someone this modest, his style is fluid and entertaining, photos are great ( forever searching for THAT great shot however helps them get better and better ;-), so if you're interested in Japan, and don't intend to be satisfied with just scratching the surface of its reality, you better go and take a look.

JobsInJapan.com - The mother lode of Japan job information
Possibly the most widely known and most useful English language classifieds for people in Japan, and yes, you probably guessed it already, the main feature is of course jobs in japan. You can find all kinds of work with a focus on the most common areas in which - mostly English speaking - foreigners are sought out, which include but aren't limited to EFL / ESL and other teaching jobs ( there's never a shortage of employers seeking native English teachers, but don't get any wrong ideas, it IS a job! ), bilingual work, modeling, chefs, bartenders, acting, modeling, hosts, hostesses and other entertainment related work, the evergreen IT related jobs, and a whole lot more. Also, the site features a lot - and this means a lot - of classified ads in every possible category you can think of, mainly aimed at the foreign community living in Japan. If you'd like to inherit the used electronics or bycicles of someone who's moving, buy up some unwanted tickets or clothes, or are looking for a babysitter, friend, a good party, this is where you should start looking.

Design Festa - Asia's biggest freestyle International Art Event open to all artists from all over the world to exhibit their creative talent. Begun in 1994, the event is held twice a year in spring and fall. There is also an art gallery in Harajuku, Tokyo.

OpenHistory.org
An encyclopedia website devoted to the study of Japanese history by Chris Spackman. Launched in 2001 and regularly updated ever since, it evolved into a vast resource, great for both enthusiasts of Japanese culture and history, and the casual reader. It's compiled in the spirit of open source projects, meaning its materials are free to be used for teaching purposes for example, has its encyclopedia in several formats to be downloaded, and also revisits some of the most famous historic places in Japan with current real-life photos! The albums stroll through many areas, even some of which we didn't cover ( for example the Kanazawa Castle and Kenrokuen , with some fine images of the beautiful Japanese gardens ) so, if you're after Japanese history and/or additional photos of Japan, be sure to check it out.

Randy Johnson's Japan Page - Sushi a la Carte and "Favourite Getaways in Rural Japan"
The pages Randy Johnson has been creating and updating for the past 11+ years may not claim that they will be your one and only source for information, but depending on what your favorite things in Japan are... they might become just that. For this long timer Japan resource - made by Randy who has all the experiences about Japanese sushi bars you'd ever need - has been winning both the attention of the audience and awards of web sites for many years, and for a reason. Sushi a la Carte is perhaps the most comprehensive and detailed sushi guide on the net, with images, translations, pronounciations, how-, where-, and what to eat, an all in one presentation for those who love sushi and those who admire from a distance ;-) ...or in other words, are yet to try it. And should you get tired of visiting each and every sushi bar in the cities, the site also has Randy's Favourite Getaways in Rural Japan which is again, a detailed guide yet an easy read on how to chase some authentic rural Japanese slices of life through the country, with information for each region, city, activity and landmark, and photos illustrating the articles. From the spas of Noboribetsu to the historic backrounds of Kyoto temples... where to stay and what to do to experience it all... an amazing resource for contemporary sightings of classic Japanese culture.

Japan Zone - The #1 guide to Japan and Japanese popular culture
A very typical example of a Japan guide done right, with attention given to the huge diversity of pop culture, traditions and people living in Japan. Has been around for a while now, in fact for many years, and serves a lot of generic information for those interested in the coutry, but is laid out so that both newcomers and longtimers can enjoy its articles and features. The introduction to culture, entertainment and celebrities is as easy to understand as it can be, add some news, historic background and pictures illustrating the pages, and you get the idea. But of course it's major attractions are the forum, and JapanZoneFriends, with hundreds of thousands of people... from Japan, the US and all over the world, chatting, messaging, getting together and getting to know each others' lives.

Gaijinpot.com
The website calls itself the No. 1 for foreigners in Japan and it is probably right on this. A huge amount of current information on jobs, apartments, money, travel and of course a forum to meet up with others, a well-renowned and rooted community site, which has members having done research on ( or simply experienced ) nearly all aspects of leading a lifestyle in the country... while being a foreigner. An extensive employee and employer database awaits those who have or would like to obtain a working visa for something they actually like and are good at doing, you can even create a profile that companies and headhunters will later search. The discussion board is a useful resource to learn about everyday wisdom ( and even hardships ) of residents of Japan, let them be native, temporary workers, or settled down foreigners, but be warned that this site is said to be far from being romanticist... it's hard-core reality, in which it's good at.

Sublinks you might find interesting: Coming to Japan , Apartments , Jobs

Japan Mode - A cool hub of information with lots of events and articles on culture and even sub-culture, including the Tokyo Game Show, fashion in Japan... with fun tools like the Kanji Name Converter and a rather unique BRAND SEARCH feature where you can check out the hottest fashion brands in Japan, meaning what the latest trends are on the streets, tips on clothing, trendy make-up, hairstyles, and more... a very useful little resource if you're to go out shopping in Shibuya or Harajuku.

