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
Settsukyo Park
The Akutagawa River cuts through wooded hills north of Takatsuki, creating a gorge of rocky banks...
Shoryaku-ji
A Valley Temple Southeast of Nara Where Refined Sake Began, at Its Best in the November Maples
A mountain temple about 4 km up a valley road from Route 169, where medieval monks worked out the...
Tamaki Shrine
A Cedar-Wrapped Mountaintop Shrine at the Far End of Japan's Largest Village
A shrine just below the 1,076-meter summit of Mount Tamaki on the Omine Okugake pilgrimage route,...
Tanize Suspension Bridge
A 297-Meter Village Footbridge That Sways 54 Meters Above the Totsukawa River
A steel-wire footbridge about 297 meters long and 54 meters above the Totsukawa River, built in 1...
Tenkawa Daibenzaiten Shrine
A Benzaiten Shrine for Performers in the Omine Valleys, Where Noh Is Still Staged
A shrine to Benzaiten, goddess of water, eloquence and the performing arts, in the village of Ten...
Tojoko Toy Kingdom
A toy-brand theme park by Lake Tojo for small children
Ten indoor toy pavilions (Tomica and Plarail, Licca-chan, Sylvanian Families) plus about 15 small...
Yamanobe-no-michi
The Old Road Along the Foot of the Hills, 16 km from Tenri to Sakurai via Isonokami Shrine and Omiwa Shrine
A walking route along the western foot of the hills east of the Nara basin, often called Japan's ...
Yamato-Koriyama Goldfish Town
Yamato-Koriyama's Goldfish Town: Tanks Along the Shopping Street, a Free Goldfish Museum and the Dyers' Canal Street
The old castle town below Koriyama Castle has bred goldfish for about 300 years and still has aro...
Yoshiminedera Temple
Yoshiminedera spreads across Kyoto’s western hills, with terraced temple paths, wide city views a...
Akishino-dera
A Small Temple of Moss in Northwest Nara, Kept for Japan's Only Old Gigeiten Statue
A quiet temple a short bus ride north of Yamato-Saidaiji, with a National Treasure main hall from...
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...
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 ...
Kitora Tomb
A Small Asuka Tomb Painted with the Four Guardian Animals and a Star Chart, and a Free Museum Where the Real Murals Go on Show
A two-tier round tomb from the late 7th or early 8th century whose chamber was painted with the f...
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, ...
Kushimoto Turkish Memorial Museum
The 1890 Ertugrul Shipwreck, Beside Japan's Oldest Stone Lighthouse
A small museum on the eastern cliffs of Kii-Oshima about the Ottoman frigate Ertugrul, wrecked on...