Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

Castle
Saga

Saga Castle

Restored Honmaru Palace of the Nabeshima Clan

Beautifully reconstructed Honmaru Palace of the former Nabeshima lords, one of the largest wooden...

Saga, Japan
Attraction
Kyoto

Sagano Bamboo Grove

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

Kyoto, Japan
Attraction
Kyoto

Sagano Scenic Railway

A Scenic Open-Air Train Ride Through the Hozukyo Gorge

A 25-minute open-air sightseeing train running along the Hozu River gorge between Saga and Kameok...

Kyoto, Japan
Temple
Kyoto

Saihoji (Kokedera)

The Enchanting 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
Yamanashi

Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nenba

Saiko Iyashi no Sato Nenba is a restored thatched-roof village at the northwestern base of Mount ...

Yamanashi, Japan
Attraction
Kagoshima

Sakurajima

Sakurajima Volcano

One of Japan's most active volcanoes rising from Kagoshima Bay, accessible by a short ferry ride.

Kagoshima, Japan
Attraction
Wakayama

Sandanbeki

Dramatic Sea Cliffs with a Hidden Pirate Cave

Towering 50-meter sea cliffs along the Shirahama coast with an elevator descending to a cave once...

Shirahama, Wakayama, Japan
Temple
Kyoto

Sanjusangendo

Hall of 1,001 Statues of Kannon

120-meter-long hall with 1,001 life-size gilded Kannon statues standing in rows. Hard to process ...

Kyoto, Japan
Garden
Kanagawa

Sankeien Garden

A Grand Japanese Garden with Historic Treasures

A spacious traditional Japanese garden built by silk merchant Hara Sankei, featuring 17 historic ...

Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Historic Site
Aomori

Sannai-Maruyama Archaeological Site

Japan's Largest Jomon Settlement, a UNESCO World Heritage Prehistoric Site

One of Japan's most important archaeological sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sannai-Maruy...

Aomori, Japan
Theme Park
Tokyo

Sanrio Puroland

An indoor theme park dedicated to Hello Kitty and Sanrio characters with shows, rides, and charac...

Tokyo, Japan
City
Hokkaido

Sapporo

Hokkaido's capital known for its snow festival, soup curry, beer, and grid-pattern streets.

Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Museum
Hokkaido

Sapporo Beer Museum

Japan's Only Beer Museum

Japan's only beer museum, housed in an atmospheric red-brick Meiji-era building with tastings ava...

Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Historic Site
Hokkaido

Sapporo Clock Tower

Sapporo's Western-Style Landmark

A historic wooden clock tower from 1878 that has become the enduring symbol of Sapporo and Hokkaido.

Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
Attraction
Kagoshima

Satsuma Peninsula

Southern Kagoshima's Scenic Cape and Historic Coast

Southern peninsula with coastal cliffs, the Chiran Kamikaze pilot museum, sand baths at Ibusuki, ...

Minamisatsuma, Kagoshima, Japan
Historic Site
Chiba

Sawara

Little Edo on the Water

Beautifully preserved Edo-period canal district in Katori City, known as 'Little Edo on the Water...

Katori, Chiba, Japan
Temple
Kyoto

Seiryo-ji

The Living Buddha of Saga and Its Hidden Treasures

Houses the 'Living Buddha' statue brought from China in 987—a wooden Shaka Nyorai said to replica...

Kyoto, Japan
City
Miyagi

Sendai

Known as the City of Trees, Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region, famous for Date Masa...

Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Attraction
Miyagi

Sendai Tanabata Festival Area

Japan's Most Spectacular Star Festival Celebration

One of the three great Tohoku festivals, held every August along Sendai's covered shopping arcade...

Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
Garden
Kagoshima

Sengan-en Garden

Shimazu Clan's Grand Seaside Villa with Sakurajima Views

Edo-period garden and villa of the Shimazu clan, using Sakurajima volcano and Kinko Bay as borrow...

Kagoshima, Japan