Faces of Japan - A Gallery of Scenes from Japan by Jeffrey Bridgman
"From the large metropolis of tokyo to rural countryside, modern marvels and historical landmarks, tropical beaches to snowcapped mountains, Japan has it all." - This sentence from Jeffrey's website tells the tale in a beautyful way, Japan is in fact the land of diverse harmony. Growing up in the country, he shares his experience and views that most people will find the most clear, and most to-the-point introduction of the many faces of Japan through well selected scenes of everyday life. Even though a school project, this website has all what it takes to provide people with basic insight of the feeling of being in Japan, as it covers most aspects of why anyone - born and/or raised in the country or not - would fall in love with what is has to offer, and acts as a visual guide to the many atmospheres. ( wow, pretty much like us, maybe that's why we like it ;-) His project is also something we're proud of helping out with a few of our photos... and provides a great example of an eye for details, both when it comes to selecting images, and selecting words with which to describe them.

Cosplay Lab Costumes Cosplayers and Contacts - If you are into Japanese Pop Culture chances are that you've either thought about, know someone who has or have already wandered into cosplaying ;-) ( you not knowing what cosplay is would be unthinkable. Mind you we believe that getting the latest trendy outfit just because it's worn all over by J-Pop stars IS cosplay... we know that most people may argue on this though ). Cosplaylabs.com is an amazingly well established website with a huge community of cosplayers, a wide variety of an ever growing selection of things to help complete an outfit, including special contact lenses ( there are THREE different rasengan contact lenses, would you have believed? :-), but if that's not enough, the entire community is posting all the photos of all the costumes that are created or are in creation! Add a full and always up to date event calendar on conventions, events, news, anime news, anime conventions, anime events and you'll get an idea that's close to what this place is about. Go and see for yourself!

MyJapaneseLessons - Japanese language lessons and quizzes
This website is ideal for those who don't know how to organize their own learning of Kanji, Hiragana or Katakana, in other words, get used to the different writing systems of the Japanese language. It covers an extensive array of good tests and quizzes to help your Japanese learning, whether you're skill is beginner or advanced... with even its best features, the Kanhi flash cards available for any casual visitor.

Butterfly Corporation - Building Bridges between Japan and New Zealand
The title might have given it away already, this website has been a great hub of information for years, specializing in personal, business and marketing relationships between the two countries, and providing a selection of great resources to educate people of both Japan and New Zealand. Opportunities for homestays, information about travel, language and other schools, photos, links on health issues, magazines, accommodation, and an amazingly detailed list of Universities to attend... there're tips sorted by a large number of topics complete with reviews.

Solo Japan - independent travelogule / travelguide to Japan by Ude
The independent travel "bible" when it comes to Japan, even if in the form of a personal travelogue by a Finnish explorer. A complete all-around presentation of what it's like to plan ahead, arrive, go about, experience, and treasure all what's happening. The web site details every aspect of both solo and independent travel to Japan in an easygoing way that will make you read through the journal as if it was prepared especially for you. Ude seems to have the skills and style to write a travelguide that's both informational and actually keeps you entertained. For those who are planning their own trip, the good news is that the site is crammed with references, information, photos and down-to-earth reviews of all places visited during Ude's two subsequent tours of the country ( with hopefully a third set soon to come... ) This web site exemplifies a travel guide made with love for the subject ;-)

JapanVisitor - Tourist and resident information on Japan.
A pretty much one-stop resource for both short visits and long term stays, with information on embassies, airports, tourist services, accommodation search... downright to renting your Keitai ( mobile ) phone, finding the restaurants, bars, clubs to your taste, pinpointing Shrines and Temples you'd like to visit or even find the sports events you'd be interested in. Packed with general yet important knowledge such as the how to behave in- and where to find bathhouses, to where to report a missing credit card... Look close and you'll see that the site is packed with the things you'd like to know about.

Tokyo Guide from JapaneseLifestyle - Tokyo Hotels and Travel Guide - Tokyo Hotels, Tokyo maps, Tokyo itineraries, Tokyo pictures, Tokyo airport, Tokyo temples and Tokyo gardens. Visit the main site for even more information on Japan and other major cities as well... a well balanced and resourceful hub of information.

Visit Travel Notes
The Online Guide to Travel

Travel Directory.
Comprehensive directory for travel related web sites.

Read unbiased opinions about hotels and vacations at TripAdvisor.
Sublinks you might find interesting: Japan Forums, Tokyo Forums

Travellerspoint Travel Guide
Travellerspoint is a free worldwide travel community with tools and services to help travellers before, during and after their trip.

Asian Travel and Leisure Magazine
Oriental Tales Magazine features entertaining short stories and travel photography from East Asia.

Travel Library - Browse travelogues, independent hotel reviews, free holiday and airport guides plus much more! ( see the Japan section by clicking here )

Focusing on essential
information for travelers, by regions.

