Map view
Meiji Jingu Shrine, Tokyo
Best time to visit: March-April, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo, that is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken
- After the emperor's death in 1912, the Japanese Diet passed a resolution to commemorate his role in the Meiji Restoration
- An iris garden in an area of Tokyo where Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken had been known to visit was chosen as the building's location
Universal Studios Japan
Best time to visit: Jan-Feb, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Theme park located in Osaka, opened in 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the second to open outside the United States
- The park is similar in layout to Universal Studios Florida and contains selected attractions from both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood, in addition to a small number of unique attractions
- As of 2019, it is is the fifth-most visited theme park in the world and the third-most visited in Japan behind Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea
Tokyo DisneySea
Best time to visit: Jan, July, Oct-Nov
Cost: $
- Theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, opened in 2001
- As of 2019, Tokyo DisneySea is the fourth-most visited theme park in the world and the second-most visited in Japan behind its sister park Tokyo Disneyland
Mount Kintoki - Kintoki Shrine, Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: Jan-Feb, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- National park in Yamanashi, Shizuoka, and Kanagawa Prefectures, and western Tokyo Metropolis
- Rather than being a specific spot, the park is a collection of dispersed tourist sites that dot the region
- The park includes a variety of geographic features including natural hot springs, coastlines, mountainous areas, lakes, and more than 1000 volcanic islands
- Vegetation in the park ranges from species of mountainous trees to the subtropical vegetation of the Izu Islands
Tokyo Disneyland
Best time to visit: Jan-Feb, Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture
- It was the first Disney park to be built outside the United States and it opened in 1983
- The park was constructed in the same style as Magic Kingdom in Florida and Disneyland in California
Sanjūsangen-dō, Kyoto
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto
- The temple was founded in 1164 for the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa
- Sanjūsangen-dō is most famous for its massively long hondō (main hall) dating from 1266 (Kamakura period) and designated a National Treasure of Japan, and the collection of sculptures it houses
Mount Takao: Trail 6 - Trail 4, Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: March-April, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Established in 1967 to commemorate the centennial celebrations of the accession of Emperor Meiji, the park is the smallest of the Quasi-National Parks
- Mount Takao is a massif of low mountains formed in the Mesozoic era
- The area is dense with pristine forests of momi fir, Japanese red pine, and Japanese beech
Dōtonbori, Osaka
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- One of the principal tourist destinations in Osaka, running along the Dōtonbori canal
- Historically a theater district, it is now a popular nightlife and entertainment area characterized by its eccentric atmosphere and large illuminated signboards
- One of the area's most prominent features, a billboard for confectionery company Glico displaying the image of a runner crossing a finishing line, is seen as an icon of Osaka
Aogashima Island
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Volcanic island to the south of Japan in northernmost Micronesia
- It is the most isolated inhabited island of the Izus, which are politically and administratively part of Japan but geographically not part of the Japanese archipelago
- The island's area is 8.75 km2 (3.38 sq mi) and, as of 2014, its population is 170
- Aogashima is also within the boundaries of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
- Still considered an active volcano by the Japan Meteorological Agency, the last eruption of Aogashima was during a four-year period from 1781–1785
Nagashima Spa Land
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Amusement park in Kuwana, Mie, that features several roller coasters, thrill rides, and kid rides, a giant Ferris wheel, a water park, and 3 official hotels
- As of 2012, Nagashima Spa Land is the 18th most visited amusement park in the world
Tokyo National Museum
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō ward of Tokyo, that is considered the oldest national museum in Japan, is the largest art museum in Japan, and is one of the largest art museums in the world
- The museum collects, preserves, and displays a comprehensive collection of artwork and cultural objects from Asia, with a focus on ancient and medieval Japanese art and Asian art along the Silk Road
- There is also a large collection of Greco-Buddhist art
#20 in Best Museums in the World
Tokyo Tower
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Communications and observation tower in the Shiba-koen district of Minato, Tokyo, built in 1958
- At 332.9 meters (1,092 ft), it is the second-tallest structure in Japan
- The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations
#29 in Best Landmarks in the World
Fuji-Q Highland
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Amusement park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, opened in 1968, near the base of Mount Fuji
- It has a number of roller coasters, as well as two haunted attractions: the Haunted Hospital, the world's first and largest haunted attraction and the newly built Hopeless Fortress
- Other themed attractions include Mobile Suit Gundam, Hamtaro and Neon Genesis Evangelion
Ōhori Park, Fukuoka
Best time to visit: March-May, Oct-Nov
Cost: $
- Park in Chūō-ku, Fukuoka, and a registered Place of Scenic Beauty
- The name Ōhori means a large moat and it derives from the fact that Kuroda Nagamasa, the old lord of Fukuoka, reclaimed the northern half of a cove or an inlet called Kusagae which was facing Hakata Bay and made a moat for the Fukuoka Castle
Fushimi Inari-taisha
Best time to visit: Nov-Dec
Cost: $
- Fushimi Inari-taisha is the head shrine of the kami Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto,
- The shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari which includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines which span and takes approximately 2 hours to walk up
- Owing to the popularity of Inari's division and re-enshrinement, this shrine is said to have as many as 32,000 sub-shrines throughout Japan
Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama, Shirakawa-go
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Dec
Cost: $
- Cultural property that consists of three historic mountain villages over an area of 170 acres in the remote Shogawa river valley, stretching across the border of Gifu and Toyama Prefectures
- The valley is in a mountain region with considerable snowfall, and these villages are well known for their clusters of farmhouses, constructed in the architectural style known as gasshō-zukuri, which are designed to easily shed snow from their steep roofs
Zaō Onsen
Best time to visit: Jan-Feb, June-Aug, Dec
Cost: $
- Famous ski resort and hot spring area on Mount Zaō in the northern part of Honshū
- Records of the onsen date back as far as 110 AD
- The hot mineral water has a high acid and sulfur content, other minerals include iron, aluminum, sulfate and chloride
Kinkaku-ji
Best time to visit: Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Kinkaku-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto
- It is one of 17 locations making up the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which are World Heritage Sites
- The site of Kinkaku-ji was originally a villa called Kitayama-dai, belonging to a powerful statesman
Kiyomizu-dera
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Buddhist temple located in eastern Kyoto, the temple is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto UNESCO World Heritage site
- By 778, it was owned by the Buddhist Kita-Hosso sect under Enchin Shonin
- He was a priest from Nara (capital of Japan from 710 to 784), who received a vision to construct the temple next to the Otowa spring
- Presently, the temple complex includes several other shrines, among them the Jishu Shrine, dedicated to Ōkuninushi, a god of love and good matches
Sensō-ji
Best time to visit: March-May, Oct
Cost: $
- Ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tokyo, it is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant
- Formerly associated with the Tendai sect of Buddhism, it became independent after World War II
- It is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, and is the most widely visited religious site in the world
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Museum located in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, in central Hiroshima, dedicated to documenting the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in World War II, opened in 1955
- The museum was established in 1955 with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall