Fukuoka
Sumiyoshi-jinja is said to be the original taisha (grand shrine) of Shintō's Sumiyoshi sect. The main kami (divine beings) enshrined here are protectors…
Must-see attractions in Japan
Shikoku
On a bluff at Ashizuri-misaki is an imposing statue of local hero John Manjirō. Born in 1836 as Nakahama Manjirō, the young fisherman was swept onto Tori…
Downtown Kyoto
Mibu-dera was founded in 991 and belongs to the Risshū school. It houses tombs of pro-shogunate Shinsen-gumi members, who fought bloody street battles…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
Date Masamune constructed this small wooden temple in 1604. Although it stands on an island in the bay, connected to the mainland by two short bridges, it…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
Legend has it that long ago, a local maiden, Tatsuko, believing that the spring water would make her beauty last forever, drank so much that she turned…
Izu Peninsula
This small museum displays artefacts and artwork relating to the reception of Commodore Matthew Perry and his gunboats, dubbed 'Black Ships' by locals…
Tokyo
Just to the northeast corner of Kōkyo-gaien Plaza, this small park has two fountains that were built to commemorate the weddings of past Emperor Akihito…
Nagasaki
For days when Gunkanjima is inaccessible (or even when it's not), you can tour the island from afar via high-tech video presentations and virtual-reality…
Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium
Nagoya
Among Nagoya's most well-known attractions, this port-side aquarium features one of the largest outdoor tanks in the world, and the permanently moored…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
On the outskirts of Ikebukuro and opened in 1875, Zōshigaya-reien is the final resting place of many influential writers and artists of the modern era …
Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
How did baseball come to be a Japanese obsession? This museum chronicles baseball’s rise from a hobby imported by an American teacher in 1872 to the…
Downtown Kyoto
This museum is worth visiting if a special exhibition is on (the regular exhibits are not particularly interesting and don’t have much in the way of…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
On the eastern edge of Aizu is Iimori-yama, the mountain where the White Tigers (Byakkotai) samurai killed themselves during the civil war of 1868. You…
Higashiyama Zoo & Botanical Gardens
Nagoya
Some visitors might find the size of the enclosures at this otherwise well-kept zoo a little disheartening. A low admission price and the attractive…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
In the 19th century there were dozens of fiery kilns lining the Hazukashi-gawa, turning out beautiful bluish-grey mottled pottery pieces known as nashi…
Kumamoto Prefectural Traditional Crafts Centre
Kumamoto
Near the prefectural art museum's Chibajo branch, this large facility displays local Higo inlay, Yamaga lanterns, porcelain and woodcarvings, many for…
Kyūshū
Kurozu (amber rice vinegar) has been produced for centuries in the former rice-shipping port of Fukuyama, in Kirishima. The Sakamoto company has made it…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
Rows of Hinamatsuri dolls welcome visitors to this centuries-old brewery overseen by one of the oldest families in Akita Prefecture. Andō makes soy sauce…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
If you can't make it to town for the Kantō Matsuri pole lantern festival, this small museum is the next best thing. The highlight is a large hall with…
Western Honshū
This tunnel into the silver mine has been widened substantially from its original size, and a guide helps bring it to life. One glance at the old tunnel,…
Kyūshū
On the grounds of Shimabara Castle, this museum is dedicated to the work of Kitamura Seibō, a native son of Shimabara and sculptor of the central statue…
Asakusa & Sumida River
On the ground floor of Ryōgoku Kokugikan stadium, this small museum displays pictures of all the past yokozuna (top-ranking sumo wrestlers), or, for those…
Hokkaidō
This museum is full of photos, both official and candid, of legendary hometown hero, the sumo wrestler Taihō (大鵬; 1940–2013). He was born on Karafuto …
Hokkaidō
Known Japan-wide, the country's northernmost zoo attracts visitors with its stars from cold climates: polar bears and penguins. More interesting to…
Fukuoka
Some attractive historic Western architecture populates this park near city hall, most notably the French Renaissance–style Kihinkan, dating from 1910 and…
Downtown Kyoto
Located in a large merchant’s house, this kimono-shop-museum walks visitors through the architecture of a traditional building built in the daibeizukuri…
Nagasaki
This temple, surrounded by serene gardens, is not to be confused with Sōfuku-ji (in Teramachi). It contains an arched stone gate dating from 1657. The…
Nagasaki
During Japan's long period of seclusion, Chinese traders were theoretically just as restricted as the Dutch, but in practice they were relatively free…
Kansai
Steps from the southern end of the Amanohashidate footbridge, this busy temple is home to an Important Cultural Property pagoda from the Muromachi period …
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
There's a plan for buildings along this broad, tree-lined boulevard to be decorated with street art as part of the Tokyo Mural Project (http://mural.tokyo…
Watari Museum of Contemporary Art
Harajuku & Aoyama
In a building (1990) by Swiss architect Mario Botta, Watari-Um stages exhibits that range from retrospectives of established art-world figures (such as…
Kumamoto
Meiji-era novelist Natsume Sōseki (1867–1916) is honoured at the pretty 1870s home where he lived during his four years teaching English in Kumamoto. The…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This wooden residence, next to Nogi-jinja, is where General Nogi and his wife committed ritual suicide on the death of Emperor Meiji. It's open to the…
Harajuku & Aoyama
This deceptively deep concrete mall (2003), designed by Tadao Ando, spirals around a sunken atrium. Andō’s architecture utilises materials such as…
Osaka
Founded in the 10th century, this shrine is where Osaka students come to pray for success: it's dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, also known as Tenjin-san,…
Hokkaidō
The highlights of this highly polished museum are the exceptional examples of Ainu craftwork. The rest of the displays are fairly inaccessible, as all the…
Hiroshima
This hilly, tree-filled park just outside Hiroshima city centre is noted for its cherry blossoms in spring, and autumn foliage. A top spot for a stroll,…
Kii Peninsula
These adjacent mausoleums were completed in 1643 at the behest of the third Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, for his grandfather, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and…
Kyūshū
On the eastern side of town, the small 'Lake of Golden Fish Scales' was named by a Meiji-era philosopher and is a local landmark. Shops, cafes and…
Harajuku & Aoyama
Artist and stylist Sebastian Masuda is behind the lurid colours, surrealist installations and other-worldly outfits of this darkly cute cafe. In the…
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