Atsuta Shrine
One of Japan's Holiest Shrines Housing a Sacred Imperial Treasure
One of Japan's most important Shinto shrines, believed to house the sacred sword Kusanagi-no-Tsur...
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, ...
© 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Kinosaki Onsen
Kinosaki Onsen is a traditional hot spring town where visitors stroll between seven public bathho...
Tonomine Highlands
A Vast Silver Sea of Pampas Grass and Famous Film Location
An 800-metre-high plateau in inland Hyogo covered by roughly 90 hectares of silver susuki pampas ...
© 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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...
© Miya.m at Japanese Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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...
© Piccolist / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Zao Fox Village
Unique Park with Over 100 Free-Roaming Foxes
A one-of-a-kind sanctuary where over 100 foxes of six different species roam freely in a forested...
Photo: Saigen Jiro / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Atago Shrine
A Mountaintop Fire God Shrine Reached by a Rewarding Hike
Perched atop 924-meter Mt. Atago, this ancient shrine dedicated to the fire deity has protected K...
Yasaka Shrine
Heart of Gion and Home of the Gion Matsuri
A Shinto shrine at the heart of Gion, center of the Gion Matsuri festival every July, one of Japa...
© 金沢市 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.1 jp)
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
Kanazawa's Round Contemporary Art Museum
A striking circular glass museum by SANAA architects, famous for its interactive Swimming Pool in...
Byodo-in
Byodo-in Temple
A UNESCO World Heritage temple famous for its Phoenix Hall, depicted on the Japanese 10-yen coin.
© 江戸村のとくぞう / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Hozugawa River Boat Ride
A Thrilling River Boat Ride Through a Scenic Mountain Gorge
A two-hour wooden boat ride down the Hozu River from Kameoka to Arashiyama, navigating gentle rap...
© Oilstreet / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Kenroku-en
One of Japan's Three Great Gardens
One of Japan's three great landscape gardens, named for the six qualities a garden was said to need.
Photo: Soica2001 (talk) / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Lake Towada
A pristine caldera lake straddling Aomori and Akita prefectures, renowned for its deep blue water...
Photo: Mont Blank rich / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Todai-ji
Todai-ji Temple
A UNESCO World Heritage temple housing the world's largest bronze Buddha statue inside the larges...