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
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...
Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum
Takarazuka’s Tezuka museum explores the imagination behind Astro Boy and other influential manga ...
Shirahama Onsen
A Seaside Hot Spring Town Where the Oldest Bath Is a Rock Pool at the Waterline
The hot spring side of Shirahama, apart from the beach. Its best-known bath is Sakinoyu, open-air...
Amarube Viaduct Sora no Eki
A Station in the Sky on What Is Left of the Old Amarube Iron Bridge
Three steel piers of the 1912 Amarube iron bridge still stand beside its 2010 concrete replacemen...
Asahi Group Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art
A former hillside villa brings domestic architecture, craft and modern gallery spaces together ab...
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...
Hokki-ji
Japan's Oldest Three-Storey Pagoda, Out in the Fields North-East of Horyu-ji
A small temple among fields on the north-east edge of Ikaruga. Its three-storey pagoda, finished ...
Honno-ji
The Temple Where Nobunaga Died, Rebuilt Ten Years Later Across Town
The Nichiren-school temple linked to Oda Nobunaga's death in 1582, rebuilt on Teramachi-dori in 1...
Kiyoshikojin Seicho-ji Temple
A climbing shopping street leads to Kiyoshikojin, where Buddhist worship meets devotion to the gu...
Matsuo-dera
A Hilltop Temple West of Yamato-Koriyama That Calls Itself Japan's Oldest for Warding Off Bad Luck
A Shingon temple on Mount Matsuo at the south end of the Yata hills, which by its own account was...
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...
Michi-no-Eki Tajima-no-Mahoroba
Tajima food shopping at Santo PA
Tajima-no-Mahoroba combines a regional food market, restaurant and food court at Santo PA in Asag...
Nakayamadera Temple
A vivid blue five-story pagoda rises above Nakayamadera, a temple closely associated with prayers...
Nesta Resort Kobe
An outdoor adventure park in the hills of Miki
A hillside resort where the attractions are things you do yourself: ziplines, a giant rolling bal...
Taima-dera
Two Ancient Pagodas Under Mount Nijo and the Temple of the Taima Mandala
A temple at the foot of Mount Nijo in Katsuragi, and the only one in Japan where both of its anci...