Kansai attractions

Japan is famed for its onsen (hot springs), but there are few naturally occurring in the Osaka area. Luckily, visitors looking for a little relaxation of the soaking variety can find it at Spa World, one of the world’s largest hot springs complexes, where you’ll find kitschy decorated onsen and saunas from around the world.

A shopaholic’s paradise, Teramachi Street is a covered shopping arcade in the heart of downtown Kyoto. The name translates to “Temple Town” in English due to the street’s 16th-century origins when the area was abundant with temples and shrines. Today, shoppers can find clothing stores, tea shops, art galleries, bookstores, and plenty of great souvenirs.

The Tempozan Harbor Village is a popular entertainment complex in the Osaka Bay Area, across the water from Universal Studios Japan. Visitors have a bevy of attractions to choose from, including a sky-high ride on a Ferris wheel, a shopping center, and a deep-sea adventure at the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, one of the world's largest aquariums.

The Kyoto Handicraft Center is an easy one-stop-shop for browsing and purchasing local handicrafts, ranging from kimonos and decorative fans to pottery and dolls, and much more. Spanning three floors, a huge variety of traditional arts and handicrafts are available here, and the center also runs classes and rents kimono.

A welcome escape from the bustle of Kyoto and located off the main tourist trail, Shoren-in Temple is a 12th-century temple complex at the foot of the Higashiyama mountains. Part of the Tendai sect of Buddhism, Shoren-in is also a monzeki temple, the special name given to temples that historically had priests from imperial or high-ranking families in Japan.

Built in the year 678, Kamigamo Shrine (aka Kamo-wakeikazuchi Shrine is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in the country. Although it predates Kyoto’s reign as capitol of Japan by over a century, it is believed to protect the city from negative influences. The shrine played host to four Emperors between the 8th and 18th centuries.

Spanning the tranquil Uji River, Uji-bashi Bridge occupies a legendary site. Few Japanese landmarks have played such a starring role in Japanese literature and art as the Heian-period version of this structure, which was featured in The Tale of Genji—a masterpiece of Japanese prose that’s considered by many historians to be the world’s first novel. It was originally built in 646, and was most recently rebuilt in 1996.

Experience the ultimate indoor LEGO®adventure at LEGOLAND®Discovery Center Osaka. Located inside Tempozan Marketplace, this interactive LEGO-themed entertainment park lets kids and adults build, explore, learn, and play in a 3,400-square-foot (316-square-meter) space full of games, displays, workshops, rides, and a 4D cinema.

Folklore says that Sojobo, the mythological King of the Tengu, inhabits Kurama, a rural temple town in the foothills of the northern Kyoto mountains. Less than an hour from Kyoto, Mt. Kurama is a popular choice for a day trip, famous for its hot springs and mountain top temple.

Known to locals as ‘Kokedera’—the ‘Moss Temple’—Saiho-ji Temple is home to lush moss gardens, considered among the most beautiful in Japan. Laid out in the 14th century, the zen meditation gardens are a verdant wonderland, where mossy banks lead to fish-filled ponds and gurgling brooks run through idyllic bamboo groves.

Known for its crystal-clear waters and stunning forest foliage, the Kiyotaki River runs between Kyoto and Osaka. It is reachable from Takao, a scenic hamlet in the mountains west of Kyoto filled with stunning valleys and several historic temples, as a day trip from Kyoto. Winding through the woodlands, the rocky river is home to the Japanese giant salamander, measuring up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length.

The sprawling Kyoto National Museum campus, an homage to Japanese art and history, includes outdoor gardens featuring The Thinker sculpture by Auguste Rodin, a wing (new in 2014) housing permanent collection pieces, an older building showing a rotating slate of special exhibits and its own traditional Japanese tea house.Similar in its permanent collections to the Tokyo National Museum, the Kyoto National Museum houses ceramics, calligraphy, paintings, archeological relics, intricate kimonos and more, but the special exhibitions and rotating showcases are where the museum really shines. Past displays have featured the art of Zen; photos, swords and artwork illustrating life and times of Sakamoto Ryoma (who helped usher in the modern Meiji government in the 1800s); vivid scrolls of humans and animals from the Kosan-ji temple; Buddhist art; and a feature exhibition on the work of Edo-period painter and poet Yosa Buson. Most items feature full signage in both Japanese and English.

The Prefecture Government Sakishima Building (aka the Cosmo Tower) rises 840 feet (256 meters) above the streets of Osaka, home to trade offices linking cities around the globe. Glass elevators take visitors to an observatory on the 55th floor, where the 360-degree views extend as far as Awaji Island and the Rokko Mountains.

Step back in time to the Edo period in Japan at Toei Kyoto Studio Park (Toei Uzumasa Eigamura), the only theme park in Japan that’s also an open-air film set for period drama (jidaigeki) films. Visitors can watch exciting performances, dress up in period costume, learn fun skills, and enjoy a number of other entertaining attractions.

Learn about how one of Japan’s most ubiquitous beers is made with a visit to Asahi Beer Suita Factory, the company's first brewery, built in 1891. Asahi offers daily tours, during which guests see, smell, and touch the hops and barley, along with other ingredients that go into brewing one of Japan’s best-known beers.

Marked by its modern steel and concrete gate and imposing guardian statues, the temple of Isshin-ji dates back to 1185 when it was founded by Honen, the founder of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism. The temple is best known for its “Bone Buddha” statue, made from the cremated remains of some 200,000 Osaka residents.

The finest ceramics from Japan, China, and Korea are gathered under one roof at Osaka’s Museum of Oriental Ceramics, which houses one of the best collections in the world. Of the 6,000 pieces, about 300 sit on display at any given time; highlights include two registered National Treasures from Japan.

The neo-Renaissance, red-brick, bronze-domed Osaka City Central Hall, built between 1913 and 1918, rivals Osaka Castle in its architectural beauty. The Iwamoto Memorial Room in the basement of the building commemorates Einosuke Iwamoto, an Osaka stockbroker who funded the construction.

Relax in hot springs surrounded by postcard-worthy Japanese scenery at Amami Onsen Nanten-En, a remote ryokan (guesthouse nestled among the mountains of Kyoto prefecture. The waters of the onsen at Amami Onsen Nanten-En have a high mineral content and are therefore said to have healing properties.

The only pilgrimage route besides the Camino de Santiago to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kumano Kodo is a network of trails through Kansai. In use for more than 1,000 years, the pilgrimage routes developed as a way to travel between sacred areas, a practice that tourists and pilgrims alike continue today.

A 700-year-old pine tree welcomes visitors to Hosen-in Temple, a lodging site for Buddhist pilgrims since the 11th century. Part of this temple’s ceiling is made from blood-stained wooden floorboards from Fushimi Castle, which was invaded in 1600, resulting in a mass Samurai honor suicide.

Known as the "flower temple," Mimuroto Temple in Uji City near Kyoto showcases a vast array of seasonal flowers. Early spring sees cherry blossoms, while azaleas and hydrangeas start to flower later in the spring. Lotus plants complement the bright summer months, and autumn foliage colors arrive in late October or November.

Dating back to the 18th century, Kinshi Masamune Horino Memorial Museum is a historic sake-brewing house located within a well-preserved machiya, a traditional wooden townhouse that exemplifies the architecture of Old Kyoto. Visitors get a glimpse of how sake was fermented and bottled centuries ago, as well as the minimalist elegance of the machiya’s latticed interior.

In the sleepy and still-functioning Chionji Temple (Hyakumanben Chionji Temple), in north-central Kyoto, it’s possible to see monks praying with incense at an interior alter and long strings of giant juzu beads hanging in the rafters. Also called Hyakumanben Chionji and not to be confused with the Chion-in Temple north of the city and on the sea, the wing-roofed temple has a small garden, wooden statues and bells that clang during important ceremonies.Chionji is accessed by a long cement walkway surrounded by dusty grounds that come alive, jam-packed with vendors, for an all-day flea market on the 15th of each month. It’s one of the largest gatherings of local artisans in Kyoto and has colorful stalls selling locally-crafted hand-painted items, children’s toys, leatherwork, furniture, ceramics and clothing; there are also several fortune-telling booths, food stalls and coffee tents.

Established in the late 19th century, the Nara National Museum is a well-respected exhibitor of Japanese Buddhist art. In addition to the original French Renaissance–style building, a newer wing also displays temporary exhibits. In both wings, visitors can admire predominantly Japanese Buddhist statues, paintings, scrolls, and ceremonial objects.

The Danjo Garan is the central temple complex of Japan's sacred Mt. Koya temple town. The UNESCO World Heritage site is comprised of about 20 buildings, including several temples, the ceremonial Kondo Hall, and the Great Stupa (Konpon Daito)—a 160-foot (49-meter) vermilion pagoda housing a mandala and five statues of the seated Buddha.

At Taiyo Park in Himeji, visitors can tour of some of the world’s most famous monuments without leaving Japan. The park contains smaller replicas of such iconic attractions as the Giza pyramids, the Statue of Liberty, and China’s Terracotta Warriors. Don’t miss the 3D trick-art gallery inside the replica of Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle.