Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

Trail Hikyo
Nara

Mitarai Valley

River Gorge with Waterfalls and Emerald Pools

A gorge in Tenkawa village with waterfalls, clear green pools and giant boulders, followed by a r...

Tenkawa, Nara, Japan
Historic Site World Heritage
Nara

Heijo Palace Site

UNESCO Imperial Palace Ruins with Reconstructed Gate and Hall

The ruins of the imperial palace of the Nara-period capital, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a ...

Nara, Japan
Mountain
Nara

Mount Wakakusa

Grassy Hill Above Nara Park with City Views

A 342-metre grass-covered hill at the eastern edge of Nara Park, known for its wide views over th...

Nara, Japan
Temple
Nara

Tsubosakadera

Temple of Large Stone Buddhas Linked to Eye Ailments

A Shingon temple in Takatori, the sixth stop of the Saigoku Kannon pilgrimage, known for a Kannon...

Takatori, Nara, Japan
Garden
Nara

Yoshiki-en

Japanese Garden Next to Isuien near Nara Park

A quiet Japanese garden beside the Isuien garden near Nara Park, made up of a pond garden, a moss...

Nara, Japan
Temple
Nara

Muroji

Women's Koya and Japan's Smallest Outdoor Pagoda

Known as Women's Koya for welcoming female worshippers when Mount Koya banned them, this mountain...

Uda, Nara, Japan
Park
Nara

Soni Kogen

Highland Plateau of Silver Pampas Grass

A grassland plateau of about 38 hectares at the foot of Mount Kururuso, covered in pampas grass t...

Soni, Nara, Japan
Temple
Nara

Hasedera

Mountain Temple Famous for Peonies

The head temple of the Shingon Buzan school, set on a hillside in Sakurai and known for its cover...

Sakurai, Nara, Japan
Shrine
Nara

Omiwa Shrine

Ancient Shrine that Worships Mount Miwa Itself

One of Japan's oldest shrines, which has no main sanctuary because Mount Miwa behind it is worshi...

Sakurai, Nara, Japan
Michi-no-eki
Nara

Michi-no-Eki Yoshinoji Oyodo i-Center

Roadside gateway to Yoshino with a local tea soft serve

A roadside station on Route 169 in Oyodo, a gateway to the Yoshino mountains and their cherry blo...

Oyodo, Nara, Japan
Museum
Nara

Nara National Museum

Buddhist Art in Nara Park, and the Two Autumn Weeks of the Shosoin Exhibition

Japan's second-oldest national museum, on the edge of Nara Park between Kofuku-ji and Todai-ji. I...

Nara, Japan
Historic Site World Heritage
Nara

Fujiwara Palace Site

The Field Where Nara Says Japan's First Grid-Planned Capital Stood, Now Planted with Rapeseed, Lotus and Cosmos

The site of the palace at the centre of Fujiwara-kyo, Japan's capital from 694 to 710, which Nara...

Kashihara, Nara, Japan
Temple World Heritage
Nara

Hokki-ji

Japan's Oldest Three-Storey Pagoda, Out in the Fields North-East of Horyu-ji

A small temple among fields on the north-east edge of Ikaruga. Its three-storey pagoda, finished ...

Ikaruga, Nara, Japan
Temple
Nara

Taima-dera

Two Ancient Pagodas Under Mount Nijo and the Temple of the Taima Mandala

A temple at the foot of Mount Nijo in Katsuragi, and the only one in Japan where both of its anci...

Katsuragi, Nara, Japan
Amusement Park
Nara

Ikoma Sanjo Amusement Park

A 1929 Amusement Park on Top of Mount Ikoma, With a Flying Tower Often Called Japan's Oldest Large Ride

A small, old-fashioned amusement park on the 642 m summit of Mount Ikoma, opened by Kintetsu in 1...

Ikoma, Nara, Japan