Hidden Gems Across Japan
1,610 spots
Lake Biwa Museum
Lake Biwa Museum (琵琶湖博物館) is a comprehensive natural history and cultural museum dedicated to Lake Biwa's 4-million-year…
Omi Beef
Omi beef (近江牛, Omi-gyu) is one of Japan's three most prestigious wagyu brands, alongside Kobe and Matsusaka beef. Raised…
Nagahama Castle & Lake Biwa Lakeside Park
Nagahama Castle (長浜城) was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1576 when he was still a rising warlord under Oda Nobunaga. The…
Miidera Temple
Miidera Temple (三井寺, formally Onjo-ji) is a major Tendai Buddhist temple founded in 672 CE, located on Mt. Hiei's easter…
Enryakuji Temple
Enryakuji Temple (延暦寺) is a sprawling Buddhist monastery complex atop Mt. Hiei (848m), straddling the border between Kyo…
Shirahige Shrine
Shirahige Shrine (白鬚神社) is a 2,000-year-old Shinto shrine famous for its vermillion torii gate standing in Lake Biwa, 30…
Omihachiman Canal Town
Omihachiman (近江八幡) is a beautifully preserved canal town developed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi's nephew in 1585. The Hachiman-…
Chikubushima Island
Chikubushima (竹生島) is a small sacred island in northern Lake Biwa, home to Hogonji Temple (宝厳寺) and Tsukubusuma Shrine (…
Kurokabe Square
Kurokabe Square (黒壁スクエア) is Nagahama's historic merchant district centered around the 1900 Kurokabe Bank (Black Wall Ban…
Hikone Castle Town
Hikone's castle town (城下町, jokamachi) preserves the urban layout and atmosphere of an Edo-period samurai district. The Y…
Genkyuen Garden
Genkyuen Garden (玄宮園) is a traditional Japanese daimyo garden built in 1677 adjacent to Hikone Castle. The garden demons…
Hikone Castle
Hikone Castle (彦根城) is one of Japan's 12 original castles (surviving since Edo period), built 1603–1622. The castle pres…
Lake Biwa
Lake Biwa (琵琶湖) is Japan's largest lake, covering 670 km² and holding 20% of Japan's freshwater. The lake has sustained…
Yoshino Mikumari Shrine
Yoshino Mikumari Shrine (吉野水分神社) is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Mikumari-no-Kami (水分神), the deity of water distribution…
Nara Park Maple Viewing
Nara Park transforms in autumn (mid-November to early December) when 2,000+ maple, ginkgo, and cherry trees turn vibrant…
Nara-machi Koshi-no-ie
Naramachi Koshi-no-ie (奈良町格子の家) is a preserved Edo Period machiya (merchant townhouse) opened as a free museum showing t…
Heijo Palace Site
Heijo Palace (平城宮跡, Heijo-kyo) was the imperial palace during Nara's time as Japan's capital (710–784 AD), occupying 120…
Nara Hotel
The Nara Hotel opened in 1909 when the Meiji government decided Japan needed Western-style luxury hotels to host foreign…
Asuka-dera Temple
Asuka-dera (飛鳥寺) was Japan's first full-scale Buddhist temple, founded in 596 AD when Buddhism was still new to the arch…
Nara National Museum
Nara National Museum (奈良国立博物館) is Japan's premier museum for Buddhist art, housing over 2,000 Buddhist sculptures, paint…
Yoshino Kuzu Mochi
Yoshino is Japan's premier producer of kuzu (葛, arrowroot starch), a plant-based starch extracted from kudzu vine roots…
Toshodaiji Temple
When the Chinese monk Jianzhen finally reached Japan in 754 AD after five shipwrecks, pirate attacks, and twelve years a…
Isonokami Jingu Shrine
Isonokami Jingu (石上神宮) is one of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines, established in the 4th century as a repository for sacre…
Kashihara Jingu Shrine
Kashihara Jingu (橿原神宮) is a large Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Jimmu, Japan's legendary first emperor according to…
Estimated from distance to the nearest airport or shinkansen station. Confirm actual journey times before you travel.