Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

JR Fukuchiyama Line Disused Railway Trail

Walk an Abandoned Railway Through Gorge Tunnels and Spring Sakura

A flat 4.7 km hiking trail along the original Fukuchiyama Line route through the Mukogawa Gorge, ...

Sado Island Gold Mine

Once Japan's largest gold mine producing gold for the Tokugawa shogunate, the Sado Island Gold Mi...

Kiyomizu-dera

Pure Water Temple

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

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...

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...

Hiroshima Peace Memorial

A-Bomb Dome - Symbol of Peace

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

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...

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...

Kinosaki Onsen

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

Hozugawa River Boat Ride

A Thrilling River Boat Ride Through a Scenic Mountain Gorge

A two-hour wooden boat ride down the Hozu River from Kameoka to Arashiyama, navigating gentle rap...