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Tokyo

One of Tokyo's best parks, ±õ²Ô´Ç°ì²¹²õ³ó¾±°ù²¹-°ì¨­±ð²Ô has a big pond in the middle flanked by woodsy strolling paths. A highlight is Inokashira Benzaiten, a shrine¡­

Dazaifu Tenman-g¨±

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Among the countless visitors to the grand, sprawling Tenman-g¨± ¨C shrine and burial place of poet-scholar Tenman Tenjin ¨C are students making offerings and¡­

Sengan-en

Kagoshima

In 1658, the 19th Shimazu lord laid out his pleasure garden on this hilly, rambling bayside property of groves, hillside trails and one of Japan's most¡­

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Shikoku

°­¨­³¦³ó¾±-Âᨭ is one of just a dozen castles in Japan to have survived with its original tenshu-kaku (keep) intact. The castle was originally built during the¡­

Roppongi Hills

Roppongi, Akasaka & Around

Roppongi Hills sets the standard for 21st-century real-estate developments in Tokyo. The centrepiece of the office, shopping, dining and entertainment¡­

Hama-riky¨± Onshi-teien

Ginza & Tsukiji

This beautiful garden, one of Tokyo¡¯s finest, is all that remains of a shogunate summer villa next to Tokyo Bay. There's a large pond with an island,¡­

Hakone Open-Air Museum

Hakone

Occupying a verdant swath of Hakone hillside is this unmissable art safari, leading visitors past a rich array of 19th- and 20th-century sculptures and¡­

Tsurugaoka Hachiman-g¨±

Kamakura

Kamakura's most important shrine is, naturally, dedicated to Hachiman, the god of war. Minamoto no Yoritomo himself ordered its construction in 1191 and¡­

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Southern Higashiyama

This temple is hard to miss, with its giant camphor trees growing just outside the walls. Fortunately, most tourists march right on past, heading to the¡­

Koishikawa K¨­rakuen

K¨­rakuen & Akihabara

Established in the mid-17th century as the property of the Tokugawa clan, this formal strolling garden incorporates elements of Chinese and Japanese¡­

Tsukiji Market

Ginza & Tsukiji

Tokyo's main wholesale market may have moved to Toyosu, but there are many reasons to visit its old home. The tightly packed rows of vendors (which once¡­

Suwa-jinja

Nagasaki

Situated on a forested hilltop and reached via multiple staircases with nearly 200 steps, this enormous shrine was established in 1625. Around the grounds¡­

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Harajuku & Aoyama

If it¡¯s a sunny and warm weekend afternoon, you can count on there being a crowd lazing around the large grassy expanse that is ³Û´Ç²â´Ç²µ¾±-°ì¨­±ð²Ô. You'll¡­

Gas-san

Northern Honsh¨± (T¨­hoku)

Accessible from July to September, Gas-san (1984m) is the highest of Dewa Sanzan's sacred mountains. From Hachig¨­me (°ËºÏÄ¿; eighth station) the route passes¡­

Atomic Bomb Dome

Hiroshima

Perhaps the starkest reminder of the destruction visited upon Hiroshima in WWII is the Atomic Bomb Dome. Built by a Czech architect in 1915, it was the¡­

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Harajuku & Aoyama

This broad, tree-lined boulevard is lined with boutiques from the top European fashion houses. More interesting are the buildings themselves, designed by¡­

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Osaka

Highly photogenic ¶Ù¨­³Ù´Ç³¾²ú´Ç°ù¾± is the city's liveliest night spot and the centre of the southern part of town. Its name comes from the 400-year-old canal,¡­

Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum

Nagasaki

On 9 August 1945, the world's second nuclear weapon detonated over Nagasaki, and this sombre place recounts the city's destruction and loss of life¡­

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°Õ²¹¾±²â¨±-¾±²Ô, completed in 1653, is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604¨C51), the third Tokugawa shogun and grandson of Ieyasu. (Ieyasu was deified, which¡­

Tsuboya Pottery Street

Naha

One of the best parts of Naha is this neighbourhood, a centre of ceramic production from 1682, when Ry¨±ky¨± kilns were consolidated here by royal decree¡­

