Having trouble deciding what to do in Japan? This guide includes the top ten most popular tourist destinations, so make sure you don't miss out. The best spots in Japan are Fushimi inari taisha, Asakusa, Arashiyama, Miyajima, Todaiji temple, Dotonbori, Shibuya, Hiroshima peace memorial park and Mt Fuji.
Fushimi Inari Shrine
Fushimi Inari Shrine – A 1,300 years old shrine for the God of bountiful crops and prosperous business
Serving as a place of worship for commoners over 1,300 years, Fushimi Inari Shrine is the headquarters of inari shrines. The tunnel consisting of 10,000 torii gates is something to see. Enjoy a stroll through the gently rolling land of the spacious grounds of the shrine.
Red torii gates and white foxes – the symbols of Fushimi Inari Shrine. For more than 1,300 years, people have come to Fushimi Inari Shrine to worship the Inari God that assures bountiful crops. The shrine is the headquarters of the more than 30,000 inari shrines across Japan. The red torii gates and white foxes are the symbols of Fushimi Inari Shrine. It is said that the red color of the torii gates and the shrine building has power against supernatural powers, and that the color also indicates the bountifulness of the Inari God. Foxes are...
Business hours
- Everyday (8:30 AM ~ 4:30 PM )
Shrine grounds are open 24 hours a day
Phone
075-641-7331
Price
- Free
Website
en.wikipedia.org
Asakusa
The Tour of Old and New Japan in Asakusa
In Asakusa which is visited by more than half of the overseas tourists, you will encounter Tokyo’s oldest temple Sensoji Temple as well as the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), which is the outermost gate of Sensoji Temple as well as the street lined with old-school shops that lead to the inner precincts of the shrine. Many of the stores offer services in English.
Senso-ji Temple, the oldest temple located in Tokyo, and Nakamise-dori connecting the Kaminarimon entrance to the main hall, are constantly crowded with sightseers on a yearly basis. Since the area has always had numerous temples since the Edo Period, it has been called Teramachi, which translates to ‘City of Temples’. Asakusa Kokusai Avenue is where you can enjoy shopping while walking through this Teramachi. As soon as you exit Asakusa Station, there are many unique stores that sell goods such as...
Website
wikitravel.org
Arashiyama
Arashiyama, a prominent tourist spot in Kyoto where you can enjoy the great outdoors
Tougetsukyo Bridge, which evokes Arashiyama’s elegance. The trolley trains and the cruise down Hozu River where you can physically sense nature throughout the 4 seasons. This is the place where you can feel Kyoto’s grace unified with nature
Arashiyama is an area that includes Tougetsukyo Bridge which spans Katsura River and the mountain that soars up to command a view of the area. This is a quiet place that is surrounded by mountains which have had classic Japanese poems recited about them from long ago, and there are many various shrines and temples. Recently, along with the famous well-established dining establishments, there have also been Japanese-style cafés, souvenir shops selling miscellaneous goods from Kyoto, trolley trains, and river cruises down...
Website
kyoto.travel
Itsukishima (Miyajima)
One of the Three Views of Japan, it is a World Heritage island that has been worshipped as a sacred island since ancient times
Commonly known as Miyajima, it is also known as one of the Three Views of Japan. The island has a history of over 1400 years which includes the World Heritage site of Itsukishima Shrine, the many temples and shrines on Mt. Misen, and traditional events.
A popular spot that attracts close to 3 million visitors annually, the island that sits atop the Seto Inland Sea with a circumference of 30km has been worshiped as a deity since ancient times. Itsukishima Shrine which was constructed in the manner of Heian Era palatial architecture and the natural monument of the virgin forest of Mt. Misen have been registered as World Heritage sites, and make up about 14% of the entire island. Deer, monkeys, raccoons and other animals reside on the island, and it isn’t uncommon to even see them in the...
Phone
0829-44-2011
Price
- Free
Differs depending on the facility
Website
www.miyajima.or.jp
Todaiji
Daibutsu is the highlight of this exemplary ancient-Nara temple, which has fascinated people for time immemorial.
