Hidden Gems Across Japan
1,610 spots
Kimii-dera Temple
Kimii-dera (紀三井寺, 'Temple of Three Wells of Kii Province') is a hilltop temple complex founded in 770 AD, famous for its…
Takijiri-oji Shrine
Takijiri-oji (滝尻王子) is the starting point of the Nakahechi Trail, the most popular Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route, and his…
Engetsu Island
Engetsu Island (円月島, 'full moon island') is a small uninhabited island in Shirahama Bay, famous for its natural rock arc…
Kongobu-ji Temple
Kongobu-ji (金剛峯寺) is the head temple of Shingon Buddhism and the administrative center of Koyasan's 117 temples, founded…
Katsuura Tuna Market
Katsuura Fishing Port (勝浦漁港) in Nachikatsuura Town is one of Japan's premier tuna landing ports, especially famous for h…
Illustration — not a photographWakayama Mikan & Umeboshi
Wakayama Prefecture is Japan's largest producer of mikan oranges (温州みかん, unshu mikan) and umeboshi pickled plums (梅干し),…
Kumano Hongu Taisha
Kumano Hongu Taisha (熊野本宮大社) is the head shrine of the Kumano Sanzan (Three Grand Shrines) and spiritual terminus of the…
Shojin Ryori
Shojin ryori is what Buddhist monks eat: no meat, no fish, no eggs, no onions or garlic (they're thought to stir up desi…
Senjojiki & Sandanbeki Cliffs
Senjojiki (千畳敷, 'thousand tatami mats') is a massive wave-cut limestone platform extending into the Pacific Ocean, its s…
Okunoin Cemetery Night Walk
Okunoin (奥之院) is a 2-kilometer path through 200,000 moss-covered tombstones and memorial monuments beneath towering 500-…
Yuasa Soy Sauce Town
Yuasa (湯浅) is a small coastal town credited as the birthplace of Japanese soy sauce (shoyu, 醤油), where Buddhist monks in…
Wakayama Castle
Wakayama Castle (和歌山城) is a hilltop fortress built in 1585 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's brother, later ruled by the powerful…
Wakayama Ramen
Wakayama ramen (和歌山ラーメン, also called chuka soba in local dialect) is a distinct regional ramen style featuring rich tonk…
Shirahama White Beach Resort
Shirahama (白浜, 'white beach') is Wakayama's premier beach resort town, famous for its 600-meter crescent of white quartz…
Nachi Falls & Kumano Nachi Taisha
Nachi Falls (那智滝, Nachi-no-Taki) is Japan's tallest single-drop waterfall, plunging 133 meters from a sheer cliff into a…
Koyasan Temple Town
Koyasan sits at 900 meters, a temple town of 117 buildings founded in 816 by Kukai (Kobo Daishi) as Shingon Buddhism's h…
Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage Trails
The Kumano Kodo is 70 kilometers of stone path through the Kii Mountains, connecting Kyoto to the three Kumano Sanzan sh…
Seta no Karahashi
Seta no Karahashi (瀬田の唐橋) is a historic bridge spanning the Seta River where it flows out of Lake Biwa. The bridge's str…
Ishiyama-dera Temple
Ishiyama-dera (石山寺, 'Stone Mountain Temple') is a historic Buddhist temple founded in 747 CE, built on a massive natural…
Lake Biwa Leisure Activities
Lake Biwa functions as an inland ocean for Kansai region residents, offering beach swimming, fishing, kayaking, SUP (sta…
Hikone Merchants' Traditional Crafts
Hikone and the surrounding Omi region developed distinctive traditional crafts during the Edo period, supported by wealt…
Hachiman-yama Ropeway & Panoramic Views
Hachiman-yama (八幡山, Mt. Hachiman, 271m) rises above Omihachiman city, offering panoramic views of Lake Biwa, the histori…
Omi Jingu
Omi Shrine (近江神宮) is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Tenji (626–672 CE), who reigned during Japan's adoption of Chi…
Biwako Valley
Biwako Valley (びわ湖バレイ) is a year-round mountain resort at 1,100m elevation on Horai Mountain, overlooking Lake Biwa. The…
Estimated from distance to the nearest airport or shinkansen station. Confirm actual journey times before you travel.