Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Meiji Shrine

Tokyo's Most Important Shinto Shrine

Shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, set within a 70-hectare evergreen forest in...

Iwatayama Monkey Park

Wild Monkeys Above the Arashiyama Treetops

Climb the forested slopes of Iwatayama mountain to encounter over 120 wild Japanese macaques roam...

Shitennoji

Shitennoji Temple

Japan's oldest officially administered Buddhist temple, founded in 593 AD by Prince Shotoku, feat...

Kabukicho

Shinjuku's Neon-Lit Entertainment Quarter

The name is a leftover from a plan that never happened. After the 1945 firebombing flattened this...

Pontocho

A Narrow Lantern-Lit Alley of Traditional Dining Along the Kamo River

One of Kyoto's most atmospheric streets, a narrow lantern-lit alley running along the Kamo River ...

Shibuya Crossing

The World's Busiest Pedestrian Crossing

The world-famous scramble crossing where up to 3,000 pedestrians cross simultaneously from all di...

Munakata Grand Shrine

Sacred Island and Ancient Shrines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site comprising three shrines dedicated to the three Munakata goddesses, ...

Suma Beach

Kobe's Most Popular Urban Beach

Kobe's most popular urban beach, a long stretch of white sand along Osaka Bay with views of the A...

Ibaraki City Museum of Christian Relics

Museum of the Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians)

A small municipal museum in the mountain hamlet of Senteiji, north of Ibaraki City, preserving re...

Koyasan Okunoin

The most sacred site on Mount Koya, featuring Japan's largest cemetery along a mystical forest pa...

Ginkaku-ji

Silver Pavilion

A Zen temple famed for its elegant Silver Pavilion and meticulously raked sand garden reflecting ...

Nushima

The Mythological Birthplace of Japan, a 10-Minute Ferry Off Awaji's South Coast

A 2.5-km island off the south coast of Awaji, traditionally identified as Onogoro-jima, the first...

Gangoji

Japan's Oldest Temple with 1,400-Year-Old Roof Tiles

A World Heritage temple and one of Japan's oldest, where remarkably some original roof tiles from...

Ryoan-ji

Ryoan-ji Temple

UNESCO World Heritage Zen temple with the famous rock garden of 15 stones on white gravel. From a...

Echizen Daibutsu

Echizen Great Buddha at Seidaiji Temple

Japan's tallest seated Buddha statue (17m) inside a massive five-story pagoda temple complex, riv...