Ikeda Museum of 20th Century Art
Izu Peninsula
Art lovers will not want to miss out on this treasure trove of big names, such as Dalí, Warhol, Renoir, Picasso, and Lichtenstein, all on show in an…
Must-see attractions in Around Tokyo
Kamakura
This Rinzai Zen temple is popular for its small forest of towering mōsō bamboo, within which you can relax under a shelter with a cup of matcha and sweets…
Around Tokyo
With a wealth of natural history info on the Takao-san region, this beautifully designed museum is arranged with younger visitors in mind – display cases…
Nikkō
In Tōshō-gū's initial courtyard are these 'Three Sacred Storehouses'; on the upper storey of the Kamijinko (upper storehouse) are relief carvings of …
Kamakura National Treasure Museum
Kamakura
This museum displays an excellent collection of Kamakura religious art and statuary. Some are the typically peaceful Jizō (Buddhist patron of travellers,…
Izu Peninsula
A small museum in the grounds of Shuzen-ji containing ancient carved buddhas, other religious works of art and documentation of the restoration of these…
Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History
Yokohama
Housed in the grand former Yokohama Specie Bank building (c1904) is this rather scholarly history museum charting the course of Kanagawa Prefecture from…
Nikkō
This 'Sacred Stable' building in Tōshō-gū's outer courtyard is crowned with relief carvings of monkeys. The allegorical 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak…
Fuji Five Lakes
There are good views of Mt Fuji from this lookout building, especially popular in autumn when the Aokigahara Forest is a sea of red. It's a 30-minute walk…
Kamakura
This Shintō shrine, dedicated to the fox spirit Inari and strewn with thousands of tiny fox totems, is located in woodland along Kamakura's Daibutsu…
Nikkō
Opened in 2015 for the 400th anniversary of Tokugawa Ieyasu's death, this modern building behind Rinnō-ji contains artefacts relating to the shogun,…
Nikkō
This museum has an interesting collection of temple artefacts, sculptures and scrolls. Admission includes entry to the lovely Edo-period garden Shōyō-en.
Around Tokyo
The three-storey pavilion Kobun-tei, within Kairaku-en, is a 1950s reproduction of the daimyō's villa (the original was destroyed in WWII).
Nikkō
This gateway on the east side of the main inner courtyard of Tōshō-gū is famous for its decorative carving of a sleeping cat (Nemuri-neko), which is much…
Izu Peninsula
If you keep walking east from Perry Rd, you can climb the steps into the hillside park of Shimoda Kōen, which overlooks the bay. It's loveliest in June,…
Yokohama
This elegant bayside park is ideal for strolling and ship-spotting. Moored at the eastern end is the 1930s passenger liner Hikawa Maru.
Izu Peninsula
At the southern end of Orange Beach, this little park is studded with photogenic bronze figurative sculptures by local artist Shigeoka Kenji.
Yokohama
Chinatown's heart is this elaborately decorated shrine dedicated to Guan Yu, an adopted deity of business. This incarnation (the fourth) was built in 1990.
Nikkō
A towering stone torii (entrance gate) at the head of the stone steps on Omotesandō leading up to Tōshō-gū, burial place of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Nikkō
This Edo-era strolling garden can feel like a refuge from the temple crowds – except during autumn, when the turning leaves are a great attraction.
Around Tokyo
This eponymous temple, located on the lake's eastern shore, was founded in the 8th century and houses a 6m-tall Kannon statue from that time.
Nikkō
The appropriately solemn Okumiya, Ieyasu's tomb, is reached by some 200 steps through towering cedars to the rear of Tōshō-gū.
Yokohama
This small hilltop park is a popular spot for cherry-blossom viewing (hanami) parties in spring.
Izu Peninsula
This small museum displays artefacts and artwork relating to the reception of Commodore Matthew Perry and his gunboats, dubbed 'Black Ships' by locals…
Yokohama
Noted tattoo artist Horiyoshi III and his wife run this very personal museum that's of interest for tattoo lovers as well as anyone interested in Japan's…
Nikkō
This much-photographed red footbridge over the Daiya-gawa is located at the sacred spot where Shōdō Shōnin is said to have been carried across the Daiya…
Izu Peninsula
The plinth-mounted bust of Matthew C Perry commemorates the landing of the US commodore and his men at this spot in 1854, a short hop from Perry Road.
Hakone
You're free to walk through this 2007 reconstruction of the feudal-era checkpoint on the Old Tōkaidō Highway, but if you want to enter any of the…
Izu Peninsula
This museum showcases the unusual plaster art 'paintings' of native son Chōhachi Irie (1815–99) including one of his masterpieces, Shungyo-no-zu (Dawn in…
Kamakura
This small temple, founded in AD 734, is reputed to be the oldest in Kamakura. Climb the steep steps up to the ferocious-looking guardian deities and…
Hakone
In the complex opposite the Ōwakudani ropeway station, this interactive natural history exhibit is a fun way to learn about the volcanic forces that…
Ōsanbashi International Passenger Terminal
Yokohama
This strikingly modern pier is used by international cruise liners, and has an attractive roof deck where you can sit on the lawn or benches to take in…
Around Tokyo
Halfway down Omote-sandō, this museum has local-history exhibits, as well as some of the floats used in the Narita Gion Matsuri (the town's major…
Kamakura
This shrine was built in 1869 on the order of Emperor Meiji to enshrine the spirit of Prince Morinaga, who was imprisoned and executed at this location in…
Yokohama
This small museum opposite Yamashita-kōen pays tribute to Yokohama's history as a silk trading port.
