15 Places That Will Make Japan Your Dream Travel Destination

If there was a competition for the Eighth Wonder of the World title, Japan would without a doubt be one of the more serious contenders. It’s because of its perfect combination of natural beauty mixed with thousands of years of history and culture that left a significant mark on its lands.

#1 Sagano Bamboo Forest, In Arashiyama

Beautiful bamboo forest situated in Arashiyama is the second-most popular tourist district in Kyoto. Our recommendation? Go there during the off-season, or the path you see below will be packed with vast tourist hordes.

Image source: Abderazak Tissoukai

#2 Fields Of Shibazakura

The Fuji Shibazakura Festival’s invitations are over 800,000 stalks of pink, white and purple moss covering field after field stretching towards the magnificent site of Mount Fuji in the background. Usually held between April and June and best experienced in the early mornings.

Image source: Hidenobu Suzuki

#3 Autumn In Hitachi Seaside Park

Hitachi Seaside Park is a popular park on the east coast of Honshu, Japan’s biggest island which puts on a colorful show every autumn.

Image source: nipomen2

#4 4.5 Million Baby Blue Eyes In Japan’s Hitachi Seaside Park

Again the Hitachi Seaside Park, situated north-east of Tokyo, is a perfect place to visit at any time of the year thanks to its abundance of season flowers that turn the landscape into a colorful canvas.

Image source: Hidenobu Suzuki

#5 Wisteria Tunnel At Kawachi Fuji Gardens

Kawachi Fuji Garden, located at the northern tip of Kyushu island. It showcases the Japanese love Wisteria flowers. The best time to visit the Garden is in late April when the flowers are at their brightest.

#6 Fushimi Inari-Taisha

Fushimi Inari Shrine situated in southern Kyoto is dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. The main attraction being thousands of vermilion torii gates that straddle the various winding trails around the main buildings. Also foxes are believed to be Inari’s messengers, which is why you’ll find plenty of fox statues around the shrine.

Image source: Takashi Yasui

#7 Natadera Temple In Winter

Natadera temple comes alive in winter. Founded in 717 by a Buddhist monk the temple is over 1300 years old now. The Mount Hakusan and the temple that stands on it are the region’s most popular sites of worship to this day.

Image source: Anderson Sato

#8 River In Kawagoe

Kawagoe (Tokyo area) is well known for its rivers (Kawa means “river” and Goe means “over”) and is often referred to as “Little Edo” because the main street is said to retain the ambiance of the town during the Edo Period (1603-1867). Have in mind that Kawagoe Festival takes place on the 3rd Saturday and Sunday of October.

Image source: akihiro nagashima

#9 Bamboo Light Festival In Taketa, Ōita

Taketa means bamboo and rice field, and also a home for an amazing light festival! The tradition was started in 2000 as a way of helping to regulate the rapidly growing bamboo. Every year 20,000 lanterns go on display for three nights. The festival begins on the third Friday of November.

Image source: nippon-lovers

#10 Nakasendo Walk

The Nakasendo Way is a walking route that begins in Kyoto and ends in Edo. Nakasendo literally means ‘the road through the mountains’ and it was an important transport route in the 17th Century. It is a great way to experience Japan’s countryside and the history of the country. The entire journey takes around 10 days is suitable for anybody who can comfortably walk for more than three or four hours at a time.

Image source: Kevin Kelly

#11 Cherry Blossoms Paint A Lake Purple In Tokyo

Every year Japan’s Cherry Blossom brings in tourists from around the world making it the spectacle of the year. Cherry blossom season lasts only a few weeks, so make sure you follow websites dedicated just to monitoring each year’s blossom.

Image source: Danilo Dungo

#12 Rainy Day In Osaka

Osaka city is Japan’s second largest metropolitan area after Tokyo and is well known for its striking architecture, lively nightlife, great street food, and its main landmark – the Osaka Castle. If the weather is bad then don’t worry because in the middle of the city’s main shopping district is Shinsaibashi-suji, a large covered shopping street where you can easily spend a few hours while you’re waiting for the rain to stop.

Image source: Daniel Kordan

#13 The Pagoda Of Seigantoji And Nachi No Taki Waterfall

Pagoda of Seigantoji combines country’s history and its beautiful nature. Located in Wakayama Prefecture, Higashimuro, the pagoda is a three stories high building that sits beside Nachi no Taki, Japan’s tallest waterfall. The waterfall is 133 metres high (over 430ft) and was the original religious site of the area.

#14 Chureito Pagoda And Mount Fuji

If we’re talking about wonders, we can’t miss the famous Mount Fuji. One of the best views of this spectacular mountain can be had from Chureito Pagoda, a peace memorial built in 1963. It is a 400 steps climb, but boy is it worth it.

Image source: Perry Anderson

#15 Keage Incline In Kyoto

The Keage Incline is situated at the Kyoto end of Biwako Canal. It was once an important transport route during the Meiji Era, and the remnants of an old railroad still remain to this day. It is an especially great place for a walk when the cherry blossom is in bloom which makes it even more peaceful. There’s a free museum for anybody interested in the place’s history, and there’s also an old red brick aqueduct nearby worth visiting.

Image source: Masato Mukoyama