Things to Do in Kansai, Japan

Japan's cultural heart: Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, plus the pilgrim trails and islands of the Kii Peninsula.

372 destinations across 7 prefectures

Festivals in Kansai

Awaji Island Festival Fireworks

8 November 2026

Hyogo · Fireworks festival

Kasuga Wakamiya On-matsuri

15 to 18 December 2026

Nara · Float procession

Toka Ebisu at Imamiya Ebisu Shrine

9 to 11 January 2027

Osaka · Festival

Wakakusa Yamayaki

23 January 2027

Nara · Fire festival

Kobe Luminarie

29 January 2027 to 7 February 2027

Hyogo · Lantern festival

Omizutori

1 to 14 March 2027

Nara · Fire festival

Aoi Matsuri

15 May 2027

Kyoto · Float procession

Gion Matsuri

1 to 31 July 2027

Kyoto · Float procession

Tenjin Matsuri

24 to 25 July 2027

Osaka · Boat festival

Kyoto Gozan Okuribi

16 August 2027

Kyoto · Fire festival

Photo: Idushin at Japanese Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri

18 to 19 September 2027

Osaka · Float procession

Nada Kenka Matsuri

14 to 15 October 2027

Hyogo · Float procession

Jidai Matsuri

22 October 2027

Kyoto · Float procession

Suggested Itineraries

New Year in Japan 2026-2027: What Is Closed, What Is Open, and Hatsumode

New Year in Japan 2026-2027: What Is Closed, What Is Open, and Hatsumode Shogatsu, the New Year holiday, is the one time of year when Japan really stops. Offices close, banks close, family resta...

Photo: lumoplank / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)

Kyoto and Kamakura Autumn Leaves 2026: Peak Dates and Light-Ups

Kyoto and Kamakura Autumn Leaves 2026: Peak Dates and Light-Ups The maples in Kyoto turn red in the second half of November, and Kamakura's a week or two later, often into December. This guide c...

Japan Winter Illuminations 2026-2027: Dates, Hours and Prices

Japan Winter Illuminations 2026-2027: Dates, Hours and Prices From late October to spring, Japanese parks, shopping districts and main streets string up lights, and some of them stay lit for six...

Japan's Famous Day-Trip Onsen: Historic Public Bathhouses You Can Just Walk Into

Japan's Famous Day-Trip Onsen: Historic Public Bathhouses You Can Just Walk Into You do not need a ryokan booking to bathe in Japan's best-known hot spring water. Most onsen towns keep public ba...

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Hitō: Japan's Hidden Hot Springs at the End of the Road

Hitō: Japan's Hidden Hot Springs at the End of the Road Hitō (秘湯) means "hidden hot spring". It is the onsen you reach only after a long mountain road, a forest trail or a boat, and very often i...

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Hikyo: Japan's Secluded, Hard-to-Reach Places and How to Get There

Hikyo: Japan's Secluded, Hard-to-Reach Places and How to Get There Hikyo (秘境) is the Japanese word for a remote, secluded place. The two characters mean something like "hidden region", and in Ja...

Kyoto beyond the crowds: quiet temples and mountain shrines

Kyoto beyond the crowds: quiet temples and mountain shrines Kyoto's crowding problem is smaller than it looks. It is concentrated in about six places: Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, t...

Awaji Island and Nushima: An Off-the-Beaten-Path Itinerary (2026)

Awaji Island and Nushima: An Off-the-Beaten-Path Itinerary (2026) Awaji Island sits in the sea between Kobe and Shikoku, crossed by most people at 100km/h on the highway bus and seen by almost n...

Silver grass on the Tonomine Highlands under a blue autumn sky

Hyogo's Hidden North: A San'in-Side Off-the-Beaten-Path Itinerary (2026)

Hyogo's Hidden North: A San'in-Side Off-the-Beaten-Path Itinerary (2026) Almost everyone who comes to Hyogo sees Himeji Castle and Kobe and goes no further. Head north from Himeji, though, and t...

Lake Biwa and Hidden Shiga: An Off-the-Beaten-Path Itinerary (2026)

Lake Biwa and Hidden Shiga: An Off-the-Beaten-Path Itinerary (2026) Shiga sits right next to Kyoto, barely fifteen minutes by train, yet almost no visitors stop. That is their loss. Wrapped arou...

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Off the Beaten Path in the Kii Peninsula: A Kumano Kodo Itinerary (2026)

Off the Beaten Path in the Kii Peninsula: A Kumano Kodo Itinerary (2026) Most first trips to Kansai never leave the Kyoto to Osaka to Nara triangle. The Kii Peninsula, the big forested block of ...

