Do you love sharing beautiful pictures on Instagram as much as we do? Or simply enjoy shooting at photogenic locations? The following guide will help you make amazing shots while travelling in Japan. These places are truly amazing and you don’t need to be a professional or have super expensive gear to make beautiful photos for your Instagram feed or your family photo album. Here are some of Japan instagrammable places you should add to your itinerary.
📍Fushimi Inari Taisha
A perfect place to make that must-have picture from Japan! With hundreds of typical red torri gates this place provides the perfect setting for a postcard photo! Make sure to go early in the morning to avoid crowds. 7 or 8 AM is good enough. And be patient to take a picture without people. This place is big and we are sure that you will be able to find an empty spot.
Address: 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, 612-0882, Japan
Admission fee: Free
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📍Arashiyama bamboo forest
Who wouldn’t enjoy a scenic walk between bamboo trees? But besides being a very pleasant place to explore especially early in the morning, Arashiyama bamboo forest is one of the famous Japan instagrammable places! Find an empty spot and capture your perfect shot while slightly changing the angle by lowering your camera so that you fit the bamboo trees in the frame. And when it comes to the question when to visit Arashiyama, the rule “the earlier – the better” applies here as well.
Address: Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, 616-0000, Japan
Admission fee: Free
📍Takeshita street, Harajuku
This street is located in the Asakusa district of Tokyo and except for being very colourful itself, the famous street is home to some of the cutest and most photogenic desserts including rainbow cotton candies and Japanese crepes. So why not include 2 in 1: a tasty treat plus a beautiful picture?
Address: 1 Chome-17 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
Admission fee: Free
📍Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto
Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto – or the golden temple in Kyoto is a must visit for photographers. Although it is not permitted to enter the pavilion, the outside gardens are beautiful and you will surely enjoy the views of the temple with its golden leaf facade reflecting in the surrounding pond. Despite the fact that the temple complex gets quite crowded, it is not hard to find a perfect photography spot for your next Instagram picture.
Address: 1 Kinkakujicho, Kita Ward, Kyoto, 603-8361, Japan
Admission fee: ¥400 for adults, ¥300 for children
📍Senso-ji temple, Asakusa
Clearly one of the most beautiful temples in Tokyo, this place is perfect for making nice shots. The stunning architecture of the five story pagoda, the smoke from the burning incense sticks and the bright red colours of the building are photogenic enough to be included in this list. Just be aware that it gets quite crowded.
Address: 2 Chome-3-1 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan
Admission fee: Free
📍Nara deer park
Do you agree that deer are extremely photogenic animals? What about deer in front of Buddhist temples, lakes and beautiful parks? And if you have deer cookies it is guaranteed that you will take some truly amazing shots. It is all possible in Nara!
Address: Zoshicho, Nara, 630-8211, Japan
Admission fee: Free
📍Itsukushima Floating Torii Gate
A beautiful torii gate floating in the sea close to Miyajima island. You can actually walk all the way to it at low tide. Just make sure to check the actual information before you go – we traveled across the whole country to find out that the gate is under reconstruction..
We have also written a whole blog post about things you should know before travelling to Japan.
Address: 1-1 Miyajimacho, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima 739-0588, Japan
Admission fee: ¥300
Construction Notice: Renovation works on Miyajima’s famous floating torii gate started in June 2019. A completion date has not been set yet, but the works are expected to take at least one year.
📍Mt. Fuji
You will need some luck to capture nice shots of Mt. Fuji as the visibility can be very low on rainy and overcast weather. One of the best places to see the most famous mountain in Japan is Kawaguchiko lake easily reachable by train. We honestly hope that you will be more lucky than us in this attempt! And for a better chance to see Mt. Fuji you might want to consider booking one of the following tours:
📍Dotonbori and Glico Man sign
The famous Glico Man sign overlooking the Dotonbori canal in Osaka has become one of the most famous Japanese landmarks and a very popular photography spot. So don’t miss it out!
Address: 1 Chome-10-2 Dotonbori, Chuo Ward, Osaka, 542-0071, Japan
Admission fee: Free
📍Tokyo Plaza Omotesando Harajuku Shopping Center
With its kaleidoscopic interior this place guarantees that you will have a unique photo as it reflects the movement on the nearby street. Find the escalator at the corner of the building leading towards the nearby intersection and get ready for some awesome shots!
Address: 4 Chome-30-3 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan
Admission fee: Free
📍Akihabara
The centre of Japanese anime, manga and cosplay culture is also a place you should definitely bring your camera to. With so many things going on around, lights, screens, crazy street styles and arcades you will quickly find what to snap.
Address: 1 Chome Sotokanda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo, Japan
Admission fee: Free
📍Shibuya crossing
The busiest intersection in the world is a unique place to capture beautiful urban pictures. If you love this style of photography than this is the place to be. Don’t forget to check the nearby Starbucks for a slightly different perspective and a delicious matcha latte! Whereas we usually recommend to visit places early in the morning to avoid crowds, here works the opposite rule – you want to be there at rush hours for the full experience!
Address: 2 Chome-2-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0043, Japan
Admission fee: Free
📍teamLab Borderless
Abstract shapes and lights extending across the entire digital art space which will make you lose sense of time but it will also make you want to snap creative photos. A place to think outside of the box!
Address: Japan, 〒135-0064 Tokyo, Koto City, Aomi, 1 Chome−3−8 お台場パレットタウン
Admission fee: ¥3,200 (¥1,000 for children aged 4-14)
We hope that our list of most instagrammable places in Japan will help you make amazing photos on your trip whether you plan to share them on social media or simply enrich your family album. Let us know in the comments which of these places would you add to your Japan itinerary!
Are you interested to read more about instagrammable places all around the world? Then this is the best place to start.
With love,
Jelena & Luke
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