Yudono-san

Northern Honsh¨± (T¨­hoku)

Accessible from May to October, Yudono-san (1504m) is the spiritual culmination of the Dewa Sanzan trek. Coming from Gas-san it's a short walk from the¡­

Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims

Nagasaki

Adjacent to the Atomic Bomb Museum and completed in 2003, this minimalist memorial by Kury¨± Akira is a profoundly moving place. It's best approached by¡­

Asakura Museum of Sculpture, Tait¨­

Ueno & Yanesen

Sculptor Asakura Fumio (artist name Ch¨­so; 1883¨C1964) built his home studio in the early 20th century and it's very much representative of architecture of¡­

Intermediatheque

Tokyo

Dedicated to interdisciplinary experimentation, Intermediatheque cherry-picks from the vast collection of the University of Tokyo to craft a fascinating,¡­

Kenroku-en

Kanazawa

This Edo-period garden draws its name (kenroku means 'combined six') from a renowned Sung-dynasty garden in China that dictated six attributes for¡­

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Sapporo

This haven in the heart of the city is fully 13 blocks (1.5km) long, with the TV Tower at its eastern end. Among the green lawns and flower gardens are¡­

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Central Honsh¨±

A National Treasure, Japan's oldest standing castle is said to have originated as a fort in 1440. The current donjon (main keep), built atop a 40m rise¡­

Nachi-no-taki

Kii Peninsula

At 133m, Nachi-no-taki is Japan's highest waterfall. It's the first of many still deeper in the Nachi mountains and has long been used in ascetic training.

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Miyajima

Just south of town at the foot of Misen, ¶Ù²¹¾±²õ³ó¨­-¾±²Ô is a worthwhile stopping point on the way up or down the mountain. This Shingon temple is crowded with¡­

Perry Road

Izu Peninsula

It takes less than 10 minutes to walk end-to-end of this quaint cobbled street shadowing a narrow stream leading to Ry¨­sen-ji temple. However, the¡­

Takachiho Gorge

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Takachiho's magnificent gorge, with its waterfall, overhanging rocks and sheer walls, was formed over 120,000 years ago by a double volcanic eruption¡­

Risshaku-ji

Northern Honsh¨± (T¨­hoku)

The 'Temple of Standing Stones', more commonly known as Yamadera, rests atop a rock-hewn staircase weathered over the centuries by unrelenting elements¡­

Oku Iya Ni-j¨± Kazura-bashi

Shikoku

Away from the crowds and tour buses, the spectacular Oku Iya Ni-j¨± Kazura-bashi are two secluded vine bridges hanging side by side high over the river¡­

Misen & Ropeway

Miyajima

Covered with primeval forest, the sacred, peaceful Misen is Miyajima's highest mountain (530m), and its ascent is the island's finest walk ¨C especially in¡­

Statue of Liberty

Odaiba & Tokyo Bay

A very popular photo-op, with the Rainbow Bridge in the background, is this 11m-tall replica of Lady Liberty, a fixture on Odaiba's waterfront since 2000.

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Considered by many to be Japan's most beautiful lake, ²Ñ²¹²õ³ó¨±-°ì´Ç once held the world record for water clarity. The island in the middle was known by the¡­

Nagasaki Museum of History & Culture

Nagasaki

This large museum with attractive displays focuses on Nagasaki's proud history of international exchange. Additionally, there's a fabulous, detailed¡­

Yokohama Museum of Art

Yokohama

The focus of the Yokohama Triennale (2020, 2023), this museum hosts exhibitions that swing between safe-bet shows with European headliners to more daring¡­

Naka-dake Crater

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Naka-dake (1506m) is Aso's active volcano ¨C very active in recent years, with fatal eruptions in 1958 and 1979, and other significant eruptions in 1989,¡­

Nishibama Beach

Okinawa & the Southwest Islands

Lovely beaches fringe every side of the island, but for sheer postcard-perfect beauty, it's hard to beat the 1km stretch of white sand on the northeast¡­