Shrines, museums, parks, and the spots in between, with the access details worked out.
A Shinto shrine in Takayama dedicated to Sanno Gongen and serving as the focal point of the Takayama Spring Festival, one of Japan's most beautiful festivals.
Takayama · GifuA museum dedicated to preserving the memory of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, featuring exhibits and artifacts that document its history.
HiroshimaA shrine near Toyama Port dedicated to Takeminakata no Mikoto, with additional enshrinements of Amaterasu Omikami, Oyamakui no Kami, and Daikoku.
ToyamaA museum concentrating on regional history and traditional handicrafts, featuring a replica market established by Oda Nobunaga and interactive exhibits.
GifuA park featuring a lily garden with approximately 150,000 blooms across 20 varieties, alongside a small lake, picnic areas, and traditional tea house.
Sakai · FukuiSituated at the foot of Mt. Shinobu, this modern museum opened in 1984 and exhibits fine works of contemporary and modern art with diverse programming.
FukushimaEstablished in 1984 on a spacious site with the Prefectural Museum of Art, this modern library offers books, multimedia, digital resources, and cultural events.
FukushimaA hot spring resort with over 1,200 years of history, known for boiling eggs in its natural spring water and for a town square with an egret statue.
Nanao · IshikawaThis 2,000-year-old Shinto shrine in Chichibu is known for its 19th century wooden main building with a thatched roof and December Night Festival.
Chichibu · SaitamaAn education center focused on global environmental concerns, it showcases observation techniques, analysis images, and models of earth observation satellites.
Hatoyama · SaitamaBotanical garden in Fukui with native and exotic plants, rare and endangered species, tropical greenhouses, and exhibits on medicinal plants and ecology.
Echizen · FukuiThe most prominent geisha district in Kanazawa, known for traditional architecture featuring lattice work and a 200-year-old geisha house now open to visitors.
Kanazawa · IshikawaThe remains of the Industrial Promotion Hall near ground zero from the August 6, 1945 atomic bombing, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996.
HiroshimaLocated in a town that won Best Stargazing Town of Japan 10 times, this observatory features multiple telescopes and a planetarium for stargazing.
Miyakonojo · MiyazakiJapan's oldest amusement park, founded in 1853 as a flower garden, features views of Senso-ji Temple and opened Japan's oldest roller coaster in 1953.
TokyoThis Niigata ski resort connects to nearby Kagura via the Dragondola, Japan's longest gondola at 5.5 kilometers, and hosted the 2016 Alpine World Cup.
Yuzawa · NiigataOpened in 2002, this 19,800 square meter aquarium specializes in breeding 59 shark species and houses 580 total species in 60 large tanks.
Oarai · IbarakiA seafood market in Wakayama City showcases fresh local catch with live fish-cutting demonstrations and restaurants serving local specialties.
Wakayama
