Fuji Five Lakes
Fuji-san is among Japan's most revered and timeless attractions, the inspiration for generations of poets and the focus of countless artworks. Hundreds of…
Must-see attractions in Around Tokyo
Yokohama
This impressively slick attraction is dedicated to, you guessed it, cup noodles. But in reality, its focus is more broad, with numerous exhibitions…
Nikkō
Tōshō-gū is Nikkō's biggest attraction, a shrine to the powerful shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616). No expense was spared: when the original structure …
Kamakura
Established in 1253, Japan's oldest Zen monastery is still active today. The central Butsuden (Buddha Hall) was brought piece by piece from Tokyo in 1647…
Kamakura
Kamakura's most iconic sight, an 11.4m bronze statue of Amida Buddha (amitābha in Sanskrit), is in Kōtoku-in, a Jōdo sect temple. Completed in 1252, it's…
Hakone
Occupying a verdant swath of Hakone hillside is this unmissable art safari, leading visitors past a rich array of 19th- and 20th-century sculptures and…
Kamakura
Kamakura's most important shrine is, naturally, dedicated to Hachiman, the god of war. Minamoto no Yoritomo himself ordered its construction in 1191 and…
-
Nikkō
Taiyū-in, completed in 1653, is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604–51), the third Tokugawa shogun and grandson of Ieyasu. (Ieyasu was deified, which…
Izu Peninsula
It takes less than 10 minutes to walk end-to-end of this quaint cobbled street shadowing a narrow stream leading to Ryōsen-ji temple. However, the…
Yokohama
The focus of the Yokohama Triennale (2020, 2023), this museum hosts exhibitions that swing between safe-bet shows with European headliners to more daring…
Kamakura
One of Kamakura's most alluring Shintō shrines, which you can enter via tunnel or a trail above; it's located along the Daibutsu hiking trail. Washing…
-
Fuji Five Lakes
A necessary preliminary to the Mt Fuji ascent is a visit to this atmospheric shrine (8th century, rebuilt 1800s) dedicated to Sakuya-hime, the goddess of…
-
Izu Peninsula
A cliffside hiking trail winds over volcanic rock and through pine forest along the gorgeous Jōgasaki coast south of Itō. Most visitors head to Kadowaki…
-
Around Tokyo
A road runs to the slope of the volcano, from where you can see Mt Fuji on a clear day. From here, you can hike 45 minutes to the 754m summit to peer into…
-
Hakone
This mammoth museum showcases the dazzling Japanese, Chinese and Korean art treasures of industrialist Okada Kazuo. You could easily spend hours…
-
Togawa-ke Oshi-no-ie Restored Pilgrim's Inn
Fuji Five Lakes
Fuji-Yoshida's oshi-no-ie (pilgrims' inns) have served visitors to the mountain since the days when climbing Mt Fuji was a pilgrimage rather than a…
-
Hakone
Showcasing the private collection of the late Suzuki Tsuneshi, son of the founder of the Pola Group (a cosmetics company), this impressive building…
Kamakura
Engaku-ji is one of Kamakura's five major Rinzai Zen temples. It was founded in 1282 for Zen monks to pray for soldiers who lost their lives defending…
Yokohama
This beautifully landscaped garden was established by a wealthy silk trader, Sankei Hara, and opened to the public in 1906. Paths winding between ponds…
Kamakura
The focal point of this Jōdo sect temple, one of the most popular in the Kantō region, is a 9m-high carved wooden jūichimen (11-faced) Kannon statue…
Yokohama
Hara Nobutaro (1919–2014) was Japan's pre-eminent trainspotter, taking the pastime to a typically Japanese level of obsessiveness as this superb personal…
Kamakura
This Tokasan temple of the Rinzaishu Kenchō-ji sect was originally a tantric Buddhist temple and converted to a Zen temple. The main reason to visit is…
Yokohama
Nine ramen restaurants from around Japan were hand-picked to sell their wares in this theme-park-style replica of a 1958 shitamachi (downtown district)…
Nikkō
Along this particularly scenic stretch of the Daiya-gawa, where white rapids swirl around rocks, is a row of Jizō statues, the small stone effigies of the…
Yokohama
Adjacent to the magnificent Nippon Maru, is this comprehensive, if somewhat dry, port museum. It's worth a visit for its detailed model ships and ship…
Yokohama
Standing an impressive 296m high (70 storeys), the Landmark Tower was Japan's tallest skyscraper until overtaken in 2014 by Osaka's Abeno Harukas…
-
Nikkō
Rinnō-ji's grand main hall, Sanbutsu-dō ('Hall of Three Buddhas'), was first built in 848; the current structure dates to 1645 and, with restoration work…
-
Hakone
Book well in advance to be sure of securing a ticket to view this extraordinary art, architecture and performing arts complex overlooking scenic Sagami…
-
Nikkō
Just to the left of the entrance to Futarasan-jinja is a 1km wooded path leading to Takinō-jinja, part of the greater shrine precinct. Just in front is…
-
Nikkō
Futarasan-jinja was founded over 1200 years ago as a place to worship the mountain Nantai-san (2484m), his mountain consort, Nyohō-san (2483m), and their…
-
Fuji Five Lakes
Despite being known as the Bat Cave, this 350m-long complex has neither bats nor caped crusaders. Nevertheless, it's still fun to scramble over the…
-
Izu Peninsula
Resembling a parasol of cyprus and glass perched on a cliff above the ocean, this remarkable cafe space is the work of superstar architect Kengo Kuma …
-
Around Tokyo
This fascinating museum in Omiya, 25km north of central Tokyo, charts the evolution from steam to modern-day technology of Japan's railways. It's packed…
-
Hakone
The 'Great Boiling Valley' was created 3000 years ago when Kami-yama erupted and collapsed, also forming Ashino-ko. Hydrogen sulphide steams from the…
-
Izu Peninsula
In the middle of the village is its namesake temple, said to have been founded over 1200 years ago by Kōbō Daishi, the priest credited with spreading…
-
Around Tokyo
One of the three most celebrated landscape gardens in Japan, Kairaku-en was created in 1842 by the daimyō (domain lord) of the Mito han (domain), a member…
-
Hakone
The Hakone Ropeway is a 30-minute, 4km gondola ride, taking travellers to Tōgendai from Sōun-zan. It glides over the steaming crater of Ōwakudani, one of…
-
Izu Peninsula
A 15-minute walk south of Shimoda Station is Ryōsen-ji, site of the treaty that opened Shimoda, signed by Commodore Perry and representatives of the…
-
Fuji Five Lakes
A symbol of Mt Fuji worship, this gate was first constructed in 1788 (though the present one dates to 1955), and in clear weather frames picture-postcard…
-
Izu Peninsula
This grand inn (c 1928) is now a national monument for its fine woodwork. Each of its three storeys was designed by a different master carpenter;…
