Things to Do in Kansai, Japan
Japan's cultural heart: Kyoto, Nara and Osaka, plus the pilgrim trails and islands of the Kii Peninsula.
361 destinations across 7 prefectures
Festivals in Kansai
Jidai Matsuri
22 October 2026
Kyoto · Float procession
Awaji Island Festival Fireworks
8 November 2026
Hyogo · Fireworks festival
Wakakusa Yamayaki
23 January 2027
Nara · Fire festival
© ignis / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Omizutori
1 to 14 March 2027
Nara · Fire festival
© J o / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Aoi Matsuri
15 May 2027
Kyoto · Float procession
© 江戸村のとくぞう / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Gion Matsuri
1 to 31 July 2027
Kyoto · Float procession
© 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Tenjin Matsuri
24 to 25 July 2027
Osaka · Boat festival
Photo: Idushin at Japanese Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Kishiwada Danjiri Matsuri
18 to 19 September 2027
Osaka · Float procession
© sailko / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Nada Kenka Matsuri
14 to 15 October 2027
Hyogo · Float procession
Suggested Itineraries
Places to Visit in Kansai
Jingo-ji
Four Hundred Steps Above the Kiyotaki Gorge
A mountain temple of 824 above the Kiyotaki gorge, reached by about 400 stone steps, where visito...
Kozan-ji
A World Heritage Temple in a Cedar Forest, Home of the Frolicking Animals
A UNESCO World Heritage temple in the cedars at Toganoo, revived by the monk Myoe in 1206, known ...
Kobe Suma Sea World
Orcas on the Suma Seafront, Where Timed Tickets Are the Safe Bet
The aquarium that replaced Suma Aqualife Park, opened on 1 June 2024, with an orca stadium, the o...
Nintendo Museum
Nintendo's Old Hanafuda Card Factory, Open Only to Lottery Winners
Nintendo's museum in its former Uji Ogura card factory, open since October 2024. Tickets come onl...
Yasaka Pagoda (Hokan-ji)
The Five-Storey Pagoda at the End of Kyoto's Most Photographed Lane
A 46-metre, five-storey pagoda rebuilt in 1440 that closes the view down Yasaka-dori. The street ...
Michi-no-Eki Nose Kuri-no-Sato
Chestnuts and local rice in northern Osaka
A farm market and food stop on Route 173 in Nose, at the northern edge of Osaka. Seasonal chestnu...
Nishi Hongan-ji
A Free Head Temple 15 Minutes from Kyoto Station, Open from 5:30
Head temple of the Hongwanji branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, on this site since 1591. Entry is f...
Fudarakusan-ji
The Nachi Beach Temple Where Monks Set Sail, Sealed In, for Kannon's Paradise
A small Tendai temple by Nachi beach, a branch of Seiganto-ji, where monks once set out in small ...
Arimafuji Park
Woodland, pondside paths and imaginative play areas spread beneath the distinctive hill of Arimaf...
Chogosonshi-ji
The Tiger Temple of Mount Shigi, Home Ground of Bishamonten and the Shigisan Engi Scrolls
A sprawling temple on Mount Shigi in Heguri, given over to Bishamonten and to tigers: legend says...
Higashi Hongan-ji
A Free Giant Seven Minutes from Kyoto Station, With a Rope of Hair
Head temple of the Otani branch of Jodo Shinshu, with a Goei-do 76 metres wide that the temple co...
Mount Ibuki
Shiga's Highest Peak, Now Climbed Only From the Toll Road's End
At 1,377 meters, Mount Ibuki is the highest peak in Shiga, known for the wildflower meadows on it...
Negoro-ji
A 1547 Pagoda That Survived Hideyoshi, and You Can Go Inside
Head temple of the Shingi Shingon school in the hills of Iwade, northern Wakayama. Its Daito, fin...
Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum
Takarazuka’s Tezuka museum explores the imagination behind Astro Boy and other influential manga ...
Tower of the Sun
Inside Taro Okamoto's Tower: 145 Steps Up a 41-Meter Tree of Life
Taro Okamoto's 70-meter tower from Expo '70, whose hollow interior reopened in March 2018 after n...