Matsumoto
This sleek museum has a good collection of the work of Japanese artists, many of whom hail from Matsumoto or whose art depicts scenes of the surrounding…
Must-see attractions in Central Honshū
'Umi' Museum of Contemporary Art
Nagano Region
This light-filled gallery showcases an impressive collection of contemporary work by Japanese artists who have found fame abroad in genres such as oil…
Central Honshū
The main attraction of this orange-and-white temple is the papier-mâché daibutsu (Great Buddha; c 1832), one of the three Great Buddha statues of Japan…
Takayama
Lovers of art-nouveau and art-deco glassware and furniture will appreciate this large private gallery set back from town with a ritzy cafe, its own London…
Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
Here you can view a selection of the impressive illuminated, lacquered floats used in the Wajima Taisai festival, some up to 15m tall. Take the bus to…
Nagano Region
Pleasant in winter when shrouded in snow but less appealing when seasonally bare, Jigokudani Monkey Park is wildly popular. Made famous by the 1992 film…
Nagoya
The original structure, built between 1610 and 1614 by Tokugawa Ieyasu for his ninth son, was levelled in WWII. Today's castle is a concrete replica (with…
Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall
Takayama
A rotating selection of four of the 23 multitiered yatai (floats) used in Takayama Matsuri can be appreciated here. These spectacular creations, some…
Takayama
The sprawling, open-air Hida-no-sato is a highly recommended half-day trip. It features dozens of traditional houses and buildings, which were dismantled…
Takayama
These sprawling grounds south of Sanmachi-suji house the only remaining prefectural office building of the Tokugawa shogunate, originally the…
Takayama
The original buildings of Takayama's oldest temple were constructed in the 8th century, but later destroyed by fire. The oldest of the present buildings…
Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
You're likely to be a little astounded by this collection of more than 500 pristine Japanese (and foreign) vehicles housed over three floors, in a massive…
Kanazawa
Originally built in 1580, this massive structure was called the 'castle of 1000 tatami' and housed the Maeda clan for 14 generations until it was…
Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
Kids love the larger-than-life replicas and fossilised relics of the Jurassic Park–styled Fukui Dinosaur Museum, one of the three largest museums of its…
Nagano Region
On the border of Gunma and Nagano Prefectures, about 4km east of Karuizawa on Rte 18, you'll find the Usui Pass, historically an important point on the…
Nagoya
Pottery fans will enjoy a stroll around Noritake Garden, the 1904 factory grounds of one of Japan's best-known porcelain makers, featuring remnants of…
International Design Centre Nagoya
Nagoya
Housed in the swooping Nadya Park complex is this secular shrine to the deities of conceptualisation, form and function. Design touchstones from art deco…
Central Honshū
Listed as a World Heritage Site in 2014, Tomioka Silk Mill provides a look at the history of silk production, with some English-language narration…
Utsukushi-ga-hara Open Air Museum
Matsumoto
Atop Utsukushi-ga-hara-kōgen plateau you'll find this seemingly random sculpture garden with some 350 pieces, mostly by Japanese sculptors. The…
Karakuri Exhibition Room (Annexe)
Central Honshū
This small annexe of the town museum exhibits Edo- and Meiji-era karakuri ningyō (marionettes). On Saturday and Sunday at 10.30am and 2pm you can see the…
Nagano Region
From Okusha bus stop it's 2km (40 minutes' walk) to Okusha (meaning 'Upper Shrine') – the innermost of the three sub-shrines making up Togakushi-jinja –…
Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
Atop a hill overlooking the town, this little yamashiro (mountain castle) is a true delight, even if it is a replica and you have to climb all those…
Waki-honjin (Okuya) & Local History Museum
Tsumago
This waki-honjin (rest stop) for the daimyōs' (domain lords') retainers was reconstructed in 1877 by a former castle builder under special dispensation…
Matsumoto Open-Air Architectural Museum
Matsumoto
Adjacent to the better-known Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, amid fields and rice paddies beneath the gaze of the Alps, stand these five examples of striking late…
Central Honshū
On the grounds of Gifu-kōen is this quirky collection of more than 300,000 beetle, butterfly, moth and other insect specimens. It's the personal…
Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
One of the few survivors of the Taira clan, Taira Tokitada was exiled to this region in 1185. His ancestors eventually divided and established separate…
Nagoya
Nagoya's much-loved TV tower, completed in 1954, was the first of its kind in Japan. The tower's central location makes its 100m-high Sky Balcony a great…
Central Honshū
This is a reconstruction of one of the most significant checkpoints on the Edo-period trunk roads. From its perch above the river valley, it's easy to see…
Central Honshū
Fans of the iron horse will love this rail graveyard–locomotive museum, with rolling stock, stations, carriages, simulators and years of Japanese rail…
Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps
Ten minutes' walk north from JR Hotaka Station, Rokuzan Bijutsukan showcases the work of Meiji-era sculptor Rokuzan Ogiwara (1879–1910; aka the 'Rodin of…
Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
This fabulous little museum is a good reason to pass through Himi. It showcases all manner of memorabilia from the Shōwa period (1926–89), encompassing…
Nagoya
The much-visited, workaday Ōsu Kannon temple traces its roots back to 1333. Devoted to the Buddha of Compassion, the temple was moved to its present…
Central Honshū
The restored Takita Residence (c 1850) was the home of a shipping magnate. Inside are replicas of bishu-kaisen (local trading ships) and displays of…
Kanazawa
In Yuwaku Onsen, about 14km southeast of Kanazawa along Rte 10, you'll find this attractive collection of reconstructed Edo-period buildings arranged as…
Central Honshū
Within the pretty garden of Uraku-en in the grounds of the Meitetsu Inuyama Hotel, you'll find 'Jo-an', one of the finest teahouses in Japan. One of…
Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
This big park is the site of the old Takaoka castle (kojō means – you guessed it – 'old castle'), demolished in 1615 after being in use only six years…
Central Honshū
Twenty minutes' hike from Jōka-machi Plaza bus terminal you'll find the pride of Gujō, a 1933 reconstruction of the previous fortress, originally…
Central Honshū
Five minutes' walk from JR Hida-Furukawa Station, this lovely, historic canal district boasts white-walled shops, storehouses, private homes and carp…
Tsumago
It was in this building that the daimyō (domain lords) themselves would spend the night, although the building's architecture is more noteworthy than its…
Kanazawa & the Hokuriku Coast
This immaculately maintained park built on reclaimed land around Toyama's canal and lock system is a wonderful place for a stroll or picnic. It's a…
