Shrines, museums, parks, and the spots in between, with the access details worked out.
Shrine near Matsue with three halls side by side, where the gods gather each November to remember Izanami, and home of the UNESCO-listed Sada Shinno dance.
Matsue · ShimaneMankusen Shrine in Izumo is said to be the last stop for the gods of Japan before they return home.
Izumo · ShimaneGuardian shrine of Aomori dedicated to the Three Goddesses of Munakata, with a sacred spring and historic remains including haiku stones by Matsuo Basho.
AomoriA three-floor aquarium inside a Sapporo shopping complex, open until ten at night, with rockhopper penguins, planted tanks, and immersive digital art.
Sapporo · HokkaidoKawasaki's largest green space, with woodland and wetland, museums, a planetarium and indigo dyeing, plus cherry blossom, irises and autumn foliage in season.
Kawasaki · KanagawaThis museum celebrates Fujiko·F·Fujio, creator of Doraemon, displaying his original works, workspace, and interactive exhibits for manga fans.
Kawasaki · KanagawaThe Nara-Prefecture ruins where Japan's first centralised state took shape, newly inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2026.
Kashihara · NaraKumano Hongu Taisha, heart of the Kumano Sanzan, traces its origins to before Emperor Jinmu - where legend says three moons descended to found the shrine.
Tanabe · WakayamaKumano Hayatama Taisha in Shingu, Wakayama, is one of the three grand Kumano shrines, known as a land of rebirth where pilgrims have long sought renewal.
Shingu · WakayamaA temple at the eastern edge of Kanto, founded around an image of Kannon that fishermen are said to have drawn from the sea one glowing night in 728.
Choshi · ChibaA hillside park in Chiba - despite the name, neither in Tokyo nor especially German - where flower fields, small rides and pick-your-own crops fill the slopes.
Sodegaura · ChibaYamagata's main administrative center offering public services, local event information, and a gallery featuring works by regional artists and photographers.
YamagataTourist information center in Hirosaki, housed in a traditional Japanese building with a garden, offering maps, bookings, free Wi-Fi and news of local events.
Hirosaki · AomoriOpened in 1983 as the first Disney park built outside the United States, Tokyo Disneyland spreads across seven themed lands on the bay east of Tokyo.
Urayasu · ChibaOn a quiet hillside in rural Chiba, around thirty retired railway carriages have been preserved, including several that survive nowhere else in Japan.
Isumi · ChibaAmusement park featuring Jewellumination, the Kanto's grandest nighttime spectacle, with the Starlight Bandit roller coaster and panoramic Ferris wheel.
Inagi · TokyoThe first permanent outdoor Pokémon park, at Yomiuriland, with over 600 Pokémon across two zones: a forest trail and a town, each shown in their habitats.
Tokyo
