Things to Do in Kansai, Japan

Hatenashi Village

A Hillside Hamlet on the Kohechi Trail, a Steep Climb Above Totsukawa Onsen

A small farming hamlet halfway up the Hatenashi Pass in Totsukawa, Nara, where the World Heritage...

Hosen-in

Matcha in Front of a 700-Year-Old Pine, Under a Blood-Stained Ceiling

A small Tendai temple at the far end of Ohara's approach lane, beyond Sanzen-in, where the 1,000-...

Hozan-ji

Ikoma Shoten, a Temple Under a Cliff Reached by Japan's Oldest Cable Car

A working temple of prayer halfway up Mount Ikoma, where people come to ask Kangiten, known local...

Jison-in

Kukai's Mother's Temple at the Foot of Koyasan, Where the Choishi-michi Begins

A small Shingon temple by the Kinokawa river where, by tradition, Kukai's mother lived out her li...

Kodai-ji

Nene's Temple for Hideyoshi, With Gold Lacquer and Lit Autumn Nights

The Zen temple Toyotomi Hideyoshi's widow Nene founded in 1606 to pray for him, with her tomb und...

Koyasan Choishi-michi

The 22 km Pilgrim Path to Koyasan, Counted Down by 180 Stone Markers

The old main pilgrim road up Koyasan, about 22 km from Jison-in in Kudoyama to the Konpon Daito, ...

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...

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...

Saidai-ji

Three Minutes from Yamato-Saidaiji Station, a Temple Where Tea Is Passed Round in a Giant Bowl

Once the western counterpart of Todai-ji, now a set of Edo-period halls three minutes from a busy...

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...

Abe Monju-in

Kaikei's 7-Metre Monju on a Lion, Abe no Seimei's Hall and a Cosmos Maze in Sakurai

A temple of the Abe clan south of Sakurai Station. The main hall holds a group of five National T...

Ako Castle Ruins

Irregular moats and stone walls outline Ako’s former coastal fortress, associated with the Asano ...

Ichimaiiwa Rock

A Single Rock Wall 100 Meters High on the Koza River, Four Town Buses a Day

One unbroken face of volcanic rock, about 100 meters high and 500 meters wide, rising straight ou...

Ikoma Sanjo Amusement Park

A 1929 Amusement Park on Top of Mount Ikoma, With a Flying Tower Often Called Japan's Oldest Large Ride

A small, old-fashioned amusement park on the 642 m summit of Mount Ikoma, opened by Kintetsu in 1...

Jiko-in

A Tea Master's Temple Where the Entry Fee Buys a Bowl of Matcha and a View over the Yamato Basin

A small Zen temple in Yamato-Koriyama built in 1663 by the tea master and local lord Katagiri Sek...