What’s On in Japan in Year-round
Experiences and places to enjoy in any season, whenever you visit.
45 listings
Nikkō Tōshō-gū Shrine
A lavishly decorated UNESCO World Heritage shrine complex enshrined in cedar forest, dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Fushimi Inari-taisha
Ten thousand vermilion torii gates wind up a sacred mountain in Kyoto's most iconic and atmospheric shrine.
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
Home to whale sharks and manta rays in a colossal tank, this is one of the world's great aquarium experiences.
teamLab Borderless (Azabudai Hills)
An immersive digital art world without maps or rooms where light, sound and motion blur the boundary between visitor and artwork.
Beppu Onsen & Jigoku Meguri (Hell Tour)
Japan's most prolific hot spring city offers eight boiling 'hells' to tour and dozens of onsen for soaking, mud baths and sand bathing.
Matsushima Bay Cruise
Cruise among 260 pine-clad islands in one of Japan's three officially designated scenic views, framed by Zuigan-ji temple.
Nishiki Market
Kyoto's famed 'Kitchen' — a 400-metre covered arcade of over 100 stalls selling fresh produce, pickles and street food.
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
Walk through a towering, light-dappled corridor of bamboo in one of Japan's most photographed natural landscapes.
Naoshima Art Island
A small Seto Inland Sea island transformed into a world-class contemporary art destination by the Benesse Art Site.
Iriomote Island Mangrove Kayaking
Paddle through ancient mangrove forests and pristine jungle rivers on one of Japan's wildest and most remote islands.
Nebuta no Ie Warasse (Nebuta Museum)
A stunning waterfront museum housing giant illuminated Nebuta floats and immersive displays on Aomori's most famous festival.
Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan Ryokan
The world's oldest hotel, in continuous operation since 705 AD, offering mountain hot springs and traditional Japanese hospitality.
Dōgo Onsen Honkan
Japan's oldest hot-spring bathhouse, a fairy-tale Meiji-era wooden building said to have inspired Miyazaki's 'Spirited Away.'
Uchiko Historic Townscape
A remarkably preserved Edo-to-Meiji merchant town famous for its wax-trade mansions, kabuki theatre and unhurried rural pace.
Hakone Open-Air Museum (Hakone Chōkoku-no-Mori Bijutsukan)
Japan's first open-air art museum displays over 120 sculptures by Rodin, Moore and Picasso across seven hectares of mountain meadow.
Kenroku-en Garden, Kanazawa
Ranked one of Japan's three great gardens, Kenroku-en captivates in every season — nowhere more so than under a canopy of winter yukitsuri rope-support sculptures.
Yakushima Ancient Cedar Forest (Yakusugi Land & Jomonsugi Trek)
Trek through a moss-draped UNESCO primeval forest to Jōmon Sugi, a cedar tree over 2,000 years old and possibly Japan's oldest living organism.
Wajima Morning Market (Wajima Asaichi)
One of Japan's three great morning markets, Wajima's 1,000-year-old seaside bazaar overflows with lacquerware, dried seafood and Noto Peninsula crafts.
Matsumoto Castle
Japan's oldest surviving original wooden castle, a dramatic black-and-white 'crow castle' reflected in its moat against the snowy Northern Alps.
Higashi Chaya Geisha District, Kanazawa
Japan's largest and best-preserved geisha district outside Kyoto, with lattice-fronted ochaya teahouses, gold-leaf shops, and live shamisen music.
teamLab: Drawing on the Water Surface Created by the Dance of Koi and Boats – Hamarikyu
teamLab's immersive digital koi-and-boat installation turns Hamarikyu's tidal pond into a living, interactive artwork.
Itsukushima Shrine & Miyajima Island
A UNESCO World Heritage vermilion torii gate appears to float on the Seto Inland Sea at high tide on sacred Miyajima Island.
Oboke Gorge Sightseeing Boats (Oboke Kyōkoku)
Glass-bottomed sightseeing boats drift through a gorge of emerald water flanked by dramatic marble cliffs in Tokushima's interior.
Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum & Peace Park
Nagasaki's deeply moving museum and Peace Park stand at the hypocenter of the 1945 atomic bombing, offering an essential historical experience.
Okinawa Ryukyu Mura (Ryukyu Village)
Relocated historic Ryukyuan houses and live cultural performances immerse visitors in the distinct heritage of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Nijō-jō Castle (Nijo Castle), Kyoto
The shogun's Kyoto palace features 'nightingale floors' that squeak with every footstep — a clever security system from feudal Japan.
Kirishima Onsen & Volcanic Highlands (Kirishima-Jingū)
Volcanic peaks, sacred shrines, and naturally heated sulphurous hot springs converge in Kyushu's dramatic Kirishima highland region.
Shibuya Scramble Crossing & Sky Observatory Experience
Step into the world's busiest pedestrian crossing, then ascend Shibuya Sky for a 360° rooftop view over the Tokyo megalopolis.
Ise Jingū Grand Shrine Pilgrimage
Japan's most sacred Shinto complex — two ancient shrines set in primeval cedar forest, rebuilt identically every 20 years for 1,300 years.
Sapporo Ramen Yokocho (Ramen Alley)
A legendary narrow alley of 17 tiny ramen shops in central Sapporo, birthplace of the iconic miso ramen that changed Japanese food culture.
Hakodate Morning Market (Hakodate Asaichi)
Hokkaido's most famous seafood market where visitors haul live squid and feast on uni rice bowls at dawn.
Osaka Dōtonbori Food & Nightlife Experience
Osaka's neon-blazing canal district is the heart of 'kuidaore' eating culture — takoyaki, kushikatsu, and ramen under giant mechanical crabs.
Dejima Reconstructed Dutch Trading Post, Nagasaki
The painstakingly rebuilt fan-shaped artificial island where Dutch traders were Japan's only Western link during 200 years of self-imposed isolation.
Shuri Castle (Shuri-jō), Naha
The UNESCO-listed scarlet castle of the Ryukyu Kingdom, rebuilt after wartime destruction, stands as the supreme symbol of Okinawan identity.
Risshakuji Temple (Yamadera)
Ancient clifftop temple complex reached by 1,015 stone steps, immortalised in haiku by Matsuo Bashō with panoramic valley views.
Aizu Byakkotai Memorial & Iimori Hill
Iimori Hill enshrines the graves of the teenage Byakkotai samurai who chose death over defeat during the Boshin War of 1868.
Iya Kazurabashi Vine Bridge, Iya Valley
Cross a swaying 45-metre suspension bridge woven entirely from wild mountain vines above the emerald Iya River gorge.
Hirome Ichiba Market, Kochi
Kochi's beloved indoor food market where dozens of stalls serve bonito tataki, Tosa sake, and local dishes to convivial communal tables.
Kotohiragu Shrine (Konpira-san), Kotohira
Climb 1,368 stone steps to one of Japan's most revered maritime shrines, rewarded by sweeping views over the Sanuki Plain.
Awa Jurobe Yashiki Ningyo Joruri Puppet Theatre
Watch master puppeteers perform UNESCO-listed Awa ningyo joruri bunraku at the historic Jurobe Yashiki estate in Tokushima.
Cape Ashizuri (Ashizurimisaki), Tosashimizu
Stand at Japan's dramatic southernmost Pacific cape, framed by white camellia forests and thundering ocean cliffs at the tip of Shikoku.
Awa Odori Kaikan Dance Experience, Tokushima
Learn Awa Odori's distinctive hands-high dance steps from professional performers at Tokushima's dedicated year-round dance hall.
Snow Crystal Museum (Yuki no Bijutsukan), Asahikawa
A fairytale castle museum dedicated to snow crystals, featuring an ice tunnel and pipe-organ concerts year-round.
Aomori Winter Nebuta Museum WA·RASSE
Explore towering illuminated Nebuta floats up close inside Aomori's striking waterfront museum, open throughout the snowy winter months.
Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum (Okhotsk Ryuhyo-kan)
A unique museum on Mt. Tento where a sub-zero hall lets visitors touch and walk among real Sea of Okhotsk drift ice.