Things to Do in Kansai, Japan

Katsuoji Temple

Victory Temple Famous for Daruma Dolls and Minoo Mountain Views

Set in the forested mountains above Minoo, this 1,300-year-old Shingon temple has drawn seekers o...

Iga-Ueno Castle

Rising above the legendary birthplace of ninja culture, Iga-Ueno Castle has Japan's tallest stone...

Kyoto Tower

The First and Last Landmark Greeting Visitors to Kyoto

Standing 131 meters tall in front of Kyoto Station, this candlestick-shaped tower has been a city...

Myokensan (Nose Myokensan)

Nose Myokensan Temple

Nose Myokensan is a Nichiren-sect temple at the 660-metre summit of Mount Myoken, on the border b...

Okochi Sanso Garden

A Hilltop Garden with Panoramic Views of Kyoto and Arashiyama

The former villa garden of silent film actor Okochi Denjiro, perched on a hillside above the bamb...

Sumoto Castle Ruins

Hilltop Castle Ruins with Panoramic Views of the Seto Inland Sea

A hilltop castle ruin on Awaji Island with Japan's oldest remaining concrete-built tenshu replica...

Miho Museum

I. M. Pei-Designed Museum Hidden in the Shigaraki Mountains

A mountain museum near Shigaraki designed by I. M. Pei, reached through a tunnel and suspension b...

Konze Tenma no Mori

Hilltop forest park with Lake Biwa views, beside the Konze roadside station

A green hilltop forest park on the slopes of Konze-yama in Ritto, next to the Michi-no-Eki Konze ...

Michi-no-Eki Konze no Sato Ritto

Roadside Station and Local Market in the Konze Hills

A roadside station in the Konze hills of Ritto, with a farm shop of local Shiga produce and speci...

Jinrui Mina Menrui Tsukemen

Tsukemen from Osaka's Jinrui Mina Menrui

The original shop stopped serving tsukemen, so this is where to get it. The dipping broth arrives...

Abeno Harukas

Western Japan's Tallest Building with 360-Degree Views

A 300-meter skyscraper featuring the Harukas 300 observation deck, a department store, art museum...

Taiyo Park

World Heritage Replicas Theme Park

A quirky theme park featuring full-scale replicas of world monuments including a Neuschwanstein-s...

Keino Matsubara Beach

Japan's Best Sunset Beach with Ancient Pine Groves

West-facing beach with 50,000 black pine trees and Seto Inland Sea sunsets. Swimming July to late...

Tsuruhashi Korean Town

Japan's Largest and Liveliest Koreatown

Japan's largest Koreatown around Tsuruhashi Station, with hundreds of yakiniku joints, kimchi ven...

Sagano Bamboo Grove

Tall bamboo stalks forming a corridor in Arashiyama. Very Instagrammed. Go at dawn or it's a queu...