Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

Museum
Osaka

Cup Noodles Museum Osaka Ikeda

The Birthplace of Instant Ramen

An interactive museum where Momofuku Ando invented chicken ramen in 1958, featuring hands-on work...

Ikeda, Osaka, Japan
Museum
Kanagawa

Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama

An interactive museum dedicated to instant noodles where visitors can create their own custom Cup...

Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Temple
Kyoto

Daigo-ji

Hideyoshi's Cherry Blossom Temple on the Mountainside

A sprawling World Heritage Site famous for Toyotomi Hideyoshi's legendary 1598 cherry blossom vie...

Kyoto, Japan
Temple
Kyoto

Daikaku-ji

An Imperial Temple with Japan's Oldest Artificial Lake

A former imperial palace turned Shingon temple, famous for Osawa Pond — Japan's oldest artificial...

Kyoto, Japan
Park
Hokkaido

Daisetsuzan National Park

Japan's Largest National Park

Japan's largest national park spanning over 2,200 square kilometers of dramatic volcanic peaks, a...

Hokkaido, Japan
Temple
Kyoto

Daitoku-ji

Vast Zen Complex of Exquisite Rock Gardens

A vast Rinzai Zen temple complex in northern Kyoto with over 20 sub-temples, many featuring excep...

Kyoto, Japan
Shrine
Fukuoka

Dazaifu Tenmangu

Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine

Revered shrine dedicated to the deity of learning, attracting millions of students seeking academ...

Dazaifu, Fukuoka, Japan
Shrine
Yamagata

Dewa Sanzan

Dewa Sanzan (Three Sacred Mountains)

The three sacred mountains of Dewa -- Haguro, Gassan, and Yudono -- have been a center for yamabu...

Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan
Neighborhood
Osaka

Dotonbori

Osaka's Neon-Lit Food Street

Osaka's neon-drenched heart, where the Glico Running Man has watched over the Dotonbori canal sin...

Osaka, Japan
Attraction
Niigata

Echigo-Tsumari Art Field

The World's Largest Outdoor Art Festival

Spanning 760 square kilometers of rural Niigata, the Echigo-Tsumari Art Field is the world's larg...

Tokamachi, Niigata, Japan
Attraction
Fukui

Echizen Coast

Dramatic Rocky Coastline and Crab Country

Dramatic rocky coastline stretching along the Sea of Japan, famous for winter Echizen crab season...

Echizen, Fukui, Japan
Temple
Fukui

Eiheiji Temple

Eiheiji Zen Temple

One of two head temples of Soto Zen Buddhism, Eiheiji is an active monastery where over 100 monks...

Eiheiji, Fukui, Japan
Temple
Kyoto

Eikan-do

The Temple of Autumn Leaves with a Looking-Back Buddha

Celebrated as the premier autumn foliage temple in Kyoto, housing a uniquely expressive Amida Bud...

Kyoto, Japan
Temple
Kanagawa

Engaku-ji

A Grand Zen Temple with a National Treasure Reliquary

Ranked second of Kamakura's Five Great Zen Temples, founded in 1282 to honor soldiers from the Mo...

Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan
Landmark
Wakayama

Engetsuto

Small Island with a Hole the Sunset Shines Through

A small island in Shirahama Bay with a wave-carved hole through its center. During equinoxes, the...

Shirahama, Wakayama, Japan
Temple
Hyogo

Engyo-ji Temple

Ancient Mountain Temple from The Last Samurai

A sprawling 1000-year-old temple complex atop Mount Shosha, famous as a filming location for 'The...

Himeji, Hyogo, Japan
Attraction
Kanagawa

Enoshima

Enoshima Island

A small island near Kamakura with shrines, sea caves, panoramic views, and a lively seaside atmos...

Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan
Garden
Hokkaido

Farm Tomita

Furano's Famous Lavender Fields

Vast lavender fields creating a purple carpet against Hokkaido's rolling hills, with peak bloom i...

Nakafurano, Hokkaido, Japan
Attraction
Gunma

Fukiware Falls

The Niagara of the Orient

A dramatic 30-meter wide waterfall where the river splits and pours into a deep gorge from both s...

Numata, Gunma, Japan
Museum
Fukui

Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum

One of the world's top three dinosaur museums, featuring over 50 mounted skeletons in a spectacul...

Katsuyama, Fukui, Japan