The Weirdest and Most Exciting Soft Serves in Kansai

The Weirdest and Most Exciting Soft Serves in Kansai Soft serve is a road-trip institution in Japan, and the best place to find it is a michi-no-eki, the roadside stations that double as farm mark...

When Do Japan's Beaches Open in 2026? Swimming Season Dates by Region

When Do Japan's Beaches Open in 2026? Swimming Season Dates by Region Most Japanese beaches are only open for swimming during a fixed season. A beach holds an "umibiraki" (海開き), the official ope...

How to Get from Kansai Airport to Umeda (Osaka) by Train – 2026 Guide

Traveling from Kansai International Airport to the Umeda area of Osaka is simple and convenient. One of the easiest options is to take the Haruka Limited Express and get off at Osaka Station. The ...

The Easiest Way to Travel from KIX to Kobe, Sannomiya (2026 Guide)

Traveling from Kansai International Airport to Sannomiya Station in Kobe is easy and comfortable using the Airport Limousine Bus that is operated by Hankyu. The bus goes directly from the airport t...

The Fastest and Easiest Way to Kyoto From Kansai International Airport (2026 Guide)

Traveling from Kansai International Airport to Kyoto is simple and convenient. The most direct option is the Haruka Limited Express, which connects the airport directly to Kyoto Station in about 75...

Places to Visit in Kansai

Historic Site

Nara

Asuka

Japan's Ancient Capital with Megalithic Tombs and Stone Carvings

Japan's ancient capital before Nara, where mysterious megalithic stone tombs, ancient temple ruin...

Asuka, Nara, Japan

Landmark

Osaka

Umeda Sky Building

Floating Garden Observatory

Two 40-story towers connected by an open-air rooftop deck at 173 meters. The glass-tube escalator...

Osaka, Japan

Temple

Hyogo

Engyo-ji Temple

Ancient Mountain Temple from The Last Samurai

A sprawling 1000-year-old temple complex atop Mount Shosha, famous as a filming location for 'The...

Himeji, Hyogo, Japan

Park

Nara

Nara Park

Historic park home to over 1,000 freely roaming sacred deer and several UNESCO World Heritage tem...

Nara, Japan

Temple World Heritage

Wakayama

Seiganto-ji

First Temple of the Saikoku Pilgrimage and the Pagoda Above Nachi Falls

The Tendai temple beside Kumano Nachi Taisha and the first stop of the Saikoku 33 Kannon pilgrima...

Nachikatsuura, Wakayama, Japan

Shrine

Hyogo

Izanagi Shrine

Japan's Oldest Shrine, Birthplace of the Creation Myth

Considered Japan's oldest shrine, dedicated to the creator deities Izanagi and Izanami who, accor...

Awaji, Hyogo, Japan

Museum

Kyoto

Kyoto International Manga Museum

A Former School Housing 300,000 Manga Volumes

Housed in a former elementary school, this museum holds approximately 300,000 manga items. Visito...

Kyoto, Japan

Temple

Kyoto

Kurama-dera

A Mountain Temple of Mystical Energy and Ancient Forests

A powerful mountain temple said to be where Yoshitsune trained as a child. The forested trail con...

Kyoto, Japan

Temple

Kyoto

Nanzen-ji

Nanzen-ji Temple

Highest-ranked Rinzai Zen temple in Kyoto. The 22-meter sanmon gate has city views from the top. ...

Kyoto, Japan

Shrine

Osaka

Sumiyoshi Taisha

Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine

One of Japan's oldest shrines, dating to the 3rd century. The Sumiyoshi-zukuri buildings predate ...

Osaka, Japan

Historic Site World Heritage

Nara

Heijo Palace Site

UNESCO Imperial Palace Ruins with Reconstructed Gate and Hall

The ruins of the imperial palace of the Nara-period capital, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a ...

Nara, Japan

Museum

Hyogo

Kobe Earthquake Memorial Museum (DRI)

Interactive Museum Documenting the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake

Powerful interactive museum documenting the devastating 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake with ...

Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

Amusement Park

Mie

Nagashima Spa Land

Large Amusement Park with the Steel Dragon 2000 Coaster

A large amusement park in Kuwana, part of the Nagashima Resort, home to the Steel Dragon 2000 rol...

Kuwana, Mie, Japan

Attraction World Heritage

Nara

Mount Yoshino

Japan's most celebrated cherry blossom viewing site, with approximately 30,000 cherry trees cover...

Yoshino, Nara, Japan

Garden

Nara

Isuien Garden

Exquisite Borrowed Scenery Garden beside Todai-ji

An exquisite Meiji-era strolling garden next to Todai-ji, celebrated for its masterful borrowed s...

Nara, Japan

Prefectures in Kansai

Hyogo Kyoto Mie Nara Osaka Shiga Wakayama

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