Shrines, museums, parks, and the spots in between, with the access details worked out.
Founded 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 · ShigaBuilt by artist Rei Naito and architect Ryue Nishizawa, this water-droplet-shaped museum on Teshima Island contains a pillar-free interior space integrated with wind, light and sound.
Tonosho · KagawaThis Yonezawa park preserves castle ruins dating to the 17th century and features scenic views alongside cherry blossoms in spring.
Yonezawa · YamagataA hot spring resort with documented origins dating to 720, Kinosaki Onsen draws visitors for its mineral-rich thermal waters and mountainside views.
Toyoka · HyogoUmeno Park is a plum blossom sanctuary hosting the Yoshino Baigo Plum Blossom Festival from mid-February to late March, part of a 4-kilometer stretch with 25,000 plum trees.
TokyoKōchi Castle is unique in Japan for retaining all its original structures unchanged, including the original tenshu and palace, never requiring post-war reconstruction.
KochiHie Shrine was established in 1335 near Toyama Castle and hosts the Sanno Festival in June, which attracts 200,000 visitors to the approach streets lined with food stalls.
ToyamaTokugawa Art Museum houses the Owari Tokugawa Family's 10,000+ artworks, including nine National Treasures and the Tale of Genji Illustrated Scrolls, opened in 1935.
Nagoya · AichiMiho 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 · ShigaKiyosu Castle, linked to Oda Nobunaga's Sengoku rise, was built 1394-1427 to protect highway crossroads and was partially reconstructed in 1989 to mark the city's centennial.
Kiyosu · AichiLocated 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 · HyogoStanding 18 meters tall in Odaiba, the Unicorn Gundam statue is a fully articulated replica with LED lights enabling color transformations and daily transformation shows.
TokyoBuilt as an eighth-century fortification to subjugate the Emishi tribes, Akita Castle served as Dewa Province's administrative seat until abandonment around 1050.
AkitaSaitama Super Arena seats 36,500 and ranks as the world's second-largest indoor arena, hosting professional wrestling, MMA, boxing, basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics.
SaitamaInawashiro Lake, Japan's fourth-largest, occupies northeastern Fukushima surrounded by mountains, known for its clear water and popular for fishing, boating, and camping.
FukushimaThe park features wisteria in pink, purple, and white, a walkable wisteria tunnel, rose and tulip gardens, and nightly illuminations recognized among Japan's Three Great Illuminations.
Ashikaga · TochigiZaō Fox Village is home to over 100 free-roaming foxes of six species in mountain forests, allowing visitors to observe and feed them in a natural habitat alongside other animals.
Shiroishi · MiyagiNankin-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 · Hyogo
