Kansai

Hikone Castle

SPOTS

Shiga

Castles & Historic Sites

The main keep of Hikone Castle framed by blurred pink cherry blossoms in the foreground.

Nijo-jo Castle

SPOTS

Kyoto

Castles & Historic Sites

Gardens & Nature

The highly ornate and brightly colored Karamon Gate (Chinese Gate) of Nijo Castle's Ninomaru Palace.

Minamiza Theatre

SPOTS

Kyoto

Castles & Historic Sites

Visual & Performing Arts

Kyoto Imperial Palace

SPOTS

Kyoto

Castles & Historic Sites

Gardens & Nature

The Oikeniwa Garden at Kyoto Imperial Palace, viewed over the pond with reflections of the traditional building and surrounding pine trees.

Gion Shirakawa

SPOTS

Kyoto

Scenic Views & Townscapes

Evening view of the stone-paved path along Shirakawa River, illuminated by lanterns with autumn foliage and weeping willows.

Osaka Castle

SPOTS

Osaka

Castles & Historic Sites

Cultural Immersion & Activities

The majestic white and green-tiled main tower of Osaka Castle, sitting atop massive stone walls under a clear blue sky.

The Osaka Museum Of Housing and Living

SPOTS

Osaka

Cultural Immersion & Activities

The indoor recreated Edo period streetscape exhibit at the Osaka Museum of Housing and Living, lined with traditional wooden machiya buildings and a fire watch tower.

Himeji Castle

SPOTS

Hyogo

Castles & Historic Sites

The main keep of the white-walled Himeji Castle rising above its stone walls, framed by blooming cherry blossoms under a blue sky.

Arima Onsen

SPOTS

Hyogo

Scenic Views & Townscapes

Cultural Immersion & Activities

A small, tiered waterfall flowing over rocks, flanked by stone stairs and a red bridge in the Arima Onsen town center, with modern buildings in the background.

Todai-ji Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall)

SPOTS

Nara

Visual & Performing Arts

Shrines & Temples

The massive Daibutsuden hall of Todai-ji Temple under a bright blue sky, with a wide, open plaza in the foreground.

Naramachi

SPOTS

Nara

Scenic Views & Townscapes

A street corner in Naramachi showing preserved merchant houses and a small wayside shrine (hokora).

Wakayama Castle

SPOTS

Wakayama

Castles & Historic Sites

Wakayama Castle keep seen through the blooming pink cherry blossoms of the surrounding park.