Tourist attractions in Japan: profiles, services and practical information.
Yufuin Sansuikan stands in the Kawaminami area, about an eight-minute walk from JR Yufuin Station. Its proximity to trains and buses helps travellers with luggage or an…
View profile →Yufuin Santoukan (山灯館) sits near Lake Kinrinko and Yunotsubo Kaido, the walk of shops, cafés and galleries through Yufuin’s visitor centre. It is an intimate property: t…
View profile →The Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum occupies a brewery built in 1909 in Fushimi, a Kyoto district known for its groundwater and long sake-making tradition. Gekkeikan was fou…
View profile →Torisei Main Store occupies a former brewery in Fushimi and is associated with Yamamoto Honke, a sake producer founded in 1677. High ceilings and timber beams preserve t…
View profile →Kegon Falls concentrates the water leaving Lake Chūzenji into a single dramatic drop: the main cascade is 97 metres high and plunges down a rock face into a narrow gorge…
View profile →At 1,269 metres above sea level, Lake Chūzenji brings a pause of water and mountains to a Nikko itinerary. It formed at the foot of Mount Nantai, and its shore has boat…
View profile →Hotel Nikko Nara changes the logistics of a visit: luggage can move from the platform to reception without going outdoors because the property connects directly to JR Na…
View profile →In front of Takayama Jinya—the former government building that now operates as a history museum—Jinya-mae Morning Market occupies a compact row of stalls. Its origins go…
View profile →Takayama wakes up beside the water. Along the Miyagawa River, the morning market brings together simple tables and growers’ stalls selling mountain vegetables, seasonal…
View profile →Nara Hotel opened in 1909, when the former capital was beginning to welcome travellers drawn by its temples and deer-filled park. Its wooden main building is credited to…
View profile →Ryugenji Mabu changes the scale of Iwami Ginzan: instead of looking at the mine from a viewpoint, visitors enter a hand-cut tunnel and walk between rock walls marked by…
View profile →In Tomonoura, Taichoro offers a scene that explains why this port was more than a place to pass through. The hall opens toward the Seto Inland Sea and frames Sensuijima…
View profile →In Omori, the House of the Kumagai Family offers a view into the domestic life of people who prospered around Iwami Ginzan. The Kumagai were influential merchants, invol…
View profile →Inside a former port warehouse with heavy timber beams, the Irohamaru Exhibition Hall turns a maritime accident into a tangible story. In 1867, the steamship Irohamaru,…
View profile →In Gujo Hachiman, a meal that looks freshly served may be made of wax, resin and remarkable craft. Sample Village Iwasaki brings together a display, shop and workshops i…
View profile →At the top of Shiroyama, Gujo Hachiman Castle looks out over a town of waterways, old houses and clear rivers. Its outline may suggest a medieval fortress preserved inta…
View profile →The walk from the pier to Zuiganji gradually leaves the bay’s bustle behind: first cedar trees and gates, then courtyards and architecture tied to the power of the Date…
View profile →A short distance from Naoshima’s southern shore, the Lee Ufan Museum keeps its profile low and lets the hillside, stone and sky become part of the exhibition. The projec…
View profile →From shore, Matsushima appears as a sequence of pines, temples and water; from a boat, the bay opens into hundreds of eroded islets that have inspired travellers and poe…
View profile →On Naoshima, Chichu Art Museum does not dominate the landscape: much of the building lies underground, with daylight entering through courtyards and geometric openings.…
View profile →Across the Shō River, Minkaen changes the scale of a Shirakawa-go visit. Rather than following only the inhabited lanes of Ogimachi, this open-air museum brings traditio…
View profile →In Ogimachi, thatched roofs seem to form a continuous line across the village, but Wada House takes the visit beyond the postcard. Visitors enter the home of a family th…
View profile →The forest trail is part of the visit: from the bus stop or car park, walk about 30 minutes along an unpaved path to the park. In winter, ice can make it slippery, so fo…
View profile →The Beer Garden’s brick halls and dining rooms give a meal a visible link to Sapporo’s brewing history. Its signature is jingisukan: lamb and vegetables cooked by diners…
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