Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

Photo from review by Sampo.kuokkanen
Garden
Kyoto

Okochi Sanso Garden

A Hilltop Garden with Panoramic Views of Kyoto and Arashiyama

The former villa garden of silent film actor Okochi Denjiro, perched on a hillside above the bamb...

Kyoto, Japan
5.0 (1)
Otsuka Museum of Art photo
Museum
Tokushima

Otsuka Museum of Art

Museum of Full-Size Ceramic Reproductions of Western Masterpieces

A large museum in Naruto displaying more than 1,000 full-size ceramic-board reproductions of West...

Naruto, Tokushima, Japan
Kyoto Tower photo
Landmark
Kyoto

Kyoto Tower

The First and Last Landmark Greeting Visitors to Kyoto

Standing 131 meters tall in front of Kyoto Station, this candlestick-shaped tower has been a city...

Kyoto, Japan
Teshima photo
Attraction
Kagawa

Teshima

Teshima - Art Island of Dancing Water Drops

A serene Setouchi art island home to the extraordinary Teshima Art Museum, a shell-shaped concret...

Kagawa, Japan
Tenryu-ji photo
Temple
Kyoto

Tenryu-ji

Arashiyama's World Heritage Zen Masterpiece

World Heritage Site, head temple of the Tenryu branch of Rinzai Zen. The Sogenchi garden uses the...

Kyoto, Japan
Tottori Sand Dunes photo
Attraction
Tottori

Tottori Sand Dunes

Japan's largest coastal sand dunes stretching along the Sea of Japan, offering camel rides and pa...

Tottori, Japan
Nagoya Castle photo
Castle
Aichi

Nagoya Castle

Castle with golden shachi roof ornaments and a faithfully reconstructed Honmaru Palace.

Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Sumoto Castle Ruins photo
Castle
Hyogo

Sumoto Castle Ruins

Hilltop Castle Ruins with Panoramic Views of the Seto Inland Sea

A hilltop castle ruin on Awaji Island with Japan's oldest remaining concrete-built tenshu replica...

Sumoto, Hyogo, Japan
Mount Fuji photo
Mountain
Shizuoka

Mount Fuji

Japan's Sacred Mountain

Japan's highest mountain at 3,776 meters, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and active stratovolcano s...

Fujinomiya, Shizuoka, Japan
Shioyasaki Lighthouse photo
Landmark
Fukushima

Shioyasaki Lighthouse

A scenic lighthouse on the Fukushima coast with panoramic ocean views

Perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Iwaki, Shioyasaki Lighthouse is one of Japan'...

Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan
Zenigahama photo
Beach
Fukui

Zenigahama

Zenigahama Beach, Daikoku's Footprints and the Tide-Spouting Rock

A rocky cove on the Echizen Coast with a free pebble swimming beach beside the Kochomon sea arch,...

Echizen, Fukui, Japan
Miho Museum photo
Museum
Shiga

Miho Museum

I. M. Pei-Designed Museum Hidden in the Shigaraki Mountains

A mountain museum near Shigaraki designed by I. M. Pei, reached through a tunnel and suspension b...

Koka, Shiga, Japan
Konze Tenma no Mori photo
Park
Shiga

Konze Tenma no Mori

Hilltop forest park with Lake Biwa views, beside the Konze roadside station

A green hilltop forest park on the slopes of Konze-yama in Ritto, next to the Michi-no-Eki Konze ...

Ritto, Shiga, Japan
Michi-no-Eki Konze no Sato Ritto photo
Attraction
Shiga

Michi-no-Eki Konze no Sato Ritto

Roadside Station and Local Market in the Konze Hills

A roadside station in the Konze hills of Ritto, with a farm shop of local Shiga produce and speci...

Ritto, Shiga, Japan
Heisenji Hakusan Shrine photo
Shrine
Fukui

Heisenji Hakusan Shrine

Heisenji Hakusan Shrine - Japan's Most Beautiful Moss Garden

A serene moss-covered shrine on the ruins of one of medieval Japan's largest temple cities, famou...

Katsuyama, Fukui, Japan