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 World Heritage

Nara

Fujiwara Palace Site

The Field Where Nara Says Japan's First Grid-Planned Capital Stood, Now Planted with Rapeseed, Lotus and Cosmos

The site of the palace at the centre of Fujiwara-kyo, Japan's capital from 694 to 710, which Nara...

Kashihara, Nara, Japan

Temple

Nara

Tsubosakadera

Temple of Large Stone Buddhas Linked to Eye Ailments

A Shingon temple in Takatori, the sixth stop of the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage, known for a Kannon...

Takatori, Nara, Japan

Shrine

Shiga

Taga Taisha

Major Shinto Shrine Honouring Izanagi and Izanami

One of Shiga's principal shrines, dedicated to Izanagi and Izanami and popularly called Ota-ga-san.

Taga, Shiga, Japan

Landmark

Wakayama

Hashigui-iwa

Mysterious Row of Rock Pillars Stretching Into the Sea

A striking natural monument of roughly 40 rock pillars stretching 850 meters into the sea near Ku...

Kushimoto, Wakayama, Japan

Shrine

Shiga

Omi Jingu

Otsu Shrine Tied to Emperor Tenji and Competitive Karuta

A Shinto shrine in Otsu dedicated to Emperor Tenji, widely known as a centre of competitive karuta.

Otsu, Shiga, Japan

Trail

Mie

Akame 48 Waterfalls

Series of Waterfalls Along a Gorge Hiking Trail

A series of waterfalls along a roughly four-kilometre walking trail through the Takigawa Gorge in...

Nabari, Mie, Japan

Temple

Nara

Muroji

Women's Koya and Japan's Smallest Outdoor Pagoda

Known as Women's Koya for welcoming female worshippers when Mount Koya banned them, this mountain...

Uda, Nara, Japan

Temple World Heritage

Nara

Kimpusen-ji

Yoshino's Zao-do Hall and the Blue Zao Gongen, Shown Only in Spring and Autumn

The head temple of Kimpusen Shugen Honshu, a Shugendo school, halfway up Mount Yoshino. Its main ...

Yoshino, Nara, Japan

Shrine

Shiga

Shirahige Shrine

Ancient Shrine with a Torii Gate Standing in Lake Biwa

The head of the Shirahige shrines, known for a red torii gate that stands in the water of Lake Bi...

Takashima, Shiga, Japan

Trail World Heritage

Nara

Kasugayama Primeval Forest

The Old Shrine Forest Behind Kasuga Taisha, and a Stone Road to the 12th-Century Cave Buddhas

The forest on Mount Kasuga behind Kasuga Taisha, kept as the shrine's sacred ground since hunting...

Nara, Japan

Museum

Shiga

Sagawa Art Museum

Water-Surrounded Museum on the Moriyama Lakeshore

A serene museum near the Moriyama lakeshore whose low pavilions appear to float on a broad reflec...

Moriyama, Shiga, Japan

Temple World Heritage

Nara

Tachibana-dera

The Temple That Marks the Traditional Birthplace of Prince Shotoku, with a Two-Faced Stone and an Old Pagoda Base

A Tendai temple on the spot where, by tradition, Prince Shotoku was born. The Asuka-period temple...

Asuka, Nara, Japan

Temple World Heritage

Nara

Asuka-dera

The Asuka Daibutsu, Dated by the Temple to 609 and Called by It Japan's Oldest Buddha Statue, Photos Allowed

A small hall in the fields of Asuka on the site of the temple Soga no Umako began in 588. Inside ...

Asuka, Nara, Japan

Michi-no-eki

Wakayama

Michi-no-Eki Kaki-no-Sato Kudoyama

Persimmon-village roadside station at the foot of Mt. Koya

A roadside station at the foot of Mt. Koya in Kudoyama, a gateway to the Koya pilgrimage routes, ...

Kudoyama, Wakayama, Japan

Park

Nara

Soni Kogen

Highland Plateau of Silver Pampas Grass

A grassland plateau of about 38 hectares at the foot of Mount Kururuso, covered in pampas grass t...

Soni, Nara, Japan

Prefectures in Kansai

Hyogo Kyoto Mie Nara Osaka Shiga Wakayama

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