Japan

Views & landmarks

Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower

This 50-story, 204-meter tower in Nishi-Shinjuku is actually an educational facility housing vocational schools for fashion, medicine, and IT. Its distinctive cocoon-shaped exterior makes it hard to miss while walking through Shinjuku's western skyscraper district; since it's a working school, the main draw is admiring and photographing its facade and night view from the street rather than going inside.

Temples & religious sites

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Kiyomizu-dera is a Buddhist temple at the foot of the mountains in eastern Kyoto, formally known as Otowasan Kiyomizu-dera. It is the head temple of the Kita Hosso sect of Japanese Buddhism, its principal image is the eleven-headed Kannon, and it is the 16th temple on the Saikoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

Nature

Ryukyu Islands

The Ryukyu Islands (Nansei Islands) are a chain of islands in southwestern Japan stretching from Kyushu toward Taiwan, spanning Kagoshima and Okinawa prefectures. The Okinawa portion is scattered with islands large and small centered on Okinawa Island; the larger ones tend to be volcanic and the smaller ones coral-based, giving each island a distinct coastline and sea color.

Views & landmarks

Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower is a communications and observation tower in Shiba Park, Minato Ward, completed in 1958. At 332.9 meters, it was Japan's tallest tower until Tokyo Skytree was built in 2012. Its lattice structure was inspired by the Eiffel Tower, and it is painted white and international orange in accordance with aviation safety regulations.

Heritage & monuments

Hiroshima Peace Memorial

The former commercial exhibition hall in Hiroshima, preserved in its half-destroyed state after the 1945 atomic bombing. As a site testifying to the horrors of war, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Views & landmarks

Abeno Harukas

Abeno Harukas, located in Osaka's Abeno Ward, is a 300-meter, 62-story mixed-use complex that was Japan's tallest building from 2014 to 2023. It houses a department store, offices, and a hotel, but for travelers the main draw is the observation deck near the top.

Shopping & districts

Akihabara

Akihabara is an electronics district in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward and a hub of anime and gaming culture. Around Akihabara Station, large electronics stores, figure and merchandise shops, used game stores, and maid cafés cluster together, drawing travelers who want to browse the latest gadgets or shop for anime and manga goods.

Temples & religious sites

Kinkaku-ji Temple

Kinkaku-ji, formally known as Rokuon-ji, is a Rinzai Zen temple whose symbol is the three-story reliquary hall (Shariden) seen across the pond, Kyoko-chi. Its top two floors are covered in gold leaf, which is why it's more commonly called the "Golden Pavilion." The current building is a 1955 reconstruction, and visitors view it and the surrounding garden while walking the path along the pond rather than entering it.