Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
One of Japan's National Treasures, the temple of the second generation of feudal lord Maeda Toshinaga's family is rightly famous for its manicured lawns,…
Must-see attractions in Central Honshū
Kanazawa
This Edo-period garden draws its name (kenroku means 'combined six') from a renowned Sung-dynasty garden in China that dictated six attributes for…
Central Honshū
A National Treasure, Japan's oldest standing castle is said to have originated as a fort in 1440. The current donjon (main keep), built atop a 40m rise…
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Nagano Region
Founded in the 7th century, National Treasure Zenkō-ji is home to the revered statue Ikkō-Sanzon, said to be the first Buddhist image to arrive in Japan …
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Central Honshū
Due to war, earthquakes and development, few Meiji-era buildings have survived here. In 1965 this open-air museum was created to preserve this unique…
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Matsumoto
Must-see Matsumoto-jō is Japan's oldest wooden castle and one of four castles designated National Treasures – the others are Hikone, Himeji and Inuyama…
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Nagano Region
Comprising three sub-shrines, Togakushi-Hōkōsha, Togakushi-Chūsha and Togakushi-Okusha, each a few kilometres apart, Togakushi-jinja honours the 1911m…
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Kanazawa
Adjacent to the Kanazawa Castle Park, this feudal pleasure garden was first constructed in 1634 but abandoned in the Meiji era. Its five-year…
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Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps
This popular art museum showcases the work of Chihiro Iwasaki (1918–74), who became world-renowned while specialising in children's-book illustrations…
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Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
During the Edo period the Kita family administered over 200 villages from Kita-ke, the pivotal crossroads of the Kaga, Etchū and Noto fiefs. Inside this…
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Central Honshū
Among gorgeously forested mountains and believed to be the home of the God of Water, Fire and Agriculture, this site has housed a shrine of some form for…
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Nagoya
A must for anyone interested in Japanese culture and history, this museum has a collection of over 10,000 pieces that includes National Treasures and…
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Nagano Region
Japan's most famous ukiyo-e (woodblock print) artist, Hokusai, spent his final years in Obuse. There's an audiovisual presentation on his life in the…
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Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
Founded in 1294 by Nichizō, a disciple of Nichiren's, the imposing Myōjō-ji remains an important temple for the sect. The peaceful grounds comprise 10…
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Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
Among a few hundred elderly women selling fresh-off-the-trawler seafood, this entertaining morning market features cool boutiques offering tasteful…
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Takayama
This merchant and moneychanger's house, dating from the 1890s, showcases the striking craftsmanship of traditional Takayama carpenters. Inside is a…
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Kanazawa
This spiritual museum is a tribute to Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki, one of the foremost Buddhist philosophers of our time. Published in Japanese and English,…
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Nagoya
Although the current buildings were completed in 1966, Atsuta-jingū has been a shrine for over 1900 years and is one of the most sacred Shintō shrines in…
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Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
Designated a national historic site, this out-of-the-way place features one of the largest town ruins in Japan, dating from the early 15th century. It's…
Nagoya
Trainspotters will be in heaven at this fantastic hands-on museum. Featuring actual maglev (the world's fastest train – 581km/h), shinkansen (bullet…
Kanazawa
Between Kanazawa Station and Katamachi you'll find this market, reminiscent of Tokyo's old Tsukiji market. A bustling warren of fishmongers, buyers and…
21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
Kanazawa
A low-slung glass cylinder, 113m in diameter, forms the perimeter of this contemporary gallery, which celebrated its 10th birthday in 2014. Museum entry…
Takayama
On display here are over 300 shishi (lion) masks, instruments and drums related to festival dances. The main draw is the twice-hourly puppet show where…
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Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
In 1244 the great Zen master Dōgen (1200–53), founder of the Sōtō sect of Zen Buddhism, established Eihei-ji, the 'Temple of Eternal Peace', in a forest…
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Central Honshū
This ancient shrine on a lovely hillside is dedicated to female Shintō deity Izanami and attracts women seeking marriage or fertility. See if you can find…
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Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
This beautiful temple was established in 1321 as the head of the Sōtō school of Zen but now functions as a branch temple. The site's buildings were…
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Nagoya
See up to 20 shiny examples of the latest automotive technology hot off the production line and witness firsthand how they're made here at Toyota's global…
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Central Honshū
Between Suganuma and Ainokura, in the hamlet of Kaminashi, you'll find Murakami-ke, one of the oldest gasshō houses in the region (dating from 1578). It's…
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Central Honshū
Izanagi, the male counterpart of female deity Izanami, is commemorated at this shrine, with countless wooden and stone phalluses to celebrate. You can buy…
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Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry & Technology
Nagoya
The world's largest car manufacturer had humble beginnings in the weaving industry. This interesting museum occupies the site of Toyota's original weaving…
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Nagano Region
Here's your chance to get up close and personal with Asama-yama – so close, you could almost touch it. Formed in 1783 by Asama's last violent eruption,…
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Nagoya
This delightful Japanese garden adjacent to the Tokugawa Art Museum was donated by the Tokugawa family to Nagoya city in 1931 but destroyed by bombing in…
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Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps
Fancy some wasabi wine or ice cream? This farm, a 15-minute bike ride from JR Hotaka Station, is a must for wasabi-lovers. An English map guides you among…
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Nagoya
This hands-on museum claims the world's largest dome-screen planetarium, with some seriously out-of-this-world projection technology. There's also a…
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Kanazawa
In Higashi-chaya-gai, Kaikarō is an early-19th-century geisha house refinished with contemporary fittings and art, including a red-lacquered staircase…
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Kanazawa
Completed in 1643 in Teramachi, the temple was designed to protect its lord from attack. It contains hidden stairways, escape routes, secret chambers,…
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Takayama
This nostalgia bonanza from the Shōwa period (1926–89) focuses on 1955 to 1965, a time of great optimism between Japan's postwar malaise and the 1980s…
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Matsumoto
Housing more than 100,000 woodblock prints, paintings, screens and old books, this renowned museum exhibits but a fraction of its collection. The museum…
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Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
This hilltop temple has a wonderful outlook, but you've come to see the 500-plus stone statues of rakan (Buddha's disciples) lined up in the forest. It's…
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Matsumoto
Nawate-dōri, a few blocks south from the castle, is a popular street for a stroll. Vendors along this riverside walk sell antiques, souvenirs, and…
