Kansai Region Guide
With big cities like Kyōto & Ōsaka, the Kansai region features thousands of points of interest
Also named Kinki region, the Kansai area receives millions of visitors every year. Kyōto, Kōbe and Ōsaka are the most famous cities, but also smaller ones, like Nara and Wakayama, offer a lot of interesting attractions.
In the following map we’ll bring you through the 7 prefectures of the region along with the main cities.
Best things to do in Kansai
Fushimi-Inari-taisha
伏見稲荷大社
This is probably the most famous Shinto shrine of Japan, all the people who visited Kyōto have their own picture inside this shrine's thousands of red torii gates.
Along the hike on Mount Inari-yama, you'll see hundreds of Kitsune statues with a scroll on the mouth, messenger foxes of Kami Inari. The hike to the top isn't easy and takes about 2 hours to get back to the start.
The torii are donations from private companies or benefactors, whose name and date of donation are written on the back of the torii itself.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the english website to know more.
Ōsaka-jō
大坂城
Located in Ōsaka, the biggest japanese metropolitan area after Tōkyō, this white castle receives millions of visitors every year.
Easily accessible with the JR Ōsaka Loop Line subway, included within Japan Rail Pass, the main building features a five-story structure with three additional stories underground.
The founder, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, also added different golden leaf decorations on every side to impress visitors.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the official website to know more.
Amanohashidate
天橋立
One of top 3 scenery of Japan, located 2 hours by train on north of Kyoto. If you look at this pine covered strip of sand between your legs, you should see a dragon ascending the sky from the sea of Japan.
Get up on the hill with the ropeway to take panoramic pictures, or rent a bike at local shops to enjoy a pleasant bike-day in the nature.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the english website to know more.
Kobe Beef
神戸ビーフ
This is probably the most famous meat slice in the world, surely the most famous in Japan. This delicacy comes from Wagyu, the Japanese beef cattle breed.
This beef is really expensive, thanks to many quality standards that has to overcome to reach the restaurants.
The best restaurants in Kobe are often fully booked, serving this delicacy in different variations, such as teppanyaki, sukiyaki and shabu-shabu.
Kinosaki Onsen
城崎温泉
Located on north of Hyogo prefecture, this hot spring town faces the sea of Japan, along the San'in coast of Tottori and Matsue.
The city features 7 ancient public baths and tens of different ryokans where you can spend the night, relaxing your body inside private amazing onsen.
After dinner, Japanese people often practice "onsen hopping" between different public baths, the ultimate relaxing experience.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the english website to know more.
Todai-ji
東大寺
Todaiji is a Buddhist temple complex whose main feature is Daibutsuden, the Great Buddha hall. The main hall features a 28 meters high bronze Buddha statue, flanked by two smaller ones.
The temple is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998 and is located inside the massive Nara park, home of thousands of deer.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the english website to know more.
Nachi Falls
那智滝
Located on southern prefecture of Kansai, this awesome scenery is composed by a 133 meters high waterfall, named Nachi no Taki, and the red pagoda of Seigantoji.
This area is part of Kumano Kodo pilgrimage and represents the perfect fusion between former Shinto shrine Nachi Taisha with the Buddhist Seigantoji temple.
The site has been designed as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004
Check it on Google Maps and visit the official website (Japanese) to know more.
Ise Grand Shrine
伊勢神宮
The most important Shinto shrine complex of Japan, located on Ise coast, east of Mie prefecture. The shrine is dedicated to Shintoism sun goddess Amaterasu, ancestor of imperial faminy.
Feudal lords of every century donated and took care of this shrine, to ask for favors to Shinto dieties. The shrine also holds one of the 3 Japanese imperial regalia, the mirror Yata no Kagami.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the english website to know more.
Shirahama Beach
白良浜
Often confused with Shirahama beach of Shizuoka prefecture, this white sand beach, imported from Australia, is located in Wakayama prefecture facing Shikoku island.
