Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

A street in Sasayama's castle town, hung with banners, on a cloudy November day
City
Hyogo

Tamba-Sasayama

Tamba-Sasayama: Castle Town, Samurai Street and Black Soybeans

A castle town in the hills of eastern Hyogo, about an hour from Osaka: castle walls and a rebuilt...

Tamba-Sasayama, Hyogo, Japan
Taisho Roman-kan, Sasayama's 1923 town hall, busy with visitors on a November holiday
Historic Site
Hyogo

Taisho Roman-kan

Taisho Roman-kan: Sasayama's 1923 Town Hall, Now Shops and a Café

Sasayama's old town hall, a pale wooden building from 1923 across from the castle, now selling lo...

Tamba-Sasayama, Hyogo, Japan
The thatched Anma family house behind its earthen wall on Okachimachi
Historic Site
Hyogo

Anma Family Samurai House

Anma Family Samurai House: A Foot Soldier's Thatched Home in Sasayama

A thatched samurai house on Okachimachi, the street where Sasayama's foot soldiers lived, with it...

Tamba-Sasayama, Hyogo, Japan
The Ōshoin, Sasayama Castle's great hall, rebuilt in 2000, under autumn clouds
Castle
Hyogo

Sasayama Castle

Sasayama Castle and the Ōshoin: Hours, Tickets and Parking

The stone walls and moats of a castle built in 1609 on Tokugawa Ieyasu's orders, and the Ōshoin, ...

Tamba-Sasayama, Hyogo, Japan
The entrance porch of the 1891 Sasayama courthouse, now the history museum
Museum
Hyogo

Tamba-Sasayama History Museum

Tamba-Sasayama History Museum: Armour and Swords in an 1891 Courthouse

Sasayama's old courthouse, built in 1891 and used until 1981, now a museum of armour, swords and ...

Tamba-Sasayama, Hyogo, Japan
The thatched gatehouse at the entrance to Aoyama Rekishi-mura
Museum
Hyogo

Aoyama Rekishi-mura

Aoyama Rekishi-mura: The Sasayama Lords' Villa and Storehouses

The villa and storehouses of the Aoyama family, lords of Sasayama from 1748 to the Meiji Restorat...

Tamba-Sasayama, Hyogo, Japan
Attraction
Miyazaki

Nichinan Coast

Scenic Coastline with Devil's Washboard Rock Formations

The Nichinan Coast stretches over 100 kilometers along Miyazaki's Pacific shore, famous for its d...

Miyazaki, Japan
Landmark
Osaka

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...

Osaka, Japan
Temple
Ishikawa

Myoryuji (Ninja Temple)

A Temple of Hidden Traps and Secret Passages

A fascinating temple built with hidden staircases, trap doors, and secret passages as defensive m...

Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan
Attraction
Hyogo

Taiyo Park

World Heritage Replicas Theme Park

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

Himeji, Hyogo, Japan
Temple World Heritage
Kyoto

Saihoji (Kokedera)

The Moss Temple Requiring Advance Reservation

A World Heritage Zen temple blanketed in over 120 varieties of moss, creating an ethereal green l...

Kyoto, Japan
Historic Site
Miyagi

Zuihoden

The ornate mausoleum of Date Masamune, Zuihoden is an example of Momoyama-period architecture wit...

Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Restaurant
Tokyo

Ichiran Shinjuku

Japan's Most Famous Solo-Dining Tonkotsu Ramen

Ichiran's whole design exists so that you never have to speak to anyone. Buy a ticket from the ma...

Tokyo, Japan
Beach
Hyogo

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...

Minamiawaji, Hyogo, Japan
Neighborhood
Osaka

Tsuruhashi Korean Town

Japan's Largest and Liveliest Koreatown

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

Osaka, Japan