Plotline turns TikToks and Instagram posts into places on a map. By September 30, 2026, 17,321 travelers had used it to save at least one place in Japan, which adds up to 1.5 million saves across 65,603 places. We counted how many of those travelers saved each place. The result is a ranking of where people planning Japan from social media want to go.
Key findings
- Sensō-ji is the most-saved place in Japan, with 5,542 travelers. Shibuya Crossing (4,936) and Tsukiji Outer Market (4,931) are five saves apart in second and third.
- Seven of the top 25 are places to eat: three food markets, two food streets, an udon shop and a ramen shop. Food is the biggest group in the top 25, ahead of temples and shrines with five.
- 90% of these travelers saved something in Tokyo. Kyoto (64%) and Osaka (63%) are almost level, and the Mount Fuji area leads everywhere else at 33%.
- The typical traveler saved 38 places in Japan across four prefectures. Only 13% saved nothing outside Tokyo.
- 57% of the saves came from TikTok and 38% from Instagram.
- Hatoya, a café in Asakusa with 1,049 Google reviews, was saved by 2,296 travelers. Sensō-ji, about 450 meters away, has 92 times the reviews and 2.4 times the saves.
The 25 most-saved places in Japan
| # | Place | City | What it is | Travelers who saved it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sensō-ji | Tokyo | Buddhist temple | 5,542 |
| 2 | Shibuya Crossing | Tokyo | Scramble crossing | 4,936 |
| 3 | Tsukiji Outer Market | Tokyo | Food market | 4,931 |
| 4 | Fushimi Inari Taisha | Kyoto | Shinto shrine | 4,881 |
| 5 | Shibuya Sky | Tokyo | Rooftop observation deck | 4,693 |
| 6 | Meiji Jingu | Tokyo | Shinto shrine | 4,541 |
| 7 | Dotonbori | Osaka | Canal-side food street | 4,461 |
| 8 | Tokyo Tower | Tokyo | Observation tower | 4,414 |
| 9 | Arashiyama Bamboo Forest | Kyoto | Bamboo grove | 4,286 |
| 10 | Kiyomizu-dera | Kyoto | Buddhist temple | 3,999 |
| 11 | MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya | Tokyo | Discount store | 3,862 |
| 12 | Nishiki Market | Kyoto | Food market | 3,853 |
| 13 | Osaka Castle | Osaka | Castle | 3,784 |
| 14 | teamLab Planets | Tokyo | Digital art museum | 3,715 |
| 15 | Omoide Yokocho | Tokyo | Alley of yakitori bars | 3,562 |
| 16 | Tokyo Skytree | Tokyo | Observation tower | 3,481 |
| 17 | Universal Studios Japan | Osaka | Theme park | 3,415 |
| 18 | Takeshita Street | Tokyo | Shopping street | 3,402 |
| 19 | Nara Park | Nara | Park with free-roaming deer | 3,314 |
| 20 | Kuromon Market | Osaka | Food market | 3,150 |
| 21 | Menchirashi | Tokyo | Udon restaurant | 3,144 |
| 22 | ICHIRAN Shibuya | Tokyo | Ramen restaurant | 3,091 |
| 23 | Kinkaku-ji | Kyoto | Buddhist temple (Golden Pavilion) | 3,039 |
| 24 | Kappabashi Kitchen Town | Tokyo | Kitchenware street | 3,003 |
| 25 | Nakamise-dori | Tokyo | Shopping street to Sensō-ji | 2,973 |
Tokyo has 15 of the 25, Kyoto five and Osaka four. The last one is Nara Park, with its deer.
Just outside the top 25 are two temples that do far better here than their Google profiles would suggest. Gōtoku-ji in Setagaya, full of lucky-cat figurines, was saved by 2,933 travelers, and Katsuo-ji in Minoh, north of Osaka, known for its daruma dolls, by 2,886. Each has fewer than half of Tōdai-ji's Google reviews, and both have more savers than Tōdai-ji (1,663).
Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka
The ten most-saved places in each city, with the number of travelers who saved each one.
| # | Tokyo | Kyoto | Osaka |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sensō-ji (5,542) | Fushimi Inari Taisha (4,881) | Dotonbori (4,461) |
| 2 | Shibuya Crossing (4,936) | Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (4,286) | Osaka Castle (3,784) |
| 3 | Tsukiji Outer Market (4,931) | Kiyomizu-dera (3,999) | Universal Studios Japan (3,415) |
| 4 | Shibuya Sky (4,693) | Nishiki Market (3,853) | Kuromon Market (3,150) |
| 5 | Meiji Jingu (4,541) | Kinkaku-ji (3,039) | Namba Yasaka Jinja (2,467) |
| 6 | Tokyo Tower (4,414) | Otagi Nenbutsu-ji (2,194) | Tsutenkaku (2,425) |
| 7 | MEGA Don Quijote Shibuya (3,862) | Hōkan-ji (Yasaka Pagoda) (2,139) | Umeda Sky Building (2,224) |
| 8 | teamLab Planets (3,715) | Kifune Shrine (2,123) | Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (1,698) |
| 9 | Omoide Yokocho (3,562) | Yasaka Shrine (2,100) | Kitan Hibiki (1,483) |
| 10 | Tokyo Skytree (3,481) | Adashino Nenbutsu-ji (2,005) | Shinsaibashisuji (1,409) |
Tokyo's top ten includes three ways to see the city from above: Shibuya Sky, Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree.
