Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Kiyomizu-dera

Pure Water Temple

A hillside temple where a vast wooden stage, supported by 139 pillars without a single nail, offe...

Hiroshima Peace Memorial

A-Bomb Dome - Symbol of Peace

Skeletal remains of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, a UNESCO World Heritage ...

Kobe Port Tower

Red Lattice Tower with a Rooftop Deck at Kobe Port

A red steel observation tower on a Kobe Port pier, first opened in 1963 and reopened in 2024 with...

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...

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...

Dogo Onsen

Japan's Oldest Hot Spring Bathhouse

One of Japan's oldest and most famous bathhouses, said to have inspired the bathhouse in Spirited...

Kinosaki Onsen

Kinosaki Onsen is a traditional hot spring town where visitors stroll between seven public bathho...

Hozenji Yokocho

Atmospheric Stone-Paved Alley of Traditional Osaka Dining

A charming stone-paved alley behind Dotonbori lined with over 60 traditional Osaka restaurants an...

Kumano Nachi Taisha

Sacred Grand Shrine Beside Japan's Tallest Waterfall

One of the three Kumano Grand Shrines, perched on a mountainside next to Nachi Falls and Seiganto...

Mount Inasa

333-Metre Summit with Night Views over Nagasaki

A 333-metre mountain west of central Nagasaki with a summit observatory reached by ropeway, known...

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...

Hiraizumi

UNESCO World Heritage Pure Land Buddhist Architecture with the Golden Hall

In the 12th century Hiraizumi was the political and cultural centre of northern Japan, and two of...

Gokayama

UNESCO Thatched-Roof Mountain Village

Secluded UNESCO World Heritage village with traditional gassho-zukuri thatched-roof farmhouses, a...

Matsuyama Castle

One of Japan's 12 original castles, this hilltop fortress offers sweeping views over Matsuyama an...

Ikuta Shrine

One of Japan's Oldest Shinto Shrines

One of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines, said to have been founded in 201 AD, located in the heart o...