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Ranked number one of Kyoto's five great temples, Tenryu-ji celebrates a history dating back to 1339 and stands in dedication and memory to an ancient emperor. Many of the temple buildings have been destroyed over the centuries, but the temple's landscape garden remains much the same today as it did in the 14th century.

The garden boasts a clever and unique design that marries imperial taste with zen aesthetics. Lush foliage lines a shimmering pond, and as visitors walk from one end of the pond to the other, it appears as though the seasons change in front of their eyes. Intricate stonework on one hill represents a mountain stream cascading into the pond, while in another area stones appear to be carp fish. Visitors seek out the garden to be transported to another time.

Also called Genbaku Dome, this landmark was the only building left standing after the Enola Gay dropped an atom bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945, eventually killing 140,000 people. Genbaku is the Japanese word for “atomic bomb.”

Originally built in 1910 as the Hiroshima Commercial Exhibition Hall, in 1933 it was renamed the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. The five-story building, its exterior faced with stone and plaster, was topped with a steel-framed, copper-clad dome. The bomb blast shattered much of its interior, but much of its frame – as well as its garden fountain – remain.

The area around the building was re-landscaped as a park between 1950 and 1964; when complete, it was formally opened to the public as a museum. Since 1952, an annual peace ceremony has been held her eon August 6th, and in 1966, the city of Hiroshima decided to preserve the site in perpetuity. In 1996, it was declared a World Heritage Site.

Often mistaken for the Arashiyama district of Kyoto, Sagano expands north of the Togetsukyo Bridge in Kyoto. The tranquil area encompasses some of Kyoto’s most stunning landscapes. With rural residential areas, mountains dotting the horizon, fields ablaze with color and a famous bamboo forest, Sagano may just be one of Japan’s prettiest (and lesser known) spots.

Osaka’s most famous shrine, Sumiyoshi-taisha, protects travelers of all sorts, including fisherman and sailors. The shrine is named both for the Sumiyoshi gods – the gods of the sea – and for a distinctive style of purely Japanese architecture known as Sumiyoshi-zukuri. To this day, it remains a pilgrimage destination for seafarers and travelers from around Japan, and the world, to pray for safe passage and good fortune. Adding to its superlatives, the shrine was founded in the 3rd century, making it one of Japan’s oldest shrines. For these reasons, Japan designated the Sumiyoshi-taisha shrine as a National Treasure.

The most recognizable image of Sumiyoshi-taisha is its symbol, the Taiko-bashi Bridge. The red arched Bridge provides a picturesque walkway across a pond flanked with verdant foliage that leads to the shrine. The shrine itself features traditional straight roofs and a red gate.

Theme park rides and shows come together in Osaka at Universal Studios Japan®. Like its sister parks in the U.S., the movie theme park provides fun for the whole family!

Snoopy, Hello Kitty, Woody Woodpecker, Shrek and many other stars are on hand to greet you as you make your way through the park. Entertaining rides include Jaws, Back to the Future, the Spider-Man Ride and Jurassic Park! Partake in ultra-exhilarating shows like Shrek's 4-D Adventure, Terminator 2: 3-D or Backdraft. Universal Studios shows are fun for everyone and are full of excitement! And if you're a Harry Potter fan, be enchanted by the newly opened Wizarding World of Harry Potter! Fly over Hogwarts on the "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" flight simulator; tour Hogwarts castle to see some of its most famous rooms; or even take a ride on a Hippogriff (winged horse with an eagle head)!

Few places on earth are more breathtakingly beautiful than Fall in Tofucku-ji Temple. During cool autumn months travelers and locals make the journey to this Zen temple in southeastern Kyoto that’s known for its incredible colors and brilliant Japanese maples. Visitors climb to the top of Tsutenkyo Bridge, which stretches across a colorful valley full of lush fall foliage in fiery reds and shocking oranges.

Visitors who make their way to Tofuku-ji other times of year can still wander beautiful temple grounds and explore places like the Hojo, where the head priest used to reside. Well-kept rock gardens provide the perfect spot for quiet contemplation and a stone path near the Kaisando is lined with brightly colored flowers and fresh greenery that’s almost as beautiful as the Japanese maples this temple is famous for.

Just because it is a museum does not mean that the Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum is not functional. This operational sake brewery introduces visitors to the history and technical components of sake brewing. Located in the heart of an old sake brewing district, many of the buildings and breweries have been standing since the Edo era. Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum itself was founded in 1637, making it one of the region’s oldest breweries.

The charm of this Museum is its attention to detail. The brewery is in an old-fashioned, traditional sake house. Japanese songs about sake and sake brewing play throughout the museum. One of the main displays features over 6,000 brewing tools, considered by many to be cultural relics. Of course, the highlight of the tour is the sake tasting itself, where some of the area’s best is on display.

In the year 642, Zenko-ji Temple was founded when one of the earliest Buddhist statues in Japan, brought over from the Korean Peninsula, was enshrined at the site. Today, the temple is one of the most important Buddhist sites in the country, as well as Japan’s third largest wooden structure, with the entire town of Nagano built up around it.

