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...

🗺️

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...

🗺️

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...

🗺️

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

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

Attraction

Shiga

Lake Biwa

Lake Biwa is Japan's largest and oldest freshwater lake, offering water sports, scenic cycling ro...

Shiga, Japan

City

Shiga

Shigaraki

Shigaraki Pottery Town

Playful tanuki statues with their oversized bellies and sake flasks greet visitors throughout thi...

Shiga, Japan

Temple

Kyoto

Tofuku-ji

Kyoto's Supreme Autumn Foliage Temple

One of Kyoto's Five Great Zen Temples. Best autumn foliage in the city. The view from Tsutenkyo B...

Kyoto, Japan

Museum

Mie

Mikimoto Pearl Island

Island Where Cultured Pearls Were First Produced

A small island in Toba Bay where Kokichi Mikimoto first produced a cultured pearl in 1893, now a ...

Toba, Mie, Japan

Trail Hikyo

Nara

Mitarai Valley

River Gorge with Waterfalls and Emerald Pools

A gorge in Tenkawa village with waterfalls, clear green pools and giant boulders, followed by a r...

Tenkawa, Nara, Japan

Landmark Hikyo

Wakayama

Doro-kyo Gorge

River Gorge with Sheer Cliffs on the Kitayama River

A steep-walled gorge on the Kitayama River in Yoshino-Kumano National Park, spanning the borders ...

Shingu, Wakayama, Japan

Aquarium

Mie

Toba Aquarium

As the only aquarium in Japan where you can observe the gentle dugong, Toba Aquarium offers an un...

Mie, Japan

Temple

Kyoto

Gio-ji

A Tiny Moss-Carpeted Temple Steeped in Tragic Romance

A small thatched-roof temple blanketed in luminous green moss, linked to a tragic love story from...

Kyoto, Japan

Temple World Heritage

Nara

Yakushi-ji

Ancient Temple of Healing with the Frozen Music Pagoda

A World Heritage temple and one of the Seven Great Temples of Nara, celebrated for its elegant Ea...

Nara, Japan

Temple

Kyoto

Jojakko-ji

A Hillside Temple Famous for Its Fiery Autumn Foliage

Hillside temple in Sagano, best in autumn. The pagoda surrounded by red and orange maples is the ...

Kyoto, Japan

Beach

Wakayama

Shirahama Beach

White Sand Beach in Wakayama

One of Japan's most famous beaches, known for its pristine white sand and crystal clear waters on...

Shirahama, Wakayama, Japan

Attraction

Wakayama

Sandanbeki

Dramatic Sea Cliffs with a Hidden Pirate Cave

Towering 50-meter sea cliffs along the Shirahama coast with an elevator descending to a cave once...

Shirahama, Wakayama, Japan

Michi-no-eki

Hyogo

Michi-no-Eki Awaji

Roadside station beside the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, with terrace views and raw whitebait

The roadside station closest to the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, on the north tip of Awaji Island, with ...

Awaji, Hyogo, Japan

Attraction

Wakayama

Wakayama Marina City

Mediterranean-Themed Resort Island with Markets and Onsen

An artificial island resort featuring the Mediterranean-themed Porto Europa park, Kuroshio Market...

Wakayama, Japan

Prefectures in Kansai

Hyogo Kyoto Mie Nara Osaka Shiga Wakayama

Explore all regions of Japan