Kansai
Popularly known as Ishigami-san, this humble shrine is dedicated to the goddess Tamayori-hime and has long been a place for the area’s ama (traditional…
Must-see attractions in Japan
Fukuoka
Delightfully rural, this island has fresh-seafood restaurants that line the harbour-side streets. Ferries depart hourly (¥670, 33 minutes) from Bayside…
Fuji Five Lakes
A symbol of Mt Fuji worship, this gate was first constructed in 1788 (though the present one dates to 1955), and in clear weather frames picture-postcard…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
The ICC shows challenging, conceptual works that explore the intersection between art and technology – sometimes including participatory VR installations…
Hiroshima Region
Buddhist theme park, anyone? Shortly after the death of his beloved mother in 1934, local steel-tube magnate and arms manufacturer Kanemoto Kōzō became a…
Izu Peninsula
This grand inn (c 1928) is now a national monument for its fine woodwork. Each of its three storeys was designed by a different master carpenter;…
Sapporo
Completed in 2005, this former waste-treatment plant to the northeast of the central city is now an impressive reclaimed green belt. It was originally…
Port of Kōbe Earthquake Memorial Park
Kōbe
At 5.46am on 17 January 1995 the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck this region. It was Japan's strongest since the Great Kantō Quake of 1923 devastated…
Harajuku & Aoyama
Design Festa has long been a champion of Tokyo’s DIY art scene and its maze-like building is a Harajuku landmark. Inside there are dozens of small…
Naoshima
The drawcard of little Inujima island is this copper refinery converted into an eco-building, displaying artist Yanagi Yukinori's surreal take on the…
Nagoya
Pottery fans will enjoy a stroll around Noritake Garden, the 1904 factory grounds of one of Japan's best-known porcelain makers, featuring remnants of…
Okinawa & the Southwest Islands
On tiny Ōjima (奥武島), which is connected to Kume-jima's east coast by a causeway, you'll find the intriguing Tatami-ishi, a natural formation of flat…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This otherwise ordinary office complex is home to more than a dozen public artworks, including one of Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculptures (on the southeast…
Tokyo
This vintage 1960s shopping mall earned Nakano its reputation as an underground Akihabara: it's home to the original Mandarake Complex, the famous manga…
Shikoku
Several kilometres east of the town centre is the mountain of Godaisan, where you can enjoy excellent views of the city from a lookout point (展望台). Near…
Western Honshū
Both a tourist information office and a cultural experience, inside a traditional Japanese house dating from 1850 near the bridge entrance. The elegant…
International Design Centre Nagoya
Nagoya
Housed in the swooping Nadya Park complex is this secular shrine to the deities of conceptualisation, form and function. Design touchstones from art deco…
Kumamoto
This family-friendly museum presents the history of Kumamoto and the castle from many angles, from the 10-minute video with English subtitles explaining…
Kyūshū
Picturesque, tangerine Kirishima-jingū has a good vantage point. Though the original dates from the 6th century, the present shrine was built in 1715. It…
National Museum of Emerging Science & Innovation (Miraikan)
Odaiba & Tokyo Bay
Miraikan means ‘hall of the future’, and the hands-on exhibits here present the science and technology that will possibly shape the years to come …
Kyūshū
Located on the outskirts of Bungo-takada, this National Treasure, made of fragrant nutmeg wood, is the oldest wooden edifice in Kyūshū and one of the…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
It's hard to imagine, but Shibuya Crossing actually sits on the confluence of two rivers: the Shibuya-gawa and the Uda-gawa, which were diverted…
Nikkō
The main shrine courtyard at Tōshō-gū includes the Honden (本殿; Main Hall) and Haiden (拝殿; Hall of Worship). Inside these halls are paintings of the 36…
Western Honshū
This shrine, with a garden and small complex, was founded in 1890 and is dedicated to Meiji Restoration movement leader Yoshida Shōin. His former…
Izu Peninsula
A small but refined collection of Japanese and Chinese pottery, paintings and Buddhist treasures spanning a millenia awaits at this museum, built…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
Locals flock to this lush, leafy oasis on sunny days. The grounds were originally home to Akita's castle, built in 1604, which was destroyed with other…
Central Honshū
Listed as a World Heritage Site in 2014, Tomioka Silk Mill provides a look at the history of silk production, with some English-language narration…
Nagasaki
Once the largest church in Asia (1914), the cathedral took three decades to complete and three seconds to flatten. This smaller replacement cathedral was…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This three-storey building tucked on a backstreet near Roppongi Hills, is the shared location of three leading commercial galleries: Taka Ishii (www…
Kyūshū
This chill, seaside seahorse hatchery is unique, offering close-up looks at thousands of hatchling seahorses, plus information, videos, souvenirs and a…
Ueno & Yanesen
A key feature of Ueno-kōen is this large, natural pond, much of which is completely covered with giant lotuses that bloom in summer. Go bird- and botany…
Kii Peninsula
According to the Kumano faith, this large boulder, wedged on the side of Gongen-yama, was where the three principal gods descended to earth. It was the…
Kii Peninsula
This is the final bridge inside Oku-no-in before Kōbō Daishi's mausoleum. It crosses the Tama-gawa, which runs down from Yōryū-san, the mountain behind…
Kyūshū
Dedicated to the 12 gods of the mountain, this shrine, including its revered gate, suffered severe damage in the 2016 earthquakes; photos show the scale…
Osaka
This museum has one of the world's finest collections of Chinese and Korean ceramics, with smaller galleries of Japanese ceramics and Chinese snuff…
Utsukushi-ga-hara Open Air Museum
Matsumoto
Atop Utsukushi-ga-hara-kōgen plateau you'll find this seemingly random sculpture garden with some 350 pieces, mostly by Japanese sculptors. The…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
From this 250m-high vantage point, on the 52nd floor of Mori Tower, you can see 360-degree views of the seemingly never-ending city. Admission is included…
Ueno & Yanesen
This shrine honours Tokugawa Ieyasu, the warlord who unified Japan; it's the (much smaller) Tokyo counterpart to Nikkō's grand Tōshō-gū. Resplendent in…
Fukuoka
The intimate Kushida-jinja, municipal Shintō shrine of Hakata, traces its history to AD 757 and sponsors the Hakata Gion Yamakasa Matsuri, in which…
Kyūshū
Lovely Chiringashima is connected to the mainland by a thin land bridge that appears only at low tide, when hikers, beachcombers and tide-pool explorers…
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