The structure as it stands today dates back to 1707 and contains a large hall displaying a variety of Buddhist statuary, a main alter and an underground passage beneath the alter where visitors can pass in complete darkness, feeling for a single key on the wall -- the key to paradise -- that’s believed to grand salvation to any who touch it. Behind the main temple, a newer pagoda houses the Zenko-ji History Museum with its collection of statues of the Buddha and his disciples.

A 1.8-mile island along the Yodo River, Nakanoshima is the nucleus of Osaka’s business district and home to some of the city’s most historic buildings, including the City Hall, the Nakanoshima Festival Tower and the first branch of the Bank of Japan.

The main highlight of Nakanoshima is its eponymous park, a verdant oasis that stretches along the eastern half of the island and offers a welcome change of scenery from the looming office blocks and financial headquarters. Along with its tranquil waterfront walkways and tree-lined picnic areas, the 11-hectare park also boasts a magnificent rose garden, which blooms with more than 310 colorful rose varieties during the summer months. The small island is also home to a number of significant museums, including the Science museum, the Museum of Oriental Ceramics and the National Museum of Art.

Built at the end of the 9th century in the year 888 and founded by the reigning Emperor of the time, Ninna-ji Temple maintained a centuries long reign as a royal place of worship. Members of the Imperial Family served as the temple’s head priest, bringing prestige that lasts to this day. To further elevate its status, the temple was originally named Monseki-jiin and served as a residence for a member of the Imperial Family who had entered priesthood.

Today, Ninna-ji is the center of the Omuro sect of Shingon Buddhism and houses buildings from the former Imperial Palace in Kyoto. Among the relocated historical treasures is a five-storied pagoda and Reiho-kan, a structure that houses cultural treasures such as sculptures, paintings, and the seated figure of Amida-Nyorai Buddha, the deity of Paradise. Encompassing the temple buildings is an orchard of dwarf cherry trees, making Ninna-ji one of the most popular spots to see the cherry blossoms in Spring.

One of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, Okayama Korakuen Garden was commissioned by regional ruler Tsunamasa Ikeda in 1686 and took over 14 years to complete. Today, the 13-hectare garden is a protected public park and retains its original appearance despite undergoing extensive restoration in the post-World War II years.

Its vast grassy lawn is Korakuen’s most unique attribute, but for many visitors, it’s the traditional Japanese features that draw the most attention, like the immaculately clipped bonsai trees, the blossom trees that bloom with color each spring and the network of water ways bridged by dainty stepping stones and narrow wooden footbridges. Climb to the top of the Yuishin-zan hill for a view over the garden and the neighboring Okayama Castle, gaze out over the central lake from the Enyo-tei tea house, then follow the walkways to discover the plum and cherry orchard, small tea plantation and rice field, and cages of rare red-crowned cranes.

Osaka Aquarium, also known as Kaiyukan, is Japan's most impressive aquarium, and also one of the largest public aquariums in the world. It is home to various different species from the Pacific Rim, most specifically, the "Ring of Fire."

The aquarium contains some of the largest tanks in the world, and houses 27 tanks with 16 main exhibits, with the goal of mimicking the natural habitat of the sea life as close as possible. Learn about all of the sea creatures through themed exhibition halls which include interactive activities for all ages! Only a thin sheet of glass separates visitors from the denizens of the deep, from whale sharks to sand-scuttling spider crabs to jellyfish, otters, seals, dolphins and penguins. Osaka Aquarium is located among a variety of restaurants and shops that you can end your family-fun day with.

One of Japan’s heralded philosophers is said to have meditated daily as he walked on a stone route alongside a canal on his commute to Kyoto University. The scenic path, shaded by hundreds of cherry trees, quickly became known as The Philosopher’s Path (or The Path of Philosophy), and today hundreds of people traverse the two-kilometer trail every day searching for peace, insight, and a clear mind. Small temples and shrines peek out from the cherry trees, beckoning to thinkers and walkers in search of religious observance.

Originating near Ginkakuji, the Silver Pavilion temple, the trail extends to the Kyoto neighborhood of Nanzenji. Near the end of the trail, a large aqueduct greets visitors, a popular spot to stop and take photos. Restaurants and cafes dot the trail. In the Spring, The Philosopher’s Path is one of the best places in all of Kyoto to enjoy the vibrant cherry blossoms in bloom.

Work your way through centuries of the past at the Osaka Museum of History, opened in 2003. Located just across from the Osaka Castle, head to the top floor to see great views of the castle.

Exhibits chronicle Osaka's history, beginning in ancient times when Osaka served as Japan's first capital and site of the Naniwa Palace and ending with exhibits on the city's bustling shopping arcades of the early Showa Period. Designed from top to bottom, visitors start on the 10th floor and work their way down to the 7th, passing through galleries which focus on the Age of the Naniwa Palace, the Age of the Hongan-ji Temple, and the Age of Greater Osaka. Archaeological remains are displayed in the building’s basement. Take the Highlights Course if you’re short of time, or follow a more leisurely and detailed route with the Complete Course.