Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

Landmark
Nagasaki

Megane Bridge

1634 Stone Arch Bridge over the Nakashima River

A twin-arch stone bridge built in 1634 over the Nakashima River, whose reflection in the water re...

Nagasaki, Japan
Mountain
Mie

Mount Gozaisho (Gozaisho Ropeway)

Suzuka-Range Mountain Reached by Ropeway from Yunoyama Onsen

A 1,212-metre mountain in the Suzuka range, reached by the Gozaisho Ropeway from Yunoyama Onsen.

Komono, Mie, Japan
Garden
Hyogo

Sorakuen Garden

Japanese Garden with the Historic Hassam House

A municipal Japanese garden in central Kobe, home to the relocated Hassam House and known for its...

Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
Onsen
Toyama

Unazuki Onsen

Hot Spring Town and Gateway to the Kurobe Gorge

A hot spring resort town in Kurobe that serves as the starting point for the Kurobe Gorge Railway.

Kurobe, Toyama, Japan
Trail
Mie

Akame 48 Waterfalls

Series of Waterfalls Along a Gorge Hiking Trail

A series of waterfalls along a roughly four-kilometre walking trail through the Takigawa Gorge in...

Nabari, Mie, Japan
Attraction
Fukushima

Miharu Takizakura

A Thousand-Year-Old Weeping Cherry Tree

One of Japan's three great cherry trees, this magnificent weeping cherry is over 1,000 years old ...

Miharu, Fukushima, Japan
Attraction
Tokushima

Nagoro Scarecrow Village

Remote Iya Valley Hamlet Populated with Life-Size Scarecrows

A small mountain hamlet in the Iya Valley where hundreds of handmade life-size scarecrows are pla...

Miyoshi, Tokushima, Japan
Historic Site
Ehime

Uchiko

Historic Town with a Kabuki Theater and Wax-Merchant Streets

A preserved town that prospered from vegetable-wax production, home to the restored Uchiko-za kab...

Uchiko, Ehime, Japan
Attraction
Okayama

Inujima

An Art Island Built in a Ruined Copper Refinery

A tiny island in the Seto Inland Sea where a former copper refinery has been transformed into a s...

Okayama, Japan
Castle
Toyama

Toyama Castle

Reconstructed Castle with a Local History Museum

A reconstructed castle keep in central Toyama that houses the Toyama Municipal Folk Museum on the...

Toyama, Japan
Park
Gifu

Yoro Falls

Waterfall in Yoro Park on Japan's List of 100 Notable Falls

A waterfall about 30 metres high within Yoro Park, listed among Japan's 100 notable waterfalls.

Yoro, Gifu, Japan
Landmark
Kagawa

Angel Road

Tidal Sandbar Linking Small Islands off Shodoshima

A sandbar on Shodoshima that emerges at low tide, creating a walkable path connecting a series of...

Tonosho, Kagawa, Japan
Historic Site
Ehime

Besshi Copper Mine (Tonaru)

Ruins of a Mountain Copper Mine Called the Machu Picchu of the East

The mountain ruins of the Besshi copper mine at Tonaru (Higashidaira), where stone and brick stru...

Niihama, Ehime, Japan
Onsen
Nagano

Bessho Onsen

Historic Hot Spring Town Known as the Kamakura of Shinshu

A historic hot spring town outside Ueda City, nicknamed the Kamakura of Shinshu for its concentra...

Ueda, Nagano, Japan
Island
Shiga

Chikubushima

Sacred Island in Lake Biwa with a Temple and Shrine

A small sacred island in the north of Lake Biwa, reached by boat and home to Hogonji Temple and T...

Nagahama, Shiga, Japan