Best Architecture around Kansai Spot List

This famous shrine blossoms in full glory from season to season with its flowers

The Western Paradise of the Buddha Amida’s dazzling dream, a gold space that reflects upon a pond

The orderly lineup of 1001 thousand-armed Kannon is superb

The only existing merchant house in Kobe Former Foreign Settlement

Be healed by the wabi-sabi of this Muromachi-period elegant garden that transcends space and time

Offer a prayer to Japan's largest Buddha statue in its oldest temple

A shrine to the beautiful Mount Miwa, worshiped since ancient times

The oldest surviving building of Todaiji Temple. All the Buddhist statues stored here are national treasures

A magnificent shrine dedicated to Emperor Jinmu and his Empress

An inn within the temple complex

See the brave figures of twelve protective deities

Japan's oldest convent was a gift from Prince Shotoku to his mother

With ancient living and meditation quarters

A tea ceremony sanctuary that started as a gathering of artists

A three-tiered pagoda and world heritage site, 1200 years old

Famous for its national treasure, a statue of Miroku Bosatsu

During the Nara Period, the guardian deity of the hiike (pond where ice used in the Imperial court was made) and the himuro (storeroom for ice), which were built in the Kasugano field beside Yoshiki-gawa River, was enshrined in the shrine. It was later moved to the current location. On May 1 every year, a festival called Kenpyosai takes place in which workers at companies that make and sell ice pray for success in business. The current shrine pavilion is said to have been reconstructed in the Edo Period. Also, the weeping cherry trees in the shrine grounds are very beautiful.

This attraction introduces the culture and history of Austria, with a central emphasis on Mozart. You'll see valuable items on display, such as a replica of the piano that Mozart used for composing, and a music score written in his original handwriting. On the terrace you can enjoy the imperial torte set (1,350 JPY), which is imported directly from Vienna, as well as Austrian beer and wine.

This attraction features a half-size replica of a Viking ship and exhibits related to the children's book author Hans Christian Andersen. Delightful goods made in Denmark are also for sale.

Located just north of Hokke-do in the Todai-ji Temple complex, Nigatsu-do is known as a place where Shuni-e (Omizu-tori or Sacred Water-drawing Festival) takes place every March. Nigatsu-do was named so since Shuni-e was held in February (nigatsu in Japanese) in the old calendar. Fire destroyed it in 1667, but two years later the current building was reconstructed exactly as it was before the fire. The building's design features a cascading style of architecture, and provides a commanding view of the roof of the Great Buddha Hall and Nara city. The principal image is the Juichimen Kannon, which is never shown to the public.