During the hot summer weekends, this 600 meters beach fills up with Kyoto and Osaka sea lovers, ready to enjoy sea life with kids.
The area also features different hot springs restorative in every season, but isn't easy to reach since is 3 hours train far from Kyoto.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the english website to know more.
Dotonbori
道頓堀
The iconic neon street of Osaka, full of restaurants and street food kiosks. Here you can find original Japanese street food like Takoyaki, Kushikatsu and Osaka style Okonomiyaki.
If you visit the street after a rainy day, the number of neon lights multiply reflecting over the rain ponds along the street. Also the people are more handy and less reserved with respect to the rest of Japan.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the english website to know more.
Nabana No Sato
なばなの里
This unique attraction is located at the edge of Kansai region, 30 minutes by train from Nagoya city. It features thousands of different flowers, blooming all year round, as well as maples and sakura cherry trees.
But the main event is the illumination, with different illuminated installations varying every year, from Mount Fuji representation to cherry trees and wisteria bloomings. The illumination is up from late October to early May.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the official website (Japanese) to know more.
Himeji Castle
姫路城
The only castle in Japan that has never been destroyed, neither by bombing or fire and designated among the best 3 castles in Japan as well as UNESCO World Heritage site.
Restored in 2015, the complex features a big garden full of sakura trees inside the boundary walls. Located on higher ground, on the last floor of the castle you'll have a breathtaking panoramic view over the city and the surrounding area.
Nearby the castle there is also a wonderful garden called Koko-en, that was the ancient residency of Himeji castle's samurai.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the official website (Japanese) to know more.
Wazuka Tea Farms
宇治茶の郷 和束の茶畑
Home of Uji green tea, the famous high quality tea sold in Kyoto. This area is located on south of Kyoto prefecture, a green area full of tea farms.
Many of these tea farms offer experiences to see the whole process, from the leaves picking to the final processed product to be sold on Kyoto's sweet and tea shops.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the english website to know more.
Lake Biwa
琵琶湖
The biggest lake of Japan, that covers the greatest part of Shiga prefecture and provides drinkable water to millions of Japanese.
It offers hundreds of wonderful sceneries featuring floating red Torii gates and medieval castles facing the lake.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the english website to know more.
Kiyomizu-dera Temple
清水寺
Located in Kyoto, this temple's name means "Temple of Pure Water" and is known worldwide for its wooden terrace, 13 meters above the hillside below.
At the base of the terrace, you'll find Otowa waterfall, divided into three streams representing love, success and longevity: people waits in line to drink from only one of those streams.
The area is full of greeneries, in particular maples and cherry trees, so both in autumn and spring the view from the terrace is amazing, with Kyoto city in the background.
Check it on Google Maps and visit the english website to know more.
Koya-san
大字高野山
Deep inside wild nature of Wakayama prefecture, this area is full of Buddhist temples and cemeteries, destination of thousands of pilgrims from all around the world.
You can feel a mystic aura in the air walking between sacred centuries old trees. Also many temples let you experience the secluded monastic life for some night, eating, praying and sleeping like a buddhist monk.
Check it on Google Maps to know more.
Kansai transportations guide
Trains
Ōsaka metropolitan area is filled with train lines connecting the city with every other city of Kansai. There are also two bullet train lines passing through Shin-Ōsaka station, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen line heading Tōkyō and the San’yō Shinkansen line to Fukuoka.
The greatest part of train lines are included within the Japan Rail Pass. But there are exceptions like the Kyōto-Tango railway, a private railway section connecting Kyōto to the famous tourist destination Amanohashidate.
To know more, here’s the Japan railway map from the Japan Rail Pass official website and our JR Pass and trains blog post.
Airports
The region features one of the main airports of Japan, the Kansai International Airport, easily connected to Ōsaka and Kyōto through the JR Haruka line.
Other regional airports are Tajima and Kōbe, in Hyōgo prefecture, and Nanki-Shirahama, in Wakayama prefecture.
Ports
