Shrines, museums, parks, and the spots in between, with the access details worked out.
Museum showcasing Studio Ghibli's animation history through permanent exhibitions of techniques and artifacts, designed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Mitaka · TokyoPlum blossom park in Ome, Tokyo, with about 1,200 trees replanted from 2016 after plum pox; it hosts the Yoshino Baigo Plum Blossom Festival from mid-February.
Ome · TokyoSasayama Shrine, dedicated to the god of martial arts and war, sits within Kurume Castle in Fukuoka with a main hall in traditional Edo period style.
Kurume · FukuokaPublic garden within Wakayama Castle grounds featuring thousands of cherry blossom trees, a central pond, and a traditional tea house.
WakayamaYokohama Doll Museum houses more than 10,000 dolls from over 100 countries, offering visitors a unique view of global traditions through doll-making.
Yokohama · KanagawaTendai temple in Kora with National Treasures and a scenic garden; Buddhist paintings found on its main hall pillars in 2019 may date to the Asuka period.
Kora · ShigaOne of Japan's busiest railway stations, a red brick landmark from 1914 and the eastern terminus of the Tokaido Shinkansen, with connections to major cities.
TokyoSubtropical island of ancient cedar forests and mossy landscapes that inspired Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke, one of Japan's first World Heritage Sites.
Yakushima · KagoshimaConvention center in Chiba outside Tokyo, host of major annual events including the Tokyo Game Show, Jump Festa and Wonder Festival.
ChibaRed-and-white former lighthouse in Yokohama, built in 1961 and 106 metres tall, with observation floors over the harbour and to Mt. Fuji on clear days.
Yokohama · KanagawaTochigi shrine founded in the Tenpyo era (729-749); its May 5 Snake Festival, with snakes over 15 metres, is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
Oyama · TochigiThe largest han school during the Bakumatsu period, established in 1841 by Tokugawa Nariaki with a wide-ranging curriculum, now a Special Historic Site.
Mito · IbarakiKyoto museum opened in 2006 with 300,000 manga items, from Edo-period prints to contemporary series, with permanent exhibitions and workshops on its history.
KyotoA 103-meter tower in Osaka modeled on the Eiffel Tower, first built in 1912, with a top-floor observation deck giving 360-degree city views.
OsakateamLab Borderless: MORI Building DIGITAL ART MUSEUM, a digital art museum in Tokyo where waterfalls part around visitors and flowers bloom in a cup of tea.
TokyoA 333-metre tower in Shibakoen, Minato, Tokyo, built for television broadcasting and opened in 1958, with observation decks at 150 and 250 metres.
TokyoTokyo's largest Hachiman shrine, established in 1627, holds historical significance as the birthplace of Kanjin-zumo, a precursor to modern Grand Sumo.
TokyoShrine in Wajima, Ishikawa, dedicated to Amenofuyukinu no Mikoto and his son Okuninushi, god of nation-building and matchmaking, with subsidiary shrines.
Wajima · Ishikawa
