Buildings
Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kyoto
Kyoto, Kyōto
The head shrine of Inari, the god of rice and business, famous for its thousands of bright vermilion torii gates, donated by businesses, which form t…
Travel tips in Japan
Historic sites
Himeji Castle
Himeji, Hyōgo
The finest surviving feudal castle in Japan, called the 'White Heron' for its brilliant white walls and roofs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Historic sites
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Hiroshima
A park built near the hypocentre of the atomic bomb dropped on 6 August 1945.
Historic sites
Itsukushima Shrine, Miyajima
Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima
A Shinto shrine on the island of Miyajima, built over the water, with a huge vermilion torii gate that seems to float at high tide.
Buildings
Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion), Kyoto
Kyoto, Kyōto
A Zen temple whose top two floors are covered in gold leaf, reflected in a pond surrounded by pine trees and gardens.
Historic sites
Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto
Kyoto, Kyōto
A Buddhist temple on a wooded hillside in eastern Kyoto, famous for its wooden stage, built without nails, jutting out over the valley, with views ov…
Places to stay
Kōya-san temple stay
Wakayama
A mountaintop monastery town founded in 816 by the monk Kūkai, with more than 100 temples, many offering shukubō (temple lodging), where you eat vege…
Walks and treks
Kumano Kodō pilgrimage trail
Tanabe-shi, Wakayama
Ancient pilgrimage trails through the forested mountains of the Kii Peninsula, linking three grand shrines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Natural features
Mount Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes
Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi
Japan's highest and most sacred mountain, a near-perfect volcanic cone 3,776 m high, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Attractions
Naoshima art island
Kagawa
A small island in the Seto Inland Sea transformed into a home of contemporary art.
Historic sites
Nara Park and Tōdai-ji
Nara-shi, Nara
Japan's first permanent capital, where more than 1,000 tame sika deer roam the park; buy deer crackers and they will bow to you.
Historic sites
Nijō Castle, Kyoto
Kyoto, Kyōto
The Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa shoguns, who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867.
Historic sites
Nikkō Tōshō-gū
Nikkō, Tochigi
The lavishly decorated shrine and mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, in a cedar forest in the mountains north of Tokyo,…
Historic sites
Sensō-ji Temple, Asakusa
Tokyo
Tokyo's oldest temple, founded in 628, entered through the Kaminarimon gate with its giant red lantern.
Historic sites
Shirakawa-gō
Hida, Gifu
A mountain village of gasshō-zukuri farmhouses, with steep thatched roofs like hands joined in prayer, built to shed heavy snow, a UNESCO World Herit…
Natural features
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
Kyoto, Kyōto
A path through towering green bamboo in western Kyoto, which creaks and rustles in the wind.
Food and drink
Dōtonbori, Osaka
Osaka, Ōsaka
Osaka's lively entertainment street along a canal, famous for giant neon signs, including the Glico running man, and for street food: takoyaki (octop…
Natural features
Hakone
Hakone, Kanagawa
A hot-spring resort in the mountains near Mount Fuji, ideal for staying in a ryokan (traditional inn) and bathing in an onsen.
Natural features
Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park
Yamanouchi, Nagano
A valley in the mountains of Nagano where wild Japanese macaques bathe in a hot spring to keep warm, especially in winter, when snow covers their fur.
Natural features
Kenroku-en Garden, Kanazawa
Kanazawa, Ishikawa
One of Japan's three great gardens, created by the lords of Kanazawa over two centuries, with ponds, streams, tea houses and a two-legged stone lante…
Historic sites
Kyoto Imperial Palace
Kyoto, Kyōto
The palace where Japan's emperors lived until the capital moved to Tokyo in 1868.
Historic sites
Matsumoto Castle
Matsumoto, Nagano
One of Japan's few original castles, called the 'Crow Castle' for its black walls, with its keep standing above a moat, with the Japan Alps behind.
Historic sites
Meiji Jingū and Harajuku
Tokyo
A Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken, set in a forest of 100,000 trees in the middle of Tokyo, entered through huge wooden t…
Tours and activities
Sapporo Snow Festival
Sapporo, Hokkaidō
Every February, Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, hosts one of the world's great winter festivals, with huge snow and ice sculptures in Odori Park an…
Natural features
Shiretoko National Park
Hokkaidō
A remote peninsula on the north-east tip of Hokkaido, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with brown bears, deer and sea eagles.
Historic sites
Shurijō Castle and Okinawa
Naha, Okinawa
The palace of the Ryūkyū kings, who ruled Okinawa as an independent kingdom until 1879, a red-lacquered castle on a hill above Naha, a UNESCO World H…
Attractions
teamLab Planets, Tokyo
Tokyo
An immersive digital art museum where you walk barefoot through rooms of light, water and mirrors, including a room of floating orchids and a pool wh…
Places to stay
The Niseko Company chalets, Hirafu
Niseko Town, Hokkaidō
The Niseko Company rents out more than 30 private chalets, houses and villas in Hirafu, the main village at Niseko United, Japan's best-known powder …
Food and drink
Tsukiji Outer Market, Tokyo
Tokyo
The busy market streets left behind when Tokyo's wholesale fish market moved to Toyosu, packed with stalls selling fresh sushi, grilled seafood, tama…
Walks and treks
Yakushima
Miyanoura, Kagoshima
A mountainous island south of Kyushu covered in ancient cedar forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.