Kansai Sightseeing

See Kansai

Osaka also affords outstanding access to sightseeing spots around Kansai.Once you've enjoyed the spectacular streets of Osaka, it's time to visit the ancient cities of Japan.
Of course, there are the countless cultural assets and World Heritage Sites to be found in Kyoto and Nara, but let's not forget Hyogo, Shiga and Wakayama Prefectures, where you will find some of Japan's most famous castles and mountains, and that's still not everything.
"I want more Kansai!" If you're one of the many people who feel this way, how about stretching your legs a little

Shrine Approach Shrine Shrine Approach Shrine

Kansai Sightseeing Map

Kinkakuji(Kyoto)

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Kinkakuji
Access
Take the Kyoto Municipal Bus and alight at Kinkakuji-mae.
TEL
+81-75-771-5725

Rokuonji (Kinkakuji) stands against a background of gentle mountain slopes in an area of restrained scenic beauty. After the third Shogun of the Muromachi Bakufu, Yoshimitsu Ashikaga, passed on the title of Shogun to his heir Yoshimochi Ashikaga, in 1397 he took over and completely renovated a temple owned by the Saionji clan. The common name for the temple, "Kinkakuji", derives from the exterior of the three-tiered structure is decorated with gold leaf pressed on lacquer. Gold leaf was only pasted on the second and third tiers. Kinkakuji is characterized by the different architectural styles adopted in each of its tiers. The style of the first tier is shinden-zukuri (imperial style), that of the second tier is buke-zukuri (samurai style), and the third tier is in the butsu-den style (Zen temple style). The building was designated as a national treasure, but was set on fire by a scholar monk in 1950. The Kinkakuji seen on the site today dates from 1955, and is a reconstruction of the earlier structure based on documents of the original architecture. In 1994, it was registered as a World Heritage Site as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. The chisen kaiyu style garden has been designated a Special Historic Site and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty. Its centerpiece is a kyokochi ("mirror pond") which reflects Kinkakuji on its surface.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple(Kyoto)

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Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Access
Take the City Bus (No. 206 or No. 100) from JR Kyoto Station, alight at Gojozaka and walk for 10 minutes.

Construction began in 778. Prominent among Kyoto's many fine attractions is Kiyomizu-dera Temple, a sightseeing destination which stands shoulder to shoulder with Kinkakuji, Arashiyama, and draws crowds of visitors whatever the season. This temple ranks with the likes of Ishiyama-dera Temple (Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture) and Hase-dera Temple (Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture) as one of Japan's most eminent sacred places, and from the Heian period on frequently appears in works of literature, for example the "Tales of Genji" and "The Pillow Book". The temple is Number 16 of the Saigoku 33 Places of Kannon Pilgrimage (in Japanese, "Saigoku Sanjusankasho Kannon Reijo"), and is registered to the World Heritage List as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto The 1-km uphill climb from Higashioji-dori to Kiyomizu-dera Temple is called Kiyomizu-zaka (where the "zaka" part means "hill"), and both sides of the road are lined with souvenir shops bustling with tourists.

Fushimi Inari Taisha(Kyoto)

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Fushimi Inari Taisha
Access
A short walk from Inari Station on the West JR Nara Line / a 5-minute walk from Fushimi Inari Station on the Keihan Main Line of the Keihan Electric Railway.
TEL
+81-75-641-7331

Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head "Oinari-san" shrine, of which there are said to be approximately 30,000 around the country. Mt. Inari is the origin of Inari worship. Visitors all gasp in amazement at the sight of the Senbon Torii, a magnificent corridor of vermillion sacred gates (torii). Various expressions of emotion fall from visitors' lips, such as "glorious", "the best", "mystical", and "otherworldly". A slow climb to the summit of Mt. Inari takes a little over one hour. The way up is dotted with tea rooms and shrines to the god, so you can enjoy the 1-hour walk without getting fed up. Also, the shrine is a particularly popular sightseeing spot with tourists from overseas, who account for around 50% of all visitors to the site, a large proportion even in Kyoto.

Todai-ji Temple(Nara)

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Todai-ji Temple
Access
Take the City Circular Bus from JR Nara Station / Kintetsu Nara Station. Alight at Daibutsuden-mae and walk for 5 minutes.
TEL
+81-742-22-5511

DeerThis temple has had a profound influence on Japanese culture, and is the representative temple of the Nara period (8th century). Its principle idol is the Rushanabutsu, which is more commonly known as the "Great Buddha of Nara". As the home of the "Great Buddha", the temple itself has been an object of worship from ancient times right down to the present, attracting people from far and wide. Todai-ji Temple is thought to be the "Sokokubun-ji", the head temple of the kokubun-ji temples which the Emperor Shomu had erected in over sixty of the states which comprised Japan at the time. In the Nara period, besides the Great Buddha Hall (kondo) the site also included a large Buddhist monastery with two seven-story pagodas (presumed height approx. 100m), one on the east side and one on the west. Most of these other structures were destroyed after the Middle Ages, in two fires which resulted from warfare. The existing Great Buddha is a national treasure, although only parts of the pedestal etc. remain of the early statue, and following reconstruction at the beginning of the 18th century, the width is two-thirds less than that of the original. Nevertheless, it remains the world's largest wooden artifact. Todai-ji Temple was registered as a piece of World Cultural Heritages in 1998, as part of the cultural property of the ancient city of Nara.