Budapest Hotel Booking service, interactive sightseeing map, the distant cousin of Japan, Hungary
A little known historic theory ties two distant countries together, claiming that the Japanese and the Hungarian are descendents of the same Asian tribe or at least have lived very close to each other, having parted ways thousands of years ago. Even with little proof of this relation between the Japanese and Hungarians, both nations welcomed the idea since they already viewed each others' cultures with mutual interest, not to mention the numbers of curious Japanese, tourists, elderly and the young alike, visiting this Central-East European country, making you feel as if you were in fact closer to Asia than you think. Should you be planning to check out the similarities yourself ( there are none though ;-), check out the above reference for a new and ( compared to others ) a relatively useful accommodation search site which has lots of extras, like allowing you to look up places near the most famous attractions through an interactive map...

Hotel in Budapest: HOTEL VICTORIA**** Budapest – Hungary
Hotel Victoria is the cheapest 4 star Hotel located in the heart of historical downtown of Budapest, directly on the riverside of the Danube.

Phototravels.net : Travel photo gallery and stock photographs - by Frantisek Staud. - Probably the one-stop resource for beautiful photos of Japan ( and in fact most of the world ), with the visual culture of a pro, but the attitude and insight of a freelance, Frantisek Staud has captured some visions of the country that makes just about everyones' jaws drop... photography taken to the level of art, while keeping it real and informal at the same time, this website is a must-see to those who'd like to take a deep dive into the visuals of traditional and modern Japan. Both under and overrepresented aspests are brought to fabulous highlight in a very humble way, including an entire album of Maiko and Geisha portraits, and blossoming cherry trees , or our favourites, the Festivals of Kyoto album, the Kyogen and Noh album, and the album on Hiroshima and western Honshu, including photos of Miyajima, Himeji and Iwakuni. But there are images on Tokyo, Zen Buddhist Gardens, Kyoto city, Sumo, Oshogatsu ( New Year's day ), Fuji-san, Shikoku and much more.

Aidan O’Rourke Photo Portfolio : Tokyo, Japan, East Asia - The site of Aidan O’Rourke devotes an entire section to professional ( read: amazingly well composed ) images of Tokyo sights, landmarks, architecture, transport, neon signs, parks, temples and more... the collection also displays images of Kyoto, Hiroshima, the shinkansen, the Tama Monorail, and lots of other iconic themes Japanese. The site has a definite atmosphere, and professional yet easy-going attitude, and is presented and hosted entirely by the Manchester-based photographer, writer and Japan enthusiast. Should you have been convinced of his talent in capturing the visual essence of different places ( and you probably will be ) he has a whole lot more pictures to show, other sections include England, Scotland, Northern Ireland in the UK, Ireland, Europe, and other cities from the entire World.

Benoa.net : Guide to the World through Digital Pictures - A real journey around the World through an ever increasing number of wonderful photos by Benoist Sébire. 3000+ photos sorted into more than 100 comprehensive albums for each country and city, including Japan ( Fujisan, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Miyajima, Sea Paradise, Tokyo and Toya), China, Korea, Austria, Denmark, France, Iceland, Mexiko, Sweden, the USA and much more... The site is also a great resource on photography equipment... especially Canon Lenses ( which we use as well ). With personal insights and local information of each place featured, it's just a great site for aspiring travelers, photographers, and of course travel photographers.

Bilderbook.org Travel Photography and Photo-weblog diary
An amazing collection of atmospheric pictures from all around the world, an honest and entertaining image library of thousands of shots from Japan, Berlin, Finland, Helsinki, New York, Venice and Budapest. With narration throughout the entire site it is indeed one of the most enjoyable and most straightforward travel related photo site available.

iipix.com : Ed Kaspar's Photos of Japan, Thailand and China
...and more, to be exact. Ed has a certain style in combining humor, snapshots of Japanese life, festives, everydays, food and food for thought with complete little paragraphs of information you probably won't find elsewhere, or at least not in this compact, funny and still very useful way. Visit The Japan Galleries on his website and get loaded with the insight of this traveler through a series of photos that engulf about three years in Japan.

A vast and long trusted directory of skilled and professional photographers from all around the world. The people and companies are shown both by the themes they specialize-, and the region they work in... a really easy to navigate resource.

PHOTO JAPAN / Stock Photography - US, WA based company specializing in Japanese stock photos. A vast library of professional images on traditional and contemporary Japanese culture, lifestyle, architecture, people, events, places and much more. Their archives include more than 90,000 images and are categorized with extreme precision ( including black & white and vintage pics as well ), from which you can search the previews of on their website to help you choose the right ones for you.

Roger & Marilyn's Photo Tour of Tokyo, Japan - A multimedia virtual tour of Japan's capital with more than 200 high resolution photographs, maps, sounds, music, narration, scanned images and personal observations. From the high tech Tokyo Tower to the beauty of the Imperial Palace and Zojoji Temple. If you have ever wanted to visit Tokyo, we invite you to see this site!