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 …
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
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…
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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Hakone
This mammoth museum showcases the dazzling Japanese, Chinese and Korean art treasures of industrialist Okada Kazuo. You could easily spend hours…
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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…
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Hakone
Showcasing the private collection of the late Suzuki Tsuneshi, son of the founder of the Pola Group (a cosmetics company), this impressive building…
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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…
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Nikkō
Adorned in gold leaf and some 500 carved images depicting folk tales, mythical beasts and Chinese sages, the 'Sunset Gate' is the most revered traditional…
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…
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…
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)…
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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…
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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…
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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 …
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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…
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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…
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Nikkō Tamozawa Imperial Villa Memorial Park
Nikkō
About 1km west of Shin-kyō bridge, this splendidly restored imperial palace (c 1899) of more than 100 rooms showcases superb artisanship, with parts of…
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Kamakura
The grounds of this hillside Zen temple make for a blissful stroll in fine weather and include lovingly tended gardens laid out by Musō Soseki, the temple…
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Fuji Five Lakes
In a Gaudí-influenced building above the lake, this charming museum displays the kimono art of Kubota Itchiku (1917–2003). You might see Mt Fuji in the…
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Yokohama
Moored at the eastern end of Yamashita-kōen, this 1930s luxury liner has stories to tell from its days conveying well-heeled Japanese passengers to…
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Fuji Five Lakes
On a serene wooded hillside facing Mt Fuji is this faithful re-creation of a peasant village that was washed away by a landslide in 1966. Visitors can…
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Yokohama
This magnificent, four-masted barque (built in 1930 as a training ship for naval cadets) sits in a wet dock adjacent to the Yokohama Port Museum, and is…
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Around Tokyo
Local ordinances have preserved the traditional architectural look of Narita's main shopping drag as it winds its way towards the Narita-san Shinshōji…
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Around Tokyo
The landscaped grounds of this venerable temple, founded in 940, are among the largest in Japan, and are laced with walking paths. The temple buildings…
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Around Tokyo
The big-ticket attraction of Chūzen-ji is this billowing, 97m-high waterfall. Take the 1930s elevator down to a platform to observe the full force of the…
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
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…
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…
