Shrines, museums, parks, and the spots in between, with the access details worked out.
A mineral-rich hot spring resort in Tsu City, Mie, Sakakibara Onsen offers traditional ryokan and modern hotels alongside nearby temples, gardens and outdoor activities.
Tsu · MieAn adventure zone themed to the Crayon Shin-chan anime within Hyogo's Awajishima Park, offering obstacle courses, ziplines and interactive challenges inspired by the series.
Awaji · HyogoFounded in 788 by Saichō, this Tendai Buddhist headquarters on Mount Hiei hosts the famous kaihōgyō practice and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Otsu · ShigaA hot spring resort with documented origins dating to 720, Kinosaki Onsen draws visitors for its mineral-rich thermal waters and mountainside views.
Toyoka · HyogoMiho Museum houses 3,000 Asian and Western antiques in a design by I. M. Pei, with 75 percent of the space underground and featuring a glass roof with French limestone walls.
Koka · ShigaLocated in Nishinomiya within Nadagogo, Japan's largest sake brewing region, the museum opened in 1982 to preserve traditional sake-making heritage dating to the Edo period.
Nishinomiya · HyogoNankin-machi was established in 1868 as Kobe's Chinese community, rebuilt after World War II bombing and the 1995 Hanshin earthquake, and currently hosts 10,000 residents.
Kobe · HyogoOne of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines, dedicated to the thunder deity and honored since 794 when Kyoto became the imperial capital.
KyotoAizendo Shomanin is a Tendai Buddhist temple and the first stop on a seventeen-temple pilgrimage honoring Aizen Myo-o, housing Osaka's oldest wooden pagoda structure.
OsakaTsutenkaku is a 103-meter tower built in 1912 and modeled after the Eiffel Tower, featuring a top-floor observation deck with 360-degree views and a ground-floor amusement park.
OsakaA sprawling national park in Kyoto surrounding the Imperial Palace, created during the Meiji era from vacant aristocratic residences, encompassing 100 hectares.
KyotoA vibrant Osaka entertainment district known for neon-lit streets, iconic landmarks like the Glico Man billboard and giant crab sign, canal tours, and street food.
OsakaTodai-ji's oldest building, constructed between 740-747 and originally dedicated to a Kannon statue, later renamed for the annual Lotus Sutra ceremony.
NaraA preserved thatched-roof village in Kyoto with 39 original houses built during the Edo and Meiji periods, designated an Important Preservation District.
Nantan · KyotoAn entertainment attraction on Awaji Island centered on a life-size Godzilla, offering zip-line missions, interactive games, and a museum.
Awaji · HyogoA Tendai sect Buddhist temple founded in the early Heian period, housing a National Treasure main hall with Heian-period statues and garden.
Aisho · ShigaA Meiji-era red-brick prison (1908) and one of the Five Great Prisons with its original layout intact, now a museum operated by Hoshino Resorts.
NaraKyoto museum founded to preserve Zen culture, holding five National Treasures and 145 Important Cultural Properties in historic settings.
Kyoto
