Discover Japan's Hidden Gems

Explore temples, shrines, castles, parks, and more

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
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
Temple
Iwate

Hiraizumi

UNESCO World Heritage Pure Land Buddhist Architecture with the Golden Hall

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hiraizumi was the political and cultural center of northern Japan i...

Hiraizumi, Iwate, Japan
City
Iwate

Tono

A rural town in the mountains of Iwate known as the birthplace of Japanese folklore studies, wher...

Tono, Iwate, Japan
Temple
Iwate

Chusonji Temple

Golden Hall of the Northern Fujiwara

A UNESCO World Heritage temple complex featuring the stunning Konjikido, a hall covered entirely ...

Hiraizumi, Iwate, Japan
Attraction
Iwate

Jodogahama Beach

A Heavenly White Beach on the Sanriku Coast

Named for its resemblance to a Buddhist paradise, Jodogahama is a white pebble beach backed by sh...

Miyako, Iwate, Japan
Attraction
Iwate

Geibikei Gorge

A River Gorge Adventure by Traditional Boat

Geibikei is a spectacular river gorge where visitors glide through two kilometers of towering cli...

Ichinoseki, Iwate, Japan
Temple
Iwate

Motsuji Temple

Motsuji Temple - UNESCO Pure Land Garden in Hiraizumi

A UNESCO World Heritage temple in Hiraizumi featuring one of Japan's finest Pure Land gardens fro...

Hiraizumi, Iwate, Japan