Shrines, museums, parks, and the spots in between, with the access details worked out.
Harmonyland is a Hello Kitty-themed park in Oita Prefecture with character-centered rides, live entertainment, and opportunities to meet the famous mascot.
Hiji · OitaShrine on the Sendai Castle site honoring over 56,000 spirits of those who died in national service, with a main hall from Ise Grand Shrine.
Sendai · MiyagiZen temple founded in 1441 and relocated to Sendai in 1602, where it flourished for over three centuries under Date clan patronage.
Sendai · MiyagiShrine honoring Mori Takachika, the last daimyo of Choshu Domain and central figure in the Meiji Restoration.
YamaguchiOver 1,100-year-old Buddhist temple complex and head temple of the Daigo branch of Shingon Buddhism, centered on an ancient natural spring.
KyotoShrine commemorating Japan's mythical founding, erected on the sacred site where Emperor Jinmu established his palace approximately 2,680 years ago.
Kashihara · NaraMuseum opened 2011 within Morioka Castle Ruins Park, treating the historic fort grounds as its primary exhibit while promoting the surrounding castle-town area.
Morioka · IwateZen temple founded in 1394 and relocated to Morioka in 1601, renowned for its exceptional collection of 500 wooden Rakan enlightened-disciple statues.
Morioka · IwateMuseum dedicated to netsuke miniature sculpture, housing over 6,000 pieces with rotating exhibitions showcasing this refined Japanese art form.
KyotoMountain shrine at 1,925 meters dedicated to the Shinto deity of mountains, regarded as sacred since the Jomon period and steeped in tengu folklore.
Chino · NaganoShrine dedicated to three protective deities founded 1,200 years ago as a guardian of the Hitoyoshi-Kuma basin and Mount Aso region.
Hitoyoshi · KumamotoA Buddhist temple founded in 736 by imperial decree, featuring a seven-hall complex and housing a sacred relic of the Buddha enshrined since the Heian period.
Tainai · NiigataA Shingon Buddhist temple in Otsu, traditionally founded in 747, where Murasaki Shikibu is said to have begun The Tale of Genji, with National Treasure halls.
Otsu · ShigaOne of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines, dedicated to Okuninushi no Okami, deity of nation-building, agriculture and relationships, with a huge shimenawa rope.
Izumo · ShimaneThis shrine honors Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first military leader of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and was established in 1624.
Maebashi · GunmaA UNESCO World Heritage Site designated in 2021 as part of a collective listing encompassing 17 Jomon archaeological sites across four northern prefectures.
Ichinohe · IwateA Tenman-gu Shrine in Yamaguchi City founded in 1373, it enshrines Sugawara no Michizane and was relocated in 1618 by the Mori clan.
YamaguchiCastle constructed in 1612 as the center of a major Edo-era post station, destroyed in World War II bombing but reconstructed since 1957.
Nagoya · Aichi
