Kumamoto
Northwest of the castle, down paths of immaculately raked gravel, are the large villa and garden built for the Hosokawa clan. Inside the villa are…
Must-see attractions in Japan
Ueno & Yanesen
Tokyo University of the Arts, commonly known as Geidai, is Japan's top art school. Its collection dates back to 1887 and includes over 28,000 items, a…
Hokkaidō Museum of Northern Peoples
Hokkaidō
The examples here of traditional dress, tools and musical instruments from the indigenous cultures of the northern latitudes demonstrate the…
Izu Peninsula
The plinth-mounted bust of Matthew C Perry commemorates the landing of the US commodore and his men at this spot in 1854, a short hop from Perry Road.
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
Built in 1809 as the residence of the Ishiguro family, advisers to the Satake clan, this is one of the oldest buildings in the samurai district…
Kyūshū
Tucked away between Dazaifu Station and the Kyūshū National Museum, this small temple has an exquisite jewel of a Zen garden. It's a peaceful contrast to…
Ueno & Yanesen
Early-20th-century artist Yokoyama Taikan was one of the masters of modern nihonga (Japanese-style painting). Inside his former residence, a traditional…
Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art Chibajo Branch
Kumamoto
The Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art's postmodern Chibajo Annexe was built in 1992 by Spanish architects Elias Torres and José Antonio Martínez-Lapeña…
Nagasaki Traditional Performing Arts Museum
Nagasaki
Inside Glover Garden, this museum has a display of the impressive dragons and boat-shaped floats used in the colourful Kunchi Matsuri, and a large-screen…
Western Honshū
Prominent Taishō-era artist and poet Takehisa Yumeji (1884–1934) is particularly known for his bijin-ga (images of beautiful women), and various wistfully…
Nara
Kōfuku-ji's southern octagonal hall, first built in 813 (and most recently reconstructed in 1789), enshrines an image of the bodhisattva Kannon.
Miyajima
Dominating the hill immediately to the north of Itsukushima-jinja is this huge pavilion, built in 1587 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The atmospheric hall is…
Hakone
You're free to walk through this 2007 reconstruction of the feudal-era checkpoint on the Old Tōkaidō Highway, but if you want to enter any of the…
Okinawa & the Southwest Islands
Head north to drive across Ikema-Ōhashi (池間大橋) to the little island of Ikema-jima. The shallow aquamarine water on either side of this 1.4km bridge is…
Kansai
Just south of the castle ruins is a street of original row houses built as residences for the samurai charged with guarding the castle. One (closest to…
Western Honshū
Built in 1906, this handsome example of Meiji architecture, one of the few such remaining original buildings in Japan (most were destroyed or relocated),…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Run by longtime Tokyo art-world figure Sueo Mizuma, Mizuma Art Gallery represents some of Japan's more successful contemporary artists, such as Aida…
Edo Shitamachi Traditional Crafts Museum
Asakusa & Sumida River
Asakusa has a long artisan tradition, and changing exhibitions of local crafts – such as Edo-kiriko (cut glass) – are on display at this museum in a…
Ueno & Yanesen
During the Tokugawa reign, Kanei-ji was a powerful temple – its grounds once covered all of what is now Ueno-kōen (its pagoda is inside Ueno Zoo). With…
Yamatogawa Sake Brewing Museum
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
Step into the Yamatogawa Sake Brewing Museum to peek inside a kura (mud-walled storehouse) that dates from 1790 and, until 20 years ago, functioned as a…
Harajuku & Aoyama
Aoki Jun’s design for Louis Vuitton (2002) features offset panels of tinted glass behind sheets of metal mesh of varying patterns and is, fittingly, meant…
Kumamoto
Irish-Greek immigrant Lafcadio Hearn (aka Koizumi Yakumo; 1850–1904) became one of the foremost interpreters of Japanese culture for the outside world. He…
Hokkaidō
Known as salt pickle or grasswort in other parts of the world, coral grass, an otherwise humble marsh plant, gets its moment of fame in September when it…
Kansai
How are the mighty fallen: this isolated and slightly forlorn temple, about 30 minutes on foot from central Yoshino, is the final resting spot of defeated…
Northern Honshū (Tōhoku)
The restored Aoyagi family compound is impressive in its own right, but inside each well-maintained structure is a fascinating exhibition of family…
Central Honshū
Built in 1936, this statue of Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) is one of the largest in Japan, standing 41.8m tall and weighing over 6000 tonnes. You can walk…
Kumamoto
The 2008 reconstruction of the Honmaru Palace fairly gleams with fresh wood and gold-leaf paintings, particularly in the Sho-kun-no-ma receiving room…
Southern Higashiyama
This small shrine near Kennin-ji honours Ebisu, the god of prosperity. Naturally, it's a popular spot with local businesspeople. The Tōka Ebisu festival…
Miyajima
Miyajima has several important Buddhist temples, including the 1201 Daigan-ji, which dates back to the Heian period and is dedicated to Benzaiten, the…
Naha City Traditional Arts & Crafts Center
Naha
Right on Kokusai-dōri, this gallery houses a notable collection of traditional Okinawan crafts by masters of the media. You can also try your hand at…
Kansai
This tiny museum in a former kura (storehouse) displays mugiwara-zaiku (barley-straw crafts) practised locally since 1716. Straw is dyed and cut into tiny…
Kyoto
Kizakura is worth a look if you're in the Fushimi area. The vast complex houses both sake and beer breweries (these are not open to the public), courtyard…
Hakata Traditional Craft & Design Museum
Fukuoka
This compact museum displays stellar examples of local crafts, Hakata-ori textiles, Hakata ningyō (Hakata dolls), papier-mâché Daruma and lion figures,…
Yaeyama Islands
Founded in 1614, the Zen temple of Tōrin-ji, near the intersection of Shimin-kaikan-dōri and Rte 79, is home to the 18th-century guardian statues of Deva…
Hokkaidō
This interesting multimedia center has displays mainly aimed at a young crowd, but it is worth stopping at for the events, videos, performances, and…
Ōsumi Islands
This nonprofit organisation has displays and information about turtles, mostly in Japanese. During nesting (June and July) and hatching (August) seasons,…
Kansai
Ozu Seizaemon was one of the most successful merchants of the Edo period, and his well-preserved timber-framed home, originally built in the late 17th…
Tomo-no-ura Museum of History & Folklore
Hiroshima Region
This museum sits at the top of the hill behind the harbour, with exhibits relating to local industry and craft, but without English explanations. On the…
Yaeyama Islands
The unique home of a Ryūkyū kingdom official dates from 1819; walk north along Sanbashi-dōri until you see signs in English. The house is still an actual…
Hokkaidō
Along the bay, on the western fringe of town (where few visitors venture) is the small, grassy cemetery that contains the graves of sailors, clergy and…
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