Shrines, museums, parks, and the spots in between, with the access details worked out.
Buddhist temple built around a Senju Kannon statue created in 751 that miraculously survived fire and warfare over the centuries.
OkayamaBuddhist temple founded in 806 with Kamakura-period structures designated as National Treasures and a historic pond garden.
Obama · FukuiFlatland castle whose grounds now host city hall and library, with surviving structures including towers and gates relocated and preserved from the Edo period.
Takasaki · GunmaOne of Japan's Three Great Gardens spanning 300 hectares, built in 1842 and renowned for its plum trees and cherry blossoms that bloom seasonally.
Mito · IbarakiBuddhist temple tracing roots to 1221, founded on land donated to honor Bishamonten, a protective deity originally enshrined by a military general.
Minamiuonuma · NiigataShinto shrine dedicated to Hachiman, god of war and samurai patron, hosting an annual August festival featuring traditional taiko drums and horseback archery.
Morioka · IwateShrine honoring Fujiwara Ason Nijo Tamefuyuki, a court noble who died in 1335 during the Battle of Hakone, and son of the waka poet Nijo Tameyo.
Susono · ShizuokaBuddhist temple from the 12th century, renowned for its gold-leaf decorated hall and picturesque pond garden in the finest Heian-era style.
Hiraizumi · IwateA museum in Yamanashi on painter Hirayama Ikuo's journeys along the Silk Road, made to trace the origins of Japanese culture and the transmission of Buddhism.
Hokuto · YamanashiAn open-air museum in Aichi preserving over 60 buildings from Japan's Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods, including Frank Lloyd Wright's Imperial Hotel.
Inuyama · AichiShinto shrine established 1617 to enshrine Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun who ended the Sengoku period and founded 260 years of Edo peace.
Nikko · TochigiMountain castle built in 1240 and rebuilt in 1331 on its current location, retaining its tenshu, Niju yagura, and section of defensive walls.
Takahashi · OkayamaZen temple from the late 15th century with a garden of sand and stone featuring a pond, inspired by but never covered with silver like Kinkaku-ji.
KyotoDiscover teamLab Biovortex Kyoto's living art museum. Walk through responsive digital worlds where you become part of the artwork. Explore today.
KyotoThe central hall of Todai-ji temple rebuilt in the Edo period, standing as the world's largest wooden structure after multiple destructions and reconstructions.
NaraHistoric network of six narrow alleys filled with over 200 tiny bars and eateries, preserving Tokyo's streetscape from before rapid urban development.
TokyoMountain forest park in Miyagi with over 100 free-roaming foxes of six species, where visitors can watch and feed them, alongside other animals.
Shiroishi · MiyagiOne of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines, dedicated to the thunder deity and honored since 794 when Kyoto became the imperial capital.
Kyoto
