Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

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
Nagoya Castle photo
Castle
Aichi

Nagoya Castle

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

Nagoya, Aichi, 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
Gotanjoji Temple photo
Temple
Fukui

Gotanjoji Temple

Gotanjoji Temple: Echizen's Cat Temple

A working Soto Zen training temple in the hills of Echizen City that became famous as the cat tem...

Echizen, Fukui, 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
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
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
Michi-no-Eki Takata Matsubara and Tsunami Memorial Museum photo
Museum
Iwate

Tsunami Memorial Museum and Michi-no-Eki Takata Matsubara

Free tsunami-memorial museum and roadside station in Rikuzentakata

A combined roadside station and free memorial museum in the Takata Matsubara Tsunami Reconstructi...

Rikuzentakata, Iwate, Japan
Fukui Kodomo Kazokukan photo
Attraction
Fukui

Fukui Kodomo Kazokukan

Fukui Kodomo Kazokukan Children's Center

A large indoor play-and-learning center for children at the Umin-pia Ohi seaside complex on the W...

Oi, Fukui, Japan
Taro Kanko Hotel Tsunami Ruins photo
Historic Site
Iwate

Taro Kanko Hotel Tsunami Ruins

A tsunami-ruined hotel preserved as disaster heritage in Taro, Miyako

A six-story hotel on the Taro coast of Miyako, gutted to the fourth floor by the 2011 tsunami and...

Miyako, Iwate, Japan
Miracle Lone Pine photo
Landmark
Iwate

Miracle Lone Pine

The lone pine that survived the 2011 tsunami, kept as a monument

The single pine that survived the 2011 tsunami among Takata Matsubara's roughly 70,000 trees, pre...

Rikuzentakata, Iwate, Japan
Jinrui Mina Menrui Tsukemen photo
Restaurant
Osaka

Jinrui Mina Menrui Tsukemen

Tsukemen from Osaka's Jinrui Mina Menrui

The original shop stopped serving tsukemen, so this is where to get it. The dipping broth arrives...

Osaka, Japan
Attraction
Miyazaki

Nichinan Coast

Scenic Coastline with Devil's Washboard Rock Formations

The Nichinan Coast stretches over 100 kilometers along Miyazaki's Pacific shore, famous for its d...

Miyazaki, Japan
Landmark
Osaka

Abeno Harukas

Western Japan's Tallest Building with 360-Degree Views

A 300-meter skyscraper featuring the Harukas 300 observation deck, a department store, art museum...

Osaka, Japan