Looking for some special places to go on your trip to Japan? The country’s set to welcome 40 million visitors this year, who will flock to various historical and world heritage sites across the nation.
This week, TIME magazine unveiled its list of the top 100 greatest places to see around the world. Japan has four locations that made the cut. Some of these are gems of Japanese history, while others recognize the influence Japanese pop culture has had on the world. Take a look at these – along with some of our other recommendations from past write-ups – to find some new locations to add to your itinerary.
Nipponia Sado Aikawa
In 2024, the Sado Mines in Niigata Prefecture became the 26th site in Japan to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once the world’s largest gold mine, Sado yielded some one trillion yen worth of gold or around 78 tons. Today, its caves and peculiar shape, with the mountain split in half by excavators’ efforts, serve as a unique tourist attraction.
TIME recommends taking in this attraction with a stay at Nipponia Sado Aikawa. Nipponia is a unique hotel company that doesn’t build new facilities but instead repurposes historic buildings as accommodations for domestic and inbound tourists. TIME calls out the Nipponia in Sado, which opened last year and is built in a restored merchant’s house. Owners Ryuzo and Akimi Amemiya serve Sado-area cuisines and help guests explore the beauty of Niigata. You can also enjoy sake at nearby Hokusetsu, founded by chef Nobu Nobuyuki and (no, not kidding) American actor Robert De Niro.
You can book a room at the NIPPONIA Sado via Booking.com. Rooms for April run around 35,000 yen (USD $236) a night.
Mirukashi Salon
Mirukashi is the brainchild of Prairie Stuart-Wolff, who’s lived between Maine and Karatsu, Saga Prefecture on Kyushu for almost two decades. She still resides in Karatsu with her partner, Japanese potter Hanako Nakazato, offering up this unique experience of the Japanese countryside. Guests are treated to a unique culinary experience that includes foraging for ingredients and lessons in creating staples of Japanese cuisine from Stuart-Wolff, who studied Japanese cooking from her mother-in-law. All meals are served on a table created by Stuart-Wolff’s mother in Nakazato’s pottery.
Murikashi only offers eight sessions yearly, with each limited to seven people. It’s a pricey experience, with sessions running USD $3,550 per person and requiring a $1,800 up-front deposit – but one you’re sure to remember for years to come.
Kumano Nachi Taisha and Seiganto-ji
Everyone wants to go to Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari or Kiyomizudera. And for good reason – both sites are spectacular. But Japan is home to a world of wonderful Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. We wrote last year about Izumo Taisha, for example, which I feel should be on everyone’s Japan bucket list.
If you’re looking for the same sense of awe coupled with breathtaking views that Kiyomizudera offers, the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route in Wakayama Prefecture’s Kii Mountain Range offers it in spades. One of Japan’s most popular nature spots, the area hosts around 30,000 cherry blossom trees, as well as the Naichi Falls, the Kumano Nachi Taisha Shinto shrine, and the picturesque three-story Seiganto-ji Buddhist temple.
Thanks to the Meiji era’s Shinto/Buddhist separation, this is one of the few remaining locations in Japan where you’ll find a Shinto shrine and a Buddhist temple co-located. To get there, you’ll want to stay near Nachikatsuura and take the bus to Nachi-no-Taki-mae.
Nintendo Museum
Does this seem like an odd choice compared to the others? It shouldn’t. Japanese popular culture has been a driving force in getting people around the world to fall in love with the country for decades. (My own Japan journey started thanks to Macross in the 1980s.) Tourists flock every month to visit geek mechas such as Akihabara and see various anime and pop culture-inspired tourist spots, including the location of popular basketball anime Slam Dunk, the ONE PIECE statues of Kumamoto, and Ghibli Park.
Given the game manufacturer’s worldwide popularity, it’s no surprise that the Nintendo Museum in Uji, Kyoto has proven a hit with tourists. The company itself is a piece of modern Japanese history, having gotten its start by selling karuta playing cards in 1889. The museum’s many attractions, based on historic and current properties such as Pokemon and Super Mario Bros., bring in up to 2,000 visitors daily.
Wanna see it for yourself? You’ll need to apply for the ticket drawing about three months in advance – a move designed to reduce crowds and prevent overtourism. If you do go, make sure you enjoy the area’s most famous product: Uji matcha, or green tea.
Need more ideas for your trip to Japan? Contact Unseen Japan Tours and ask us to create a custom itinerary, complete with interpreted guiding days, tailored to your specific interests.
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