Kyoto's list is eight temples and shrines, the bamboo forest and Nishiki Market. Two of the temples sit at the far end of Arashiyama: Otagi Nenbutsu-ji, known for its 1,200 stone rakan figures, and Adashino Nenbutsu-ji. Both are saved by more travelers than Ginkaku-ji (1,252) or Nijō Castle (1,348).
Osaka's list leans toward eating and fun. Dotonbori and Kuromon Market are both food, Universal Studios Japan is third, and a steak restaurant, Kitan Hibiki, is ninth.
Beyond Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka
The share of the 17,321 travelers who saved at least one place in each destination.
| Destination | Share of travelers | Most-saved place there |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes | 33% (5,653) | Mount Fuji (2,595) |
| Nara | 28% (4,844) | Nara Park (3,314) |
| Kamakura and Enoshima | 27% (4,594) | Kōtoku-in, the Great Buddha (1,541) |
| Minoh | 18% (3,203) | Katsuo-ji (2,886) |
| Urayasu (Tokyo Disney Resort) | 18% (3,197) | Tokyo DisneySea (1,889) |
| Yokohama | 18% (3,188) | Yokohama Chinatown (812) |
| Uji | 18% (3,146) | Byōdō-in (972) |
| Hakone | 16% (2,825) | Hakone Shrine (663) |
| Amanohashidate and Ine | 14% (2,481) | Amanohashidate (1,531) |
| Fukuoka | 13% (2,279) | Canal City Hakata (292) |
| Hiroshima and Miyajima | 13% (2,254) | Itsukushima island (1,071) |
Mount Fuji draws a third of everyone planning Japan, more than any other trip outside the three big cities. Its fans saved the mountain itself, Lake Kawaguchi (1,881) and Chureito Pagoda (1,576), and 974 of them saved the Lawson convenience store by Kawaguchiko Station, known for the photo of Mount Fuji rising behind it.
Minoh is fourth almost entirely because of one temple: 2,886 of its 3,203 travelers saved Katsuo-ji.
What travelers save to eat
Markets are the biggest food draw. Tsukiji Outer Market (4,931), Nishiki Market (3,853) and Kuromon Market (3,150) are all in the top 20, and Dotonbori, Osaka's canal-side food street, is seventh with 4,461.
These are the ten most-saved restaurants and food stalls:
| # | Restaurant | Where | Known for | Travelers who saved it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Menchirashi | Harajuku, Tokyo | Udon, including a carbonara udon | 3,144 |
| 2 | ICHIRAN Shibuya | Shibuya, Tokyo | Tonkotsu ramen in solo booths | 3,091 |
| 3 | Flipper's Shibuya | Shibuya, Tokyo | Soufflé pancakes | 2,029 |
| 4 | Gyukatsu Motomura Shibuya | Shibuya, Tokyo | Beef katsu | 1,965 |
| 5 | Iyoshi Cola | Harajuku, Tokyo | Craft cola | 1,881 |
| 6 | Hikiniku to Come (Kyoto) | Gion, Kyoto | Charcoal-grilled hamburg steak and rice | 1,702 |
| 7 | I'm donut? Harajuku | Harajuku, Tokyo | Doughnuts | 1,651 |
| 8 | Hikiniku to Come (Shibuya) | Shibuya, Tokyo | Charcoal-grilled hamburg steak and rice | 1,589 |
| 9 | Imo Pippi | Asakusa, Tokyo | Sweet potato desserts | 1,503 |
| 10 | Kitan Hibiki | Namba, Osaka | Steak | 1,483 |
Seven of the ten are in Shibuya or Harajuku. Counting every branch, 4,140 travelers saved at least one Ichiran and 2,565 saved a Gyukatsu Motomura.
The most-saved cafés are spread more widely. Age.3 in Ginza, known for fried milk-bread sandwiches, leads with 2,550, followed by Hatoya in Asakusa (2,296), Benizuru Pancake, also in Asakusa (1,932), GOKAGO near Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto (1,817) and Cloud Club Matcha in Ginza (1,755).
Saved far beyond their fame
Google reviews are a rough measure of how many people already know a place. Dividing saves by reviews picks out the places that are far better known on TikTok and Instagram than on Google Maps. These are the shops and restaurants with the most saves per Google review, among places with at least 1,000 savers and 500 reviews.
| Place | What it is | Google reviews | Travelers who saved it | Saves per review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tokyo City Flea Market | Flea market at Oi Racecourse, Tokyo | 636 | 2,368 | 3.7 |
| Cloud Club Matcha | Matcha café, Ginza | 765 | 1,755 | 2.3 |
| Hatoya Asakusa | Café, Asakusa | 1,049 | 2,296 | 2.2 |
| Kitan Hibiki | Steak restaurant, Namba | 718 | 1,483 | 2.1 |
| GOKAGO | Café near Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto | 969 | 1,817 | 1.9 |
| The Little BAKERY Tokyo | Bakery, Tokyo | 683 | 1,205 | 1.8 |
| BAM BI COFFEE | Café, Tokyo | 690 | 1,189 | 1.7 |
| Iyoshi Cola | Craft cola, Harajuku | 1,288 | 1,881 | 1.5 |
For comparison, Sensō-ji has 96,744 Google reviews and 0.06 saves per review.
