Country guide
Around three quarters of Japan is mountain and forest, which pushes almost everyone onto the eastern coastal plains and makes the country far narrower in practi...
Photograph · Midori · CC BY 3.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Around three quarters of Japan is mountain and forest, which pushes almost everyone onto the eastern coastal plains and makes the country far narrower in practice than 377,975 km2 suggests. Forty-seven prefectures, eight traditional regions and more than 14,000 smaller islands, and yet a first visit usually runs along a single rail corridor with Tokyo at one end and Kyoto and Osaka at the other. Tokyo is the capital and largest city of a country of almost 123 million people. Hokkaido in the north and Okinawa in the south are different climates rather than day trips, and both need their own week.
Checked 2026-08-25
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Morio · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photograph · Martin Falbisoner · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photograph · Martin Falbisoner · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
117 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
長洲天満宮
Nagasu Tenmangu, written 長洲天満宮, is a Shinto shrine in Osaka devoted to Tenjin. Tenjin is the deified scholar Sugawara no Michizane, widely associated with learning and academic success.
中島惣社
Nakajima-so Shrine, known locally as 中島惣社, is a Shinto place of worship in Osaka. The shrine is identified on OpenStreetMap as way/273392714, giving visitors a precise identity for distinguishing it from other religious sites in the city.
岡太神社
Okata Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Osaka, known locally as 岡太神社. The shrine is a place of worship embedded in the city, offering travelers a direct encounter with traditional Japanese religious space amid ordinary urban streets.
大宮
Oomiya is a residential and commercial neighborhood in Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka. It offers a view of everyday city life rather than a concentrated landmark district.
栗東寺
Ritō-ji Temple, written 栗東寺 in Japanese, is a Buddhist temple in Osaka. It belongs to the city’s religious and cultural landscape and gives travelers a chance to encounter a sacred place beyond Osaka’s busiest commercial attractions.
佐太天神宮
Sata-tenjingu, written as 佐太天神宮, is a Shinto shrine in Osaka. The name identifies it as a Tenjin shrine, a tradition connected with the worship of Sugawara no Michizane, the scholar who became a revered kami.
眞観寺
Shinkan-ji Temple, also identified locally as 眞観寺, is a named Buddhist temple in Osaka. Its precise identity matters because Osaka contains many religious sites with similar names, while this place is tied to one specific OpenStreetMap location.
荘厳浄土寺
Shōgonjōdo-ji Temple, known locally as 荘厳浄土寺, is a Buddhist temple in Osaka. The temple belongs to the Jodo sect of Pure Land Buddhism. It serves as a place of worship and spiritual practice for devotees.
素盞嗚尊神社
Known locally as 素盞嗚尊神社, Susanoo-no-Mikoto Shrine is a Shinto place of worship in Osaka dedicated to Susanoo-no-Mikoto, a major figure in Japanese mythology associated with storms and the sea.
諏訪神社
Suwa Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Osaka, also known locally as 諏訪神社. It belongs to the wider tradition of shrines devoted to Suwa Myojin, associated with wind, water, and martial protection.
高浜神社
Takahama Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Suita City, Osaka Prefecture, known locally as 高浜神社. It serves as a place of worship and community gathering in the northern Osaka metropolitan area.
富島神社
Tomishima Shrine, known locally as 富島神社, is a Shinto shrine in Osaka. It offers a small sacred setting within the city, where visitors can encounter a form of Japanese religious practice alongside ordinary urban streets.
土佐稲荷神社
Tosa Inari Shrine is a Shinto place of worship in Osaka, known locally as 土佐稲荷神社. The shrine belongs to the Inari tradition, whose central figure is associated with rice, fertility, prosperity, and worldly success.
大阪市立佃中学校 is a municipal junior high school serving the Tsukuda neighborhood of Osaka. It is an active educational institution, not a public museum or sightseeing attraction.
大阪市立大国小学校, known in English as Osaka City Daikoku Elementary School, is a municipal school in Osaka’s Daikoku area.
大阪市立成南中学校 is an Osaka municipal junior high school serving local students. It belongs to the city’s everyday educational infrastructure and should not be treated as a conventional tourist attraction.
Osaka Municipal Kuwazu Elementary School, known as 大阪市立桑津小学校, is a public elementary school serving its local Osaka community. It is part of the city’s everyday educational landscape, surrounded by neighbourhood streets rather than visitor facilities.
大阪市立玉出小学校 is Osaka Municipal Tamade Elementary School, a working public school in Nishinari Ward. It belongs to Tamade’s everyday civic landscape, serving local children rather than operating as a museum, landmark, or visitor attraction.
大阪市立茨田中学校 is a municipal junior high school in Osaka’s Ibarita area, a working part of the city’s residential fabric rather than a sightseeing attraction.
Osaka Municipal Tsurumi Minami Elementary School, or 大阪市立鶴見南小学校, is a public elementary school in Osaka’s Tsurumi Ward. It serves local children and contributes to the daily rhythm of its neighbourhood.
Osaka Nishi Church, written locally as 大阪西教会, is a Christian place of worship within Osaka’s dense city environment.
市立高井田中学校 is a municipal junior high school in Osaka’s Takaida area. Unlike a museum, shrine, or civic attraction, the school exists for education and serves students, teachers, and authorized visitors.
東大阪市立森河内小学校 is a municipal elementary school in Higashiosaka, Osaka Prefecture. It is a working educational institution serving local children, not a conventional visitor attraction.
八幡神社
Hachiman Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Osaka, known locally as 八幡神社. It is dedicated to Hachiman, a deity traditionally associated with warriors and protection.
多米神社
Tameno Shrine, known locally as 多米神社, is a Shinto shrine in Osaka. It represents the kind of neighborhood religious site that sits alongside ordinary homes, roads, and local businesses rather than inside a purpose-built tourist complex.
Ten to fourteen days supports four or five days in Tokyo, three or four in Kyoto, and two or three in Osaka. Add Nara or Himeji only after those bases have enough time, and avoid turning every rail stop into a hotel change.
Japan's visa exemption or visa requirement depends on passport and travel purpose. Confirm the current rule through Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the embassy responsible for the traveller's residence.
The Tokaido Shinkansen links Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, while local rail and buses cover city travel. An IC card simplifies many local journeys but does not replace every reserved long-distance ticket, and luggage forwarding can reduce friction between bases.
March to May and October to November are broad options for the main-island route, with blossom and autumn periods creating concentrated demand. Confirm regional weather and reservations for the exact cities rather than assuming one national season behaves uniformly.
Japan uses the yen (JPY). Electronic payment is common but not universal, so carry some yen for smaller businesses, ticket machines, or rural transport without assuming that one stored-value card works for every purchase.
Japan's emergency numbers are 110 for police and 119 for fire or ambulance. Type A sockets operate at 100 V, which is lower than in the other wave-A countries, and mains tap water is recorded as safe.
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