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

Shopping

Osaka

LaLaport EXPOCITY

Japan's Largest Shopping and Entertainment Complex Next to Expo Park

Japan's largest entertainment complex, combining over 300 shops with NIFREL aquarium, Japan's tal...

Suita, Osaka, Japan

Shrine

Nara

Isonokami Shrine

One of Japan's Oldest Shrines with Legendary Sacred Sword

One of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines, mentioned in the nation's earliest chronicles, said to hous...

Tenri, Nara, Japan

Photo: Saigen Jiro / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

Historic Site

Kyoto

Kyoto Imperial Palace

The Former Imperial Residence in a Spacious National Garden

The former residence of Japan's Imperial family for over 500 years until 1869, set within the exp...

Kyoto, Japan

Temple World Heritage

Nara

Toshodai-ji

Ganjin's Legacy and the Finest Nara-Period Architecture

A World Heritage temple founded in 759 by the Chinese monk Ganjin, whose Golden Hall is widely re...

Nara, Japan

Photo: ほっきー / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

Market

Osaka

Kuromon Market

Known as Osaka's Kitchen since around 1822, this 600-meter covered market arcade embodies eat-as-...

Osaka, Japan

Market

Kyoto

Nishiki Market

Kyoto's Kitchen

A narrow five-block shopping street with over 100 shops and restaurants, known as 'Kyoto's Kitche...

Kyoto, Japan

Beach

Hyogo

Ohama Beach

Sumoto's White Sand Beach, One of Japan's 100 Best

A 750-meter white sand beach in Sumoto, recognized as one of Japan's top beaches by the Ministry ...

Sumoto, Hyogo, Japan

Historic Site

Osaka

Hozenji Yokocho

Atmospheric Stone-Paved Alley of Traditional Osaka Dining

A charming stone-paved alley behind Dotonbori lined with over 60 traditional Osaka restaurants an...

Osaka, Japan

Attraction

Shiga

Okishima

Okishima, Japan's Only Inhabited Lake Island

A small fishing island in Lake Biwa with no cars, narrow alleys, old shrines, and around 250 resi...

Omihachiman, Shiga, Japan

Trail

Hyogo

JR Fukuchiyama Line Disused Railway Trail

Walk an Abandoned Railway Through Gorge Tunnels and Spring Sakura

A flat 4.7 km hiking trail along the original Fukuchiyama Line route through the Mukogawa Gorge, ...

Nishinomiya, Hyogo, Japan

Landmark

Hyogo

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

The World's Longest Suspension Bridge Until 2022

Suspension bridge whose 1,991m main span was the world's longest from 1998 until 2022, total leng...

Kobe, Hyogo, Japan

Temple

Kyoto

Daitoku-ji

Vast Zen Complex of Exquisite Rock Gardens

A vast Rinzai Zen temple complex in northern Kyoto with over 20 sub-temples, many featuring excep...

Kyoto, Japan

Shrine World Heritage

Wakayama

Kumano Nachi Taisha

Sacred Grand Shrine Beside Japan's Tallest Waterfall

One of the three Kumano Grand Shrines, perched on a mountainside next to Nachi Falls and Seiganto...

Nachikatsuura, Wakayama, Japan

Temple World Heritage

Kyoto

Kiyomizu-dera

Pure Water Temple

A hillside temple where a vast wooden stage, supported by 139 pillars without a single nail, offe...

Kyoto, Japan

Temple

Kyoto

Kennin-ji

Kyoto's Oldest Zen Temple in the Heart of Gion

Kyoto's oldest Zen temple. Founded 1202 by Eisai, who brought Zen and tea to Japan. Twin Dragons ...

Kyoto, Japan

Prefectures in Kansai

Hyogo Kyoto Mie Nara Osaka Shiga Wakayama

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