Hidden Gems Across Japan
1,610 spots
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art (金沢21世紀美術館) is a revolutionary circular museum building designed by architec…
Kenrokuen Garden
Kenrokuen (兼六園, 'Garden of Six Sublimities') is one of Japan's Three Great Gardens alongside Kairakuen in Mitsukura and…
Futami Okitama Shrine
Futami Okitama Shrine (二見興玉神社) is a coastal Shinto shrine famous for its hundreds of frog statues (蛙, kaeru) and pre-pil…
Kashikojima Island
Kashikojima (賢島) is a small resort island in Ago Bay, connected to the mainland by bridge and serving as the gateway to…
Iga-Ueno Castle
Iga-Ueno Castle (伊賀上野城) is a reconstructed castle (rebuilt in 1935) famous for having Japan's tallest stone walls — the…
Toba Marine Terminal
Toba Marine Terminal (鳥羽マリンターミナル) is a waterfront complex combining a fresh seafood market, restaurants, ferry terminal,…
Matsusaka Castle Ruins & Former Merchant District
Matsusaka Castle (松坂城跡) was built in 1588 by Gamo Ujisato, a samurai lord who also designed Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle. Thoug…
Toba Oyster (Toba Kaki)
Toba oysters (鳥羽牡蠣, Toba kaki) are cultivated in the nutrient-rich waters of Toba Bay and Matoya Bay, producing large, p…
Sarutahiko Shrine
Sarutahiko Shrine (猿田彦神社) is dedicated to Sarutahiko no Okami — the Shinto deity of guidance, crossroads, and new beginn…
Kuwana Clam (Hamaguri)
Kuwana hamaguri (桑名のはまぐり) are large clams harvested from the Ibi River estuary where freshwater meets Ise Bay, creating…
Illustration — not a photographIse Shrimp (Ise-Ebi)
Ise-ebi (伊勢海老, 'Ise lobster') is a spiny lobster species native to Japan's Pacific coast, with Ise Bay producing the hig…
Mikimoto Pearl Island
Mikimoto Pearl Island (ミキモト真珠島) is a small island in Toba Bay where Mikimoto Kokichi successfully cultivated the world's…
Kumano Kodo Iseji Route
The Kumano Kodo (熊野古道) is a network of UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage trails crossing the Kii Peninsula to reach the s…
Ago Bay
Ago Bay (英虞湾) is a deeply indented ria coastline (drowned river valleys creating complex shoreline) dotted with over 60…
Ama Divers of Ise-Shima
Ama divers work the water the way their mothers and grandmothers did—no tanks, no wetsuits thick enough to matter, just…
Iga-Ueno Ninja Museum
Iga (伊賀) was one of two historical ninja strongholds in Japan (alongside Koka in Shiga), and Iga-Ueno Ninja Museum (伊賀流忍…
Nabana no Sato
Nabana no Sato (なばなの里) is a 230,000㎡ flower park that transforms into Japan's largest light festival each winter (Octobe…
Toba Aquarium
Toba Aquarium (鳥羽水族館) is Japan's largest aquarium by species diversity, housing over 1,200 species across 12 themed zone…
Matsusaka Beef
Matsusaka beef doesn't just melt in your mouth—the phrase gets overused, but here it's literally accurate. At proper ser…
Oharai-machi & Okage-yokocho
Oharai-machi (おはらい町) is an 800-meter pedestrian street lined with Edo-period style wooden buildings, connecting Ise Jing…
Meoto Iwa (Wedded Rocks)
Meoto Iwa (夫婦岩, 'Wedded Rocks') are two sacred rocks in the ocean connected by a thick shimenawa (sacred rope) made of r…
Ise Jingu
Walking through Ise Jingu's forest approaches feels like stepping through a curtain between worlds. The path to Naiku, t…
Shirahama Onsen
Shirahama Onsen (白浜温泉) is one of Japan's three oldest hot spring resorts (along with Arima and Dogo), with a recorded hi…
Kumano Nachi Taisha Fire Festival
The Nachi-no-Hi Matsuri (那智の火祭り, Nachi Fire Festival), held annually on July 14th, is one of Japan's three great fire fe…
Estimated from distance to the nearest airport or shinkansen station. Confirm actual journey times before you travel.