Naoshima New Museum of Art
The Naoshima New Museum of Art, opened in 2025, marks a new chapter in the Benesse Art Site Naoshima project, an art initiative spanning more than 35 years across the islands of Naoshima, Teshima, and Inujima in the Seto Inland Sea.
Tadao Ando's architecture really lets the light take center stage. Everything feels perfectly balanced.
Hagi Castle Town
Hagi prospered for 260 years as a castle town after Mori Terumoto built Hagi Castle in 1604. White or earthen walls and black board hedges line the beautiful town, which has preserved the townscape from Edo Period so well that people say, “You can use the map from Edo Period to this day.”
Walking through the streets of Hagi Castle Town, you can really feel the strong sense of history. The well-preserved buildings and street layout make it feel like you've stepped back into the Edo period.
Daikanyama T-SITE
A multi-facility complex centered around a large bookstore, with several specialty stores. The heart of the complex, 'Daikanyama Tsutaya Books,' consists of buildings 1-3 and offers a rich selection of books on themes such as literature, art, travel, cooking, and foreign languages.
The atmosphere here is perfect for relaxing and reflecting. It's a great spot to take your time and just unwind.
Kyoto Station Building
Kyoto station is attached to an enormous building which provides shops and restaurants, as well as a hotel and cultural center. The Cube Shopping Mall occupies the ground floor and two basement floors. In its spacious confines are shops offering a wide variety of unique souvenirs and specialty desserts from Kyoto, trendy fashion items, and interesting knickknacks.
There's a water show here, and if you go all the way to the top floor, you get a direct view of Kyoto Tower. It's a modern station with a great sense of style.
Ujicha-tea Dojo ”Takumi no Yakata”
A cafe specializes in tea where you can taste Uji tea, a specialty of Uji, while enjoying a view of the Uji River. You can choose your favorite Uji-cha tea leaves from the tea menu and brew your own tea following the instruction by certified staff as a Japanese tea instructor.
The tea ceremony instructor was super dedicated and explained the history of Uji tea to us. Even though we didn't understand everything 😂, we learned that you need to pay attention to the amount of tea leaves, water, temperature, and steeping time. I picked up a lot of tea knowledge! If you come to Uji, you definitely shouldn't miss this place.
Ippoh Main Store
Ippoh is one of Osaka's best-established restaurants, located in Edobori, Nishi-ku, and has its roots in a tempura restaurant founded in 1850 (Kaei 3 ) by the first generation of an oil shop owner as a sideline.It has a history of more than 180 years spanning five generations. Throughout its long history, the restaurant has entertained VIPs from around the world as well as dignitaries from home and abroad.
It's not just about how delicious the food is—each dish is like a work of art.
Share Star Hakodate
This shopping center attracts people with its compact collection of modern and stylish stores. The first basement floor is MUJI’s “food specialty floor,” which features not only MUJI brand frozen foods and retort foods, but also some unique individual stores from the Hakodate area and Hokkaido, making it a perfect place to find Hokkaido souvenirs.
It's almost like a dedicated MUJI store. The kids' play area is fantastic, all made of wood. The whole place feels warm and relaxing.
Nankai Koya Line “Koya Flower Railway”
The Nankai Koya Line bridges Namba, the center of Osaka Minami District, and Mt. Koya, the spiritual world heritage. The course between Hashimoto and Gokurakubashi (Heaven Bridge” is dubbed by locals as the “Koya Flower Railway”. Sceneries along the way include Mt. Kudoyama, where the samurai warlord, Yukimura Sanada studied. The “Tenku” sightseeing railway runs in this popular sightseeing course.
The Tenku train only has two cars, so there aren't many seats. There's an observation deck in the middle of the train, and since there are no glass windows, you can breathe in the fresh air and take photos without any glare.