People have always loved Todaiji, which was completed in the year 752 and continues to be a religious place down to this day. The essential sights include the buildings that were rebuilt after being destroyed in fires caused by wars, Daibutsu (the great Buddha), masterpieces from the geniuses Unkei and Kaikei, and the statues of the guardian deities.
Todaiji is a provincial temple established by the state to implore the gods for peace and to prevent accidents and disasters. Todaiji is a cultural property in Nara that is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to countless works of art and structures that are designated National Treasures, and is full of objects of extremely significant cultural value. Here, you will experience the dynamic atmosphere of a history spanning the ages in such objects as the main temple building, which houses Japan’s largest temple, and...
Business hours
- Everyday (8:00 AM ~ 4:30 PM )
Phone
0742-22-5511
Price
- Adult: 500 JPY
- Child: 300 JPY
Website
www.todaiji.or.jp
Shibuya
Shibuya, the Pulse and Heart of Tokyo’s Youth
The scramble intersection of the youth mecca of Shibuya is the world’s busiest, with 500,000 people crossing it daily. Besides the shopping and cuisine, enjoy the unique atmosphere of this neighborhood
Out of all the areas in Tokyo, Shibuya is the city center with the largest number of young people. A trendy area, it is filled with many stores and cafes. Once you leave Shibuya Station and walk straight across the main crossing, you will hit the main shopping street in Shibuya. Once known as ‘Shibuya Centre Street’, it is a place where you can find anything from amusement centers to fast food chains to large-scale CD shops. From 2011 onwards, however, there was a name change of the street to...
Website
shibuyakukanko.jp.e.ea.hp.transer.com
Dotonbori
A photogenic town filled with eye-catching signs
Dotonbori is a popular tourist destination in Osaka. There is never a boring moment in Dotonbori, a town densely covered with colorful signs and neon lights. Don’t forget to check out the large variety of Osaka’s culinary options.
Start out with “sign watching”. Dotonbori refers to the district from the Nihon bridge to the Daikoku bridge; it is a bustling downtown area that spreads along the south bank of the Dotonbori river. At the streets that are perpetually crowded by people throughout the year, you will find a great variety of restaurants, diners and shops serving okonomiyaki (savory pancake), udon noodels, deep-fried pork skewers, blowfish dishes and much more! It is also “the kitchen of Osaka” where Osaka gourmet shops cluster together...
Phone
06-6211-4542
Website
www.dotonbori.or.jp
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum – An invaluable historic museum that continues to convey the horrors of the atomic bomb
A museum with a collection of materials related to the damage and suffering caused by the atomic bomb, including belongings of the victims and evidences from the moment immediately after the bombing. These valuable items tell the story of the atomic bomb experiences compellingly to people of generations with no war experience.
Learn about the times immediately and shortly after the atomic bombing. Along with the Atomic Bomb Dome, this is a place for learning about the atomic bombing. Starting merely four years after the atomic bombing, materials related to the damage and suffering caused by the atomic bomb had been exhibited since 1949. Then in 1955, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was opened. This museum conveys the conditions at the time of the bombing by a wide range of display including explanations of the structure and destructive power of the atomic bomb, e...
Business hours
- Everyday (8:30 AM ~ 5:00 PM )
Phone
082-241-4004
Price
- Adult: 50 JPY
Website
www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp
Climbing Mount Fuji
One of Japan’s three holy mountains. Nowhere else in Japan is closer to the Gods than the shrine at the peak of Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013. Rated as a three-star site in the Green Guide Japan, the Japanese version of Michelin’s travel guidebook Le Guide Vert, interest in Mount Fuji is rising globally.
Mount Fuji can be climbed only for two months from July 10 to September 10 while it is open to climbers. During this period, more than 200,000 people from across Japan come to Mount Fuji and start out on their climb toward the peak. While this period is optimal for safe climbing by beginners, never underestimate the dangers of climbing Mount Fuji since, after all, it is the highest mountain in Japan. Always check the weather report; if rain or thunder is predicted, it is the best to cancel your plans to climb/...
