Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

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
City
Tokushima

Tokushima

Tokushima - City of the Awa Odori Dance

Home of the Awa Odori, Japan's largest and most famous dance festival that transforms the entire ...

Tokushima, Japan
Neighborhood
Tokyo

Asakusa

Tokyo's Historic Heart: Temples, Street Food & Old-World Charm

Pass beneath Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), with its massive red lantern, and follow the centuries-o...

Tokyo, Japan
Attraction
Hokkaido

Biei

Biei Patchwork Hills

Rolling patchwork hills of lavender, wheat, and wildflowers set against the Tokachi mountain rang...

Hokkaido, Japan
Onsen
Yamagata

Ginzan Onsen

Gaslit Hot Spring Village

A hot spring town of wooden ryokan from the 1910s and 20s, facing each other across the river gor...

Obanazawa, Yamagata, Japan
City
Hyogo

Kobe

A cosmopolitan port city celebrated for Kobe beef, mountain-harbor scenery, and multicultural her...

Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
Attraction
Shiga

Lake Biwa

Lake Biwa is Japan's largest and oldest freshwater lake, offering water sports, scenic cycling ro...

Shiga, Japan
Temple
Kyoto

Nanzen-ji

Nanzen-ji Temple

Highest-ranked Rinzai Zen temple in Kyoto. The 22-meter sanmon gate has city views from the top. ...

Kyoto, Japan
Park
Akita

Senshu Park

Senshu Park (Kubota Castle Ruins)

Senshu Park occupies the hilltop ruins of Kubota Castle, the former seat of the Satake clan who r...

Akita, Japan
Historic Site
Gifu

Shirakawa-go

UNESCO Thatched-Roof Village

UNESCO World Heritage village with traditional gassho-zukuri thatched-roof farmhouses in a remote...

Shirakawa, Gifu, Japan
Attraction
Wakayama

Wakayama Marina City

Mediterranean-Themed Resort Island with Markets and Onsen

An artificial island resort featuring the Mediterranean-themed Porto Europa park, Kuroshio Market...

Wakayama, Japan
Temple
Nagano

Zenko-ji

Zenko-ji Temple

One of Japan's most important and popular temples, home to the first Buddhist statue ever brought...

Nagano, Japan
City
Kanagawa

Kamakura

Seaside Temple Town

Historic seaside city south of Tokyo, home to the Great Buddha, ancient temples, and beautiful be...

Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan
Attraction
Kyoto

Kimono Forest

An Art Installation of 600 Illuminated Kimono Pillars

600 pillars wrapped in Kyo-Yuzen fabric at Randen Arashiyama Station. Glows at night. Free, open ...

Kyoto, Japan
Attraction
Hokkaido

Lake Toya

A beautiful caldera lake with a forested island at its center and the active volcano Usu-zan near...

Hokkaido, Japan