Horyu-ji Temple(Nara)

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Horyu-ji Temple
Access
Take the bus from JR Horyu-ji Station and alight at Horyujimon-mae.
TEL
+81-745-75-2555

Horyu-ji Temple is widely known for being the oldest wooden building in the world, and gives people today an opportunity to see a structure dating back to the Asuka period. In December 1993 Horyu-ji Temple and Hoki-ji Temple were registered as the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area". Horyu-ji Temple is connected with Prince Shotoku, and is said to have been built in 607 A.D. The present Horyu-ji Temple is divided into a West Precinct centered around a five-story pagoda and kondo (main hall), and an East Precinct centered around the Yumedono ("Hall of Dreams"). Starting with the Asuka period, many of the finest treasures of each age are collected together and preserved in the buildings which stand on this vast 187,000-square-meter site. The site is home to around 190 designated National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, amounting to a total of more than 2300 items. The statue of Kudara Kannon, with its slim and graceful standing figure, is famous all over the world. While gazing upon this temple, which has stood quietly through the passage of 1400 years, it is not unusual to experience a feeling of melting gently into the flow of time.

Himeji-jo Castle(Hyogo)

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Himeji-jo Castle
Access
Walk 15 minutes from JR Himeji Station.
TEL
+81-792-85-1146

Either because of the beauty of the white mortar used to make the walls, or from a resemblance to the beautiful herons which often fly over it, the castle is also called Shirasagi-jo (White Heron Castle). This is one of only 12 castles now remaining in Japan which possess a main keep which predates the Edo period. Since its construction the castle has escaped wartime fire, and most of the original structures remain today. Eight buildings including the large and small keeps are designated National Treasures, and 74 buildings on the site have been designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan. Having been constructed around the time of the decisive Battle of Sekigahara, the castle follows an extremely practical design, but at the same time its elegance and grandeur recall the power of its first lord, Terumasa Ikeda. Himeji-jo Castle and its beautiful white walls are frequently used in the filming of period dramas, substituting for various castles of the Edo period and so on. In 1993, the castle was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In spring the sakura trees within the castle grounds come into blossom, and the site becomes one of the city's major hanami destinations.

Hikone-jo Castle(Shiga)

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Hikone-jo Castle
Access
Walk 15 minutes from JR Hikone Station.
TEL
+81-749-30-6141

Regarded as one of the world's finest castles, Hikone-jo Castle was completed in 1622 after 20 years in construction. This is one of only 12 castles now remaining in Japan which possess a main keep from between the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods. Hikone-jo Castle was very fortunate to escape destruction at a time when so many others were being lost as a result of the 1873 law abolishing such structures. Besides the main keep, a designated National Treasure, five other buildings from between the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods remain and have been designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The remaining structures include a rare stable. A highlight of the site is the "Genkyu-en"kaiyu style garden, where no less than nine bridges stretch over the inlets and between the islands of a large pond. Standing in the midst of this pond which you will find "Hakkeitei", a restaurant where you can time-slip back to the Edo period and enjoy a relaxing meal while admiring the scenery's many and diverse charms. The many sakura and maple trees within the vast grounds of Hikone-jo Castle make it a favorite destination all year round for locals to take a stroll.

Koya-san(Wakayama)

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Koya-san
Access
Take the Koya Line of the Nankai Electric Railway, alight at Gokurakubashi Station and take the Nankai Koya-san Cable Car. Alight at Koya-san Station and catch a bus or take a taxi.

A sacred city in a mountain-top basin, 800 meters above sea-level. In 816 A.D., Kongobu-ji Temple was founded by Kukai (known posthumously as Kobo Daishi) as the kompon dojo (main center of teaching) of the Shingon school of esoteric Buddhism. The whole of Mt. Koya itself is the head temple of Kongobu-ji. Since the whole of Mt. Koya itself is included in the precincts of the temple, Mt. Koya is sometimes referred to as "Issan Keidaichi" (roughly, "whole-mountain temple precinct"). The kondo, or main hall which enshrines the principal object of worship, rises in the large temple building of Koya-san. Sub-temples called "tatchu ji-in" are dotted around the mountain. They were constructed in reverence of the great master's virtue. At present there are 117 temples on the mountain, 53 of which offer lodgings to visitors. Kukai is believed to have entered Nirvana during his lifetime and still to be living in the inner temple, a place where some 200,000 tombstones, some of them gigantic stone monuments erected by great families, mark the resting places of people of every period, surrounded by 500-year-old trees. In 2004, this hallowed mountain, on which people continue to erect tombstones even today, was registered as the World Heritage Site "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range".