The chains travelers save most
teamLab is the most-saved chain in Japan. 5,435 travelers, 31% of everyone planning Japan, saved at least one of its digital art museums. Don Quijote is next at 4,821, then Ichiran (4,140), Onitsuka Tiger (3,235) and 7-Eleven (3,144). Uniqlo (2,985) and the Pokémon Center (2,630) come next.
Neighborhoods
We ranked neighborhoods separately from places. The most-saved are Akihabara (3,197), Shinjuku (2,830), Shinsekai in Osaka (2,826), Gion in Kyoto (2,734), Ginza (2,725) and Shimokitazawa (2,674).
Where the saves came from
57% of the saves of places in Japan came from TikTok videos and 38% from Instagram posts. Google Maps links, websites and YouTube videos together make up under 2%, and the remaining 4% were added without a post.
How we counted
- A save is a traveler keeping a place on their Plotline map, almost always after sharing a TikTok, Instagram post or other link into the app. Each traveler counts once per place, however many posts they saved it from.
- The data covers every save made through September 30, 2026.
- We left out places a traveler turned down while importing a post, the sample places Plotline offers new users during sign-up, places added by Plotline's AI trip planner, and two Plotline team accounts.
- Where Google Maps lists one landmark twice (Dotonbori, Ameyoko, Akihabara and Enoshima), we merged the entries and counted each traveler once.
- The place rankings leave out whole cities and wards. Neighborhoods have their own list above. Stations, airports and convenience stores are left out too, since travelers save them as practical stops.
- A place's city is the metro area Plotline gives it, which follows the town Google Maps lists. Four destinations combine neighboring towns: Mount Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes (Fujikawaguchiko, Fujiyoshida, Fujinomiya, Oshino, Yamanakako and Narusawa), Kamakura and Enoshima, Hiroshima and Miyajima, and Amanohashidate and Ine.
- We sorted the top 25 into food, temples and other groups by hand. Restaurants, food markets and food streets count as food.
- Platform shares use the first post each save came from. Google review counts are as Plotline last fetched them.
- We checked the 70 most-saved places for saves that came only from posts about other countries, a sign the place was matched by mistake. None had more than 7%.
- This measures what travelers plan to visit, not where they went. Plotline's users plan from TikTok and Instagram, so the list favors places that do well there. It also reflects Plotline's audience: 61% of everyone who has saved a place on Plotline has saved one in Japan.
- Every figure is an aggregate count of travelers. None identifies an individual.
Citing this study
You're welcome to quote these figures with credit to Plotline and a link to this page. Suggested citation: Plotline, "The Most-Saved Places in Japan," October 2026, getplotline.app/blog/most-saved-places-in-japan. For questions, email jeff@getplotline.app.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most-saved place in Japan?
Sensō-ji, the Buddhist temple in Asakusa, Tokyo. 5,542 of the 17,321 travelers who saved a place in Japan to Plotline through September 30, 2026 saved it. Shibuya Crossing (4,936) and Tsukiji Outer Market (4,931) are next.
What are the most popular places to visit in Tokyo?
Ranked by how many travelers saved them: Sensō-ji (5,542), Shibuya Crossing (4,936), Tsukiji Outer Market (4,931), Shibuya Sky (4,693) and Meiji Jingu (4,541). Nine in ten travelers planning Japan on Plotline saved at least one place in Tokyo.
What are the most-saved places in Kyoto and Osaka?
In Kyoto, Fushimi Inari Taisha (4,881), Arashiyama Bamboo Forest (4,286) and Kiyomizu-dera (3,999). In Osaka, Dotonbori (4,461), Osaka Castle (3,784) and Universal Studios Japan (3,415). Each city was saved by just under two-thirds of travelers planning Japan.
What is the most popular day trip from Tokyo?
Mount Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes. 33% of travelers planning Japan saved a place there, ahead of Kamakura and Enoshima (27%), Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu (18%), Yokohama (18%) and Hakone (16%).
Which restaurant in Japan is saved the most?
Menchirashi, an udon shop in Harajuku known for its carbonara udon, with 3,144 travelers. ICHIRAN Shibuya is a close second at 3,091, and 4,140 travelers saved at least one Ichiran somewhere in Japan.
Where do travelers find places to visit in Japan?
Mostly on TikTok. 57% of the saves of places in Japan came from TikTok videos and 38% from Instagram posts. Google Maps links, websites and YouTube together made up under 2%.
How was this ranking made?
We counted the travelers who saved each place in Japan to Plotline through September 30, 2026, one per traveler per place. Sample places from sign-up, places added by the AI trip planner, places travelers turned down and Plotline's own accounts are left out. Cities, neighborhoods, stations and convenience stores are ranked separately or left out.