Explore Japan

Attractions in Japan

Discover places to see across Japan by destination, prefecture, region, interest, and the practical details that shape a day out.

325 attractions

Circular glass exterior of the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Hirosaka, Kanazawa

Kanazawa · Hirosaka, Kanazawa

21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art

A circular glass museum designed by SANAA, home to Leandro Erlich's Swimming Pool installation and one of Japan's most visited contemporary art spaces, directly across from Kenroku-en.

MuseumMuseums & ArtHistory & Culture
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Abeno Harukas skyscraper observation deck with panoramic view over Osaka cityscape and surrounding region, Japan

Osaka · Abeno, Osaka

Abeno Harukas

One of Japan's tallest skyscrapers with an observation deck offering panoramic Osaka views stretching to Nara, Kobe, and Kyoto.

ObservatoryViewpointsPhotography
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Akashi Kaikyo Bridge's suspension towers and cables spanning the Akashi Strait between Kobe and Awaji Island, viewed from the Kobe-side shore

Kobe · Maiko, Tarumi-ku, Kobe

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge

The world's longest suspension-bridge span, connecting Kobe's Maiko district to Awaji Island across the Akashi Strait, with free shoreline viewing, a paid glass-floored walkway, and a reservation-only climb to the tower top.

BridgeArchitectureViewpoints
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Akechidaira Ropeway cable car with mountain views in Nikko Japan

Nikko · Nikko

Akechidaira Ropeway

A scenic cable car ride to an observation deck with panoramic views over Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls.

ObservatoryViewpointsPhotography
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Akihabara - neon signs and electronics shops, Electric Town, Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo · Akihabara / Chiyoda

Akihabara Electric Town

Akihabara is Tokyo's legendary hub for electronics, anime, manga, and gaming culture, packed with multi-story shops and themed cafes. It is a pilgrimage destination for pop culture fans worldwide.

NeighborhoodShopping
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Amerikamura street in Osaka with the blue America-mura gateway sign, a graffiti mural reading Osaka Amemura above a vintage clothing shop, and pedestrians walking under street trees, Japan

Osaka · Nishi-Shinsaibashi, Osaka

Amerikamura

Osaka's streetwear and vintage-clothing district on the west side of Shinsaibashi Station, centered on Triangle Park. A neighborhood of independent shops, cafes, and evening venues, not a single attraction.

NeighborhoodShopping
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Hillside footpath with wooden railings in Arakurayama Sengen Park, visitors walking under green trees, with the town of Fujiyoshida and Mount Fuji beyond

Mount Fuji · Fujiyoshida

Arakurayama Sengen Park

The Fujiyoshida hillside park around Chureito Pagoda, with Arakura Fuji Sengen Shrine, a Mount Fuji viewing deck, seasonal trees and paid city parking.

ParkGardens & ParksViewpoints
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A lone walker with a pink umbrella on the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove path, between tall bamboo and brushwood fences

Kyoto · Arashiyama

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is a short public path through tall bamboo in the Sagano area of western Kyoto, free to walk and with no gate. Most visitors combine it with Tenryu-ji's garden, Okochi Sanso and Nonomiya Shrine, which sit along it.

Nature
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Preserved Edo-period merchant houses along the main street of the Arimatsu historic townscape in Midori Ward, Nagoya

Nagoya · Arimatsu / Eastern Edge

Arimatsu Historic Townscape

A nationally recognized preserved Edo-period townscape in Midori Ward, Nagoya, known for Arimatsu Shibori tie-dyeing and fire-resistant merchant-house architecture.

Historic SiteHistory & CultureShopping
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Atomic Bomb Dome preserved ruins with skeletal iron dome frame and brick walls against grey sky, Hiroshima Japan

Hiroshima · Naka, Hiroshima

Atomic Bomb Dome

The ruin of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, left standing close to the hypocenter of the 1945 atomic bomb and preserved as a World Heritage Site. Seen from outside its fence, free, at any hour.

MuseumMuseums & ArtHistory & Culture
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Torii gate and wooded approach path at Atsuta Jingu shrine in Atsuta-ku, Nagoya

Nagoya · Atsuta / Southern Nagoya

Atsuta Jingu

One of Japan's most revered Shinto shrines, traditionally said to enshrine the sacred sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi, set within a wooded precinct in southern Nagoya.

ShrineTemples & ShrinesHistory & Culture
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Azabudai Hills plaza with its terraced green architecture, entrance pavilion, and Tokyo Tower visible in the background

Tokyo · Azabudai / Minato

Azabudai Hills

Azabudai Hills is Mori Building's free-to-enter mixed-use complex in Minato, Tokyo, built around Mori JP Tower, Japan's tallest building. Opened in November 2023, it combines terraced gardens, roughly 150 shops and restaurants, and teamLab Borderless, a separately ticketed museum inside Garden Plaza B. It's a distinct complex from the older, nearby Roppongi Hills.

LandmarkShopping
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Canal City Hakata shopping complex with indoor canal in Fukuoka

Fukuoka · Fukuoka

Canal City Hakata

A massive shopping, dining, and entertainment complex built around an indoor canal, with a famous fountain show and theater.

Shopping
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Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER illuminated at night above Hisaya-odori Park in Sakae, Nagoya

Nagoya · Sakae / Fushimi

Chubu Electric Power MIRAI TOWER

A 1954 broadcast tower in central Sakae, Nagoya, formerly known as Nagoya TV Tower and now a nationally designated Important Cultural Property, with two observation decks and a free lower-floor view.

towerHistory & CultureArchitecture
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Chureito Pagoda with cherry blossoms in bloom and Mount Fuji behind the lights of Fujiyoshida at dusk

Mount Fuji · Fujiyoshida

Chureito Pagoda

A five-story memorial pagoda on the hillside above Fujiyoshida, 398 steps up, framed against Mount Fuji from its viewing deck.

Temples & ShrinesHistory & Culture
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Cup Noodles Museum colorful exterior Minato Mirai Yokohama Japan

Yokohama · Minato Mirai, Yokohama

Cup Noodles Museum

The birthplace of instant noodles, an interactive museum where visitors learn the history of Cup Noodles and create their own custom cup.

MuseumMuseums & ArtFood & Markets
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Daigo-ji's vermilion Bentendo hall and bridge above its pond, among fresh green maples

Kyoto · Fushimi / Daigo

Daigo-ji Temple

Daigo-ji is a World Heritage temple in south-east Kyoto, with a pagoda completed in 951, the garden Toyotomi Hideyoshi laid out for his 1598 cherry-blossom party, and a mountaintop precinct, Kami-Daigo, whose trail is currently closed.

Temples & ShrinesHistory & Culture
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The three watermills at Daio Wasabi Farm surrounded by wasabi paddies fed by clear alpine spring water

Matsumoto · 3640 Hotaka, Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture

Daio Wasabi Farm

Japan's largest wasabi farm, located in Azumino City, not Matsumoto, reached by a JR Pass-covered train from Matsumoto Station plus a short onward leg. Free grounds admission, famous for its three watermills and Akira Kurosawa film connection.

Nature
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