Kyūshū
This temple's main hall dates from the Edo period, but the key reason to come here is to see the nine Heian-period sculptures designated important…
Must-see attractions in Japan
Takayama
You'll know best whether you're someone who has to see this collection of more than 1000 fluffy little guys from around the world. Some are over 140 years…
Hiroshima
Most people visit this souvenir-filled tower for 'Hiroshima Hills', its windy, open-terrace viewing platform with one-of-a-kind vistas across the adjacent…
Central Honshū
Admission to Hirayu Onsen's only attraction, a quaint museum of folk memorabilia, includes entrance to a rather lovely and lesser-known little rotemburo …
Western Honshū
This is the thatched early home of a four-term prime minister, who was a follower of Meiji Restoration leader Yoshida Shōin, and who later drafted the…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
The towering 1965 reconstruction of Tsuruga-jō sits in sprawling grounds framed by the original moat and some ruins of the old castle walls. Inside is a…
Nunobiki Herb Gardens & Ropeway
Kōbe
Escape the city on a 400m-high mountain ridge, offering sweeping views across town to the bay. During the day (to 5pm) you can descend on foot through the…
Nara
Also known as Sangatsu-dō (三月堂), this is the oldest building in the Tōdai-ji complex, dating to the mid-8th century. Inside are 10 statues from the Nara…
Tokyo
There are 300 or so kites in this small but fascinating museum, located above the restaurant Taimeiken, including brilliantly painted kites based on folk…
Central Honshū
Over two dozen gasshō-zukuri buildings have been relocated here, although the arrangement feels contrived. Several houses are used for demonstrating…
Miyagi Sant Juan Bautista Museum
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
A full-scale replica of the Spanish-style Japanese-made ship Sant Juan Bautista, commissioned by Date Masamune in 1613 as part of a diplomatic mission to…
Kumamoto
Through the winding backstreets south of Honmyō-ji (about 20 minutes on foot), this quiet museum displays the calligraphy and scrolls of Miyamoto Musashi …
Kyūshū
Just off the coast from Ishinami-kaigan, the tiny island of Kō-jima is home to a group of monkeys that apparently rinse their food in the ocean before…
Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village
Western Honshū
Just north of Sakate is the turn-off to the picturesque fishing village of Tanoura (田ノ浦), site of the village school that featured in the film Twenty-Four…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Among the hundreds of vintage cameras on display here is an 1839 Giroux daguerreotype, the world's first camera. Japan wasn't far behind: the ornate Tsui…
Hokkaidō
About a 10-minute walk south of JR Wakkanai Station, this complex has restaurants, souvenir shops and the Minato-no-yu Onsen. It's designed to evoke the…
Shikoku
Several kilometres up a narrow, winding road near Kyōjō, Buke Yashiki is a restored thatched-roof samurai-house museum commanding spectacular views of the…
Okinawa & the Southwest Islands
The best snorkelling beach on Shimoji and Irabu, Nakanoshima Beach is protected by a high-walled bay on the west coast of Shimoji-jima. You'll greatly…
Western Honshū
This park celebrates the island's olive-growing activities with several whitewashed buildings, some fake Grecian ruins, a museum, and opportunities to buy…
Asakusa & Sumida River
Originally built in 1774, this bridge was once the point of departure for boat trips to the Yoshiwara pleasure district, north of Asakusa.
Western Honshū
Legend (or marketing) says if you stroll this sandbar dubbed 'Angel Road' with your loved one, your heart's desire will come true. In reality it's three…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
In the hills above Ishinomaki, 56m above sea level, this beautiful park stands on the site of the former Ishinomaki castle. Offering sweeping views over…
Hokkaidō
Some of the original Meiji-era prison buildings were restored and relocated to this oddly pleasant museum park. The Kangoku Hakubutsukan (penal museum)…
Nagoya
Oasis 21 is a bus terminal and transit hub with a difference. Its iconic 'galaxy platform' – an elliptical glass-and-steel structure filled with water for…
Hiroshima Region
It's a steep hike up to Shirataki-yama, a collection of sculptures of the 500 Rakan disciples of the Buddha, but a picturesque bonus are the excellent…
Western Honshū
This touristy shrine is part of neighbouring Gohyakurakan, which contains 500 statues that were built to memorialise fallen silver-mine workers. Each…
Naoshima
Adding to the Benesse Art Site's suite of museums is yet another design from the irrepressible Tadao Ando. It houses works by the renowned Korean-born…
Nagasaki
This memorial wall has reliefs of the 26 Christians – six Spanish friars and 20 Japanese – crucified in 1597 during a harsh crackdown. The youngest killed…
Yokohama
Noted tattoo artist Horiyoshi III and his wife run this very personal museum that's of interest for tattoo lovers as well as anyone interested in Japan's…
Tokyo
Asagaya's 1km-long shōtengai (market street) is one of Tokyo's longest and most iconic – a covered arcade with an arching roof and a poetic name (the…
Kagoshima
The Reimeikan has extensive displays on Satsuma history and ancient sword-making. It's inside the site of Kagoshima's castle, Tsurumaru-jō (1602); the…
Western Honshū
Although 'academy' conjures images of Ivy League schools, this humble schoolhouse is anything but that. In the 1850s, Yoshida Shōin lectured students here…
Ginza & Tsukiji
Godzilla's assault on Tokyo continues apace: first there was the Godzilla Head that appeared on the Toho building in Shinjuku; and now a 3m-tall statue…
Odaiba & Tokyo Bay
Looking like something giant builders left behind, this enormous, 15.5m-tall, red-handle and blade designed by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen is…
Western Honshū
This National Treasure is the family burial temple of the local Mōri lords, and has a Zen-style hall dating from 1327, making it the oldest example of Zen…
Arimatsu Narumi Tie Dyeing Museum
Nagoya
This museum upholds the 400-year-old tradition of shibori (tie-dyeing). Downstairs you'll find historical artefacts, a gift shop, and a video introducing…
Ueno & Yanesen
This Inari shrine inside Ueno-kōen is most noteworthy for its photogenic succession of torii gates, which form a vermilion tunnel. This feature is typical…
Nikkō
This much-photographed red footbridge over the Daiya-gawa is located at the sacred spot where Shōdō Shōnin is said to have been carried across the Daiya…
Odaiba & Tokyo Bay
Officially known as Tokyo International Exhibition Hall, Tokyo Big Sight has striking architecture including four huge upside-down pyramids. Look outside…
Kansai
This shrine, halfway up the valley-town of Kibune, is worth a quick look, particularly if you can ignore the unfortunate plastic horse statue at its…
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