Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

Ohama Beach

© 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)

Beach
Hyogo

Ohama Beach

Sumoto's White Sand Beach, One of Japan's 100 Best

A 750-meter white sand beach in Sumoto, recognized as one of Japan's top beaches by the Ministry ...

Sumoto, Hyogo, Japan
Okayama Castle

© 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)

Castle
Okayama

Okayama Castle

The Crow Castle, Okayama's Black Fortress

A striking black castle nicknamed 'Crow Castle' for its dark exterior, standing across the Asahi ...

Okayama, Japan
LaLaport EXPOCITY photo
Shopping
Osaka

LaLaport EXPOCITY

Japan's Largest Shopping and Entertainment Complex Next to Expo Park

Japan's largest entertainment complex, combining over 300 shops with NIFREL aquarium, Japan's tal...

Suita, Osaka, Japan
Railway Museum

© Lover of Romance / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Museum
Saitama

Railway Museum

The Railway Museum

You get in through an automatic ticket gate, exactly like a station, which is the first joke and ...

Saitama, Japan
Okishima photo
Attraction
Shiga

Okishima

Okishima, Japan's Only Inhabited Lake Island

A small fishing island in Lake Biwa with no cars, narrow alleys, old shrines, and around 250 resi...

Omihachiman, Shiga, Japan
Isonokami Shrine

© Zeter114514 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Shrine
Nara

Isonokami Shrine

One of Japan's Oldest Shrines with Legendary Sacred Sword

One of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines, mentioned in the nation's earliest chronicles, said to hous...

Tenri, Nara, Japan
To-ji

© Kakidai / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Temple
Kyoto

To-ji

Japan's Tallest Wooden Pagoda and Ancient Capital Landmark

A World Heritage Site founded in 796, home to Japan's tallest wooden pagoda at 55 meters and a be...

Kyoto, Japan
Otaru Canal

© Flickr user: Chi ing https://www.flickr.com/people/davelau/ / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Landmark
Hokkaido

Otaru Canal

Romantic Gaslit Canal in a Historic Port Town

A canal lined with stone warehouses and gas lamps in the old port town of Otaru.

Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan
Togetsukyo Bridge photo
Landmark
Kyoto

Togetsukyo Bridge

Wooden Bridge Over the Katsura River

A bridge has crossed here since 836, when a monk of Horin-ji built the first one a little upstrea...

Kyoto, Japan
Hoshida Myoken-gu Shrine photo
Shrine
Osaka

Hoshida Myoken-gu Shrine

North Star Shrine and the Star-Fall Legend

Hoshida Myoken-gu, also called Komatsu Shrine, is a hillside shrine in Katano, Osaka, counted amo...

Katano, Osaka, Japan
Shuzenji

© 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Onsen
Shizuoka

Shuzenji

Historic Hot Spring Town on Izu Peninsula

One of the oldest hot spring towns on the Izu Peninsula, featuring a scenic bamboo grove, histori...

Izu, Shizuoka, Japan
Oasis 21 photo
Landmark
Aichi

Oasis 21

The Spaceship-Aqua Glass Water Roof in Central Nagoya

A landmark complex in Sakae crowned by Spaceship-Aqua: a giant oval glass roof topped with a shal...

Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Osaka Museum of Housing and Living photo
Museum
Osaka

Osaka Museum of Housing and Living

Walk Through a Full-Scale Edo-Period Osaka Townscape

A full-scale, walk-through reconstruction of a 19th-century Osaka townscape on the 9th floor, com...

Osaka, Japan
Sumaura Sanjo Yuen photo
Amusement Park
Hyogo

Sumaura Sanjo Yuen Park

Retro Ropeway and Sea Views Above Suma, Kobe

A nostalgic hilltop park above Suma reached by ropeway, a quirky 1966 'Karreta' inclined people-m...

Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
Atsuta Shrine photo
Shrine
Aichi

Atsuta Shrine

One of Japan's Holiest Shrines Housing a Sacred Imperial Treasure

One of Japan's most important Shinto shrines, believed to house the sacred sword Kusanagi-no-Tsur...

Nagoya, Aichi, Japan