The best Japanese cities to visit, according to someone who's traveled there 11 times — and Tokyo's not one of them

Kyoto, Cheng's favorite city in Japan, is a cultural mecca.

Cheng has a particular soft spot for Kyoto, which was the capital of Japan for over a thousand years until 1868, when Tokyo took its place.

Though often thought of as a natural second city to visit alongside Tokyo, Kyoto is Cheng's undisputed No. 1 Japanese city.

The old city is lined with small walkable roads, has many temples, and boasts a riverbank lined with small houses and shops. One of Kyoto's famous features is the Gion district, a historic neighborhood dotted with ochaya, or teahouses, run by traditional female entertainers known as geisha.

Even though it is also a tourist hot spot, Cheng said Kyoto feels more serene than Tokyo. It's not surprising, considering the current Japanese capital's population dwarfs the former. The latest UN data, from 2022, estimates Kyoto's population is just over 1.46 million, a fraction of Tokyo's 9.73 million.

"I know a lot of people love Tokyo, and I do as well, but I think Tokyo is kind of overrated, and I feel Kyoto has more in a cultural sense," Cheng said. "It has the teahouses, it has the Gion district, all the temples, the shrines."

"It's just a lot calmer and peaceful," she said, adding that the city's qualities exemplify "Japanese culture."

Sapporo is often overlooked, but Cheng said it has the warmest locals and is home to one of her favorite Japanese dishes.

People "often overlook" Hokkaido in the north of Japan, but it's "so beautiful" and "different" to anywhere else in the country, Cheng said.

Hokkaido's capital, Sapporo, is about a 90-minute flight from Tokyo. It's best known for its eponymous locally brewed beer and its powdery ski slopes — though Cheng prefers it to Tokyo for its cuisine, cheaper prices, and welcoming locals.

"In general, Japanese are very friendly, and they're very polite and respectful," she said. "But I feel like up there, it's just a completely different sense of friendliness. They just go out of their way, and you can definitely tell if someone is from Tokyo or the north."

One of the dishes she'd recommend to anyone going to Sapporo is "soup curry," a warm curry powder- and garam masala-spiced broth with chicken and fried vegetables.

"That was something that was recommended to me, and I just fell in love with it," Cheng said.

For foodies, Cheng said there's nowhere better to visit in Japan than Osaka.

Osaka, often nicknamed "Japan's Kitchen," is another city Cheng prefers over Tokyo.

Located just over three hours away from the capital via the Shinkansen, or bullet train, the city is famed for its street food and bustling produce markets.

"Whenever I go there, my sole mission is to eat," Cheng said. One of the most popular delicacies in Osaka is takoyaki, fried dough balls containing octopus slathered in sauces and topped with scallions and bonito flakes, Cheng said.

Another dish Cheng makes sure to grab every time she's in Osaka is tonkatsu, or fried pork cutlet, at a restaurant called Tonkatsu Daiki. She said it's made to "perfection" and served with a side of all-you-can-eat shredded cabbage.

"There's usually a line out the door," she said. The tiny restaurant is run by one chef who "cooks everything on the spot," so Cheng recommends visitors arrive 30 minutes before it opens at lunch to improve their chances of grabbing a bite.

As much as Cheng says Tokyo is "overrated," she still thinks all first-time tourists to Japan should go.

Even though Tokyo is not one of Cheng's top three favorite cities in Japan, she wouldn't dissuade tourists from going.

"I'm just saying, for Tokyo, it's a bit overrated," she said. "If people want to actually experience more of Japan, then I would say go to the other cities."

When Cheng does visit Tokyo, she always stays in Ginza, a neighborhood in the center of town known for boulevards lined with designer stores and luxury hotels, as well as smaller streets with boutiques, cafés, and sushi bars.

For the "younger crowd" and those keen on sampling Tokyo's bustling nightlife, Cheng recommends staying in Shinjuku, a slightly more affordable district.

"Ginza and Shinjuku are the main options that people always debate over," Cheng said. "But I love Ginza because it's so clean, and it's very accessible."

Ultimately, Tokyo is a versatile city, she said.

"If you're looking for serenity, if you're looking for nightlife, it has something for everyone," she said.

Tokyo is also well-connected to other lesser-known travel destinations.

Some travelers don't have enough vacation time to traverse the country.

For them, Cheng recommends day trips using Tokyo as a base.

She said Kamakura, a coastal city in the Kanagawa prefecture less than an hour away from Tokyo by train, is worth checking out for a change of scenery.

Many Tokyo locals flock to Kamakura during the warmer seasons for its beaches and seaside restaurants. It's also known for its large Buddha statue.

"It can just be done on a day trip, and you have the ocean right there," she said.

Tourists can also take a short train ride from Kamakura to nearby Enoshima, a small island connected to the mainland that has shrines, parks, and caves, Cheng added.

Another plus? "You have really good food there, too," she said.