Central Honshū
This wonderfully preserved former merchant's house and garden looks as if it has stood still while time has marched on.
Must-see attractions in Japan
Western Honshū
A small museum that documents Meiji Restoration leader Yoshida Shōin's life and teachings with samples of his letters.
Iwami Ginzan World Heritage Centre
Western Honshū
This centre has exhibits with explanations in English on the history of the mines and the surrounding area.
Yokohama
This small hilltop park is a popular spot for cherry-blossom viewing (hanami) parties in spring.
Western Honshū
This understated, pretty wooden shrine sits among the trees and bamboo groves of the hills behind Imbe.
Tokyo
This side gate to the San-no-maru (third compound) of the castle was used mainly by maidservants.
Nara
Japan's second-tallest pagoda, at 50.1m; originally built in 730 and last reconstructed in 1426.
Hida Folk Archaeological Museum
Takayama
A former samurai house boasting interesting secret passageways and an old well in the courtyard.
Yaeyama Islands
Aptly named, this striking offshore fin does bring to mind an imposing ship.
Daisen Museum of Nature and History
Western Honshū
This friendly museum has two floors and offers naturalists or the curious a peek at flora, fauna and geology they might not see otherwise. The bird…
Open-Air Museum of Old Japanese Farmhouses
Osaka
Easier than a trip to the countryside is a visit to this collection of traditional Japanese country houses, transported here and painstakingly…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
Free one-hour tours of parts of Japan's parliament building and grounds are available when the Diet is not in session (ring the day before to confirm)…
Osaka
Shitennō-ji is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan, said to be founded (in 593) by priest-prince Shotoku-taishi (who first spread Buddhism in…
Hokkaidō
Until snow falls in October, Tomita's fields are covered in a rainbow array of flowers. With the mountains of Daisetsuzan National Park as a backdrop,…
Osaka
Built above the ruins of Naniwa Palace (c 650), visible through the ground floor, this museum tells Osaka's story from the era of this early palace to the…
Beppu
Beppu's most-hyped attraction is the jigoku meguri ('hell circuit'; groups of boiling hot springs), where waters bubble forth from below the ground with…
Kii Peninsula
Shirahama's main beach is famous for its white sand – though what's there now was imported from Perth in the '90s, as the original sand was lost to…
Kakunodate Cherry-Bark Craft Center
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
Inside this elegant building you'll find exhibits and demonstrations of kabazaiku, the craft of covering household or decorative items in fine strips of…
Hokkaidō
These early-20th-century red-brick warehouses on the waterfront are the legacy of Hakodate's status as a historic, international trade port. They've been…
Kii Peninsula
This temple gate was renovated for Kōya-san's 1200th anniversary in 2015, after an 1843 fire. Two of the original statues of guardian kings enshrined in…
Harajuku & Aoyama
This five-storey glass building (2003) uses clever lighting and acrylic screens to pull off the effortlessly chic look of a breezy tiered skirt. Pritzker…
Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku
Harajuku & Aoyama
The entrance to this castle-like structure by Nakamura Hiroshi is a dizzying hall of mirrors (which makes for a great photo); there’s a roof garden on top.
Hiroshima
Exploring a garbage-processing plant might not sound appealing, but if you're an architecture fan this building is worth a visit. The waterfront building…
Ueno & Yanesen
Tokyo University (commonly called Tōdai) was founded in 1877 and is Japan's top university. The attractive and leafy campus occupies what was once the…
Kansai
This remote mountain shrine originated as a mausoleum for Fujiwara Kamatari (614–69), the patriarch of the Fujiwara clan that would rule court politics…
Sapporo
This is one of the current brewing and bottling facilities for Sapporo beer. Guided tours are led (in Japanese only) by very enthusiastic brand…
Nishi Hongan-ji Kagoshima Betsuin
Kagoshima
The current building of this large Buddhist temple near Tenmonkan dates from 1982 and was renovated in 2013. Inside, it's unlike most temples you may have…
Kii Peninsula
In 1890 the Turkish ship Ertuğrul, returning from a diplomatic mission between the Ottoman and Japanese empires, sunk off the rocky coast of Kii – a…
Kōbe
Completed in 1998, Akashi Kaikyō, west of central Kōbe, can still claim the title of world's longest suspension bridge (based on its main span, which…
Kyūshū
Only the seriously imposing walls of the original Obi-jō are intact, but the grounds and surrounding area host several important buildings, including the…
Kōbe
Kōbe's Chinatown – Nankin comes from Nanjing; machi just means town – dates to the early days of the city opening its port to foreign traders. It was…
Kii Peninsula
Though Japan was famously closed to most foreign traders for 200 years between the mid-17th and mid-19th centuries, that doesn't mean people didn't try to…
Fukuoka
Only the walls of Fukuoka-jō (Fukuoka Castle) remain, but the castle's hilltop site (Maizuru-kōen) provides good panoramas of the city and great views of…
Western Honshū
The original Iwakuni-jō was built by Hiroie, the first of the Kikkawa lords, between 1603 and 1608. Just seven years later, the Tokugawa shogunate passed…
Shikoku
Katsura-hama is a popular beach 12km south of central Kōchi at the point where Kōchi's harbour empties out into the bay. Strong currents prohibit swimming…
Southern Higashiyama
An important Buddhist pilgrimage stop, this temple was founded in 963 by Kūya Shōnin, who carved an image of an 11-headed Kannon and installed it in the…
Tokyo
This small museum, designed mostly for kids (and rather dry considering its subject), covers the history of animation in Japan and its digital future…
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