Shrines, museums, parks, and the spots in between, with the access details worked out.
Heian-period temple on Lake Biwa in Otsu, the Floating Temple, built for Amida Butsu and the lake's safety, with an Important Cultural Property statue.
Otsu · ShigaBelieved to have been founded in 660 BCE, this ancient shrine in the Kanto region is dedicated to a patron deity of martial arts and historic swordsman school.
Kashima · IbarakiA district in Shinjuku, Tokyo, known for its nightlife, with neon-lit streets full of bars, clubs and entertainment venues, including the Golden Gai bars.
TokyoA museum dedicated to the December 2001 spy ship incident involving the Japanese Coast Guard and a North Korean vessel, displaying the sunken ship's hull.
Yokohama · KanagawaA hilltop fortress from 1591 that served as the Katakura clan seat for over 260 years and later became a regional government headquarters.
Shiroishi · MiyagiA provincial Buddhist temple founded in 741 as part of an imperial initiative, now housing Edo-period structures and archaeological remains.
Sendai · MiyagiChurch built in 1952 to mark Francisco Xavier's arrival in Yamaguchi in 1550, with a Christian museum on the history of missionary work in Japan.
YamaguchiFormer town in Toyama, part of Toyama city since 2005, known for its steep terrain, old architecture and rice terraces ranked among Japan's top 100.
ToyamaAn archaeological site containing Jomon period remains including pit dwellings, settlement traces, and shell middens dating to approximately 2000-1000 BCE.
Hamamatsu · ShizuokaA Buddhist temple in Kamakura housing the Great Buddha, a monumental copper statue of Amida Buddha cast in the 13th century.
Kamakura · KanagawaHall built in 1760 in Gokayama, Toyama, to shelter a shrine from 1502, the oldest surviving wooden building in Toyama and an Important Cultural Property.
Nanto · ToyamaThis national park spanning three prefectures offers majestic mountains, forests, lakes including Japan's fourth largest, and hot springs popular in autumn.
A highly revered Nagoya shrine established during Emperor Keiko's reign, it houses the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, one of the three symbols of the Imperial throne.
Nagoya · AichiOsaka shrine that has served sea travellers for two millennia, enshrining three sea deities and Empress Jingu, who founded it and is revered as a protector.
OsakaThis free-admission zoo in a scenic park houses red pandas, macaques, and penguins alongside playgrounds and seasonal festivities.
NaganoThis bustling open-air market in Tokyo's Taito Ward near Ueno Station features over 180 shops selling fresh food, seafood, clothing, and watches.
TokyoShifuku-ji is a Rinzai Zen temple in Sendai, relocated in 1591 to serve the Date family, renowned for its 1,200 blooming hydrangeas in early summer.
Sendai · MiyagiA Heian-period shrine in Tokushima city venerating two kami, with a Momoyama-style main hall built in 1630, a National Important Cultural Property.
Tokushima
