Best around Kansai Spot List

The popular open-air bath looks out across the beach

Boasts an amazing stage modeled after a lion mask

Great seafood, great hot springs, and invigorating views

Surrounded by the old-growth forest of Tadasu-no-Mori, the shrine has records that date back before Christ. It is also renowned as a spiritual place believed to bring good luck in romance.

The head of Japan’s Kumano shrines—famous for matchmaking

The Tower of the Sun Museum is found where the Osaka World Fair once took place

The sunsets here are particularly beautiful

A select shop with a wide selection of books and goods

Blessed with knowledge by Monju

Enjoy a sweeping view of the sea at Shirahama

An enormous spa resort with an undervalued hotel

Filled with divine blessings. A spacious, comfortable bath

Have fun at a mountain villa that belonged to a samurai film actor

An old town house to relax in

The most popular of Kinosaki’s outdoor baths. The dynamic waterfall is a favorite

Meet overwhelmingly large dinosaur skeleton specimens

A spiritual area surrounding Kobo Daishi’s mausoleum

Beloved Buddha artifacts inside the school of Heijo Palace

This ancient temple contains the history of the Southern Dynasty

The main street of Gion features a machiya-style townscape on a cobblestone street