Japan Landmarks

Best time to go to Japan

Spring ( March to May ) with clear skies and cherry blossoms is probably the most famous Japanese season among foreign visitors, but the “Golden Week” from April 29th to May 7th is the period when many Japanese people visit the sights of Japan. During this time, the country’s attractions were very crowded. Autumn ( September to November) is a good time to travel: the temperatures are pleasant and the autumn colors of the landscape are fantastic. Winter (December to February) can be very cold, while in the warm, humid summer months (June to August) you can sweat even on the shortest excursion. However, the country’s biggest attractions are somewhat quieter in summer. When planning your holiday, you should also take into account the main holiday periods in Japan: during New Year, Golden Week and the O-Bon Festival in midsummer, it can be very difficult to find accommodation.

Japan Sightseeing Places

Money

Currency: 1 yen equals 100 sen and 1,000 rin

Currency abbreviation: JPY (ISO code), ¥ – ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG

Banknotes are in circulation worth 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 yen. Coins are used in amounts of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 yen.

Exchange rate:
October 2009
1 US dollar = 88.7 yen
1 euro = 130.4 yen
1 Swiss franc = 86.1 yen

Tourist attractions

Japan is not only a country where traditions are capitalized, but is also an interesting travel destination for tourists.
Japan has a large number of different sights and attractions to offer its visitors.
So you shouldn’t miss the atomic bomb dome. The atomic bomb dome is a memorial to commemorate the first dropping of an atomic bomb in Hiroshima. The first building was built by the Czech architect Jan Letzel. However, this dome was destroyed by the dropping of the atom bomb. However, some of the parts of the building have been preserved. Above all, the striking supporting structures of the dome roof. This is how the memorial got its name.
Although some countries had objected, primarily the United States and China, the dome has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.

Kyoto Station is a somewhat bizarre building. The station’s architect was Hiroshi Hara.

The Himej castle is absolutely worth seeing. The castle is one of the oldest and best preserved buildings in the whole country. The building dates from the seventeenth century.
The castle complex is made up of eighty-three individual buildings. Himeji Castle is an absolute showcase in terms of Japanese castle construction. The castle was considered impregnable in earlier times and has been on the World Heritage List since 1993.

Also worth a visit are the two historic villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. Both villages have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1995. They are mainly known for their buildings, which were created in a special architectural style “Gasshö-zukuri”. A special character of this construction are the steep roofs of the houses covered with floors.

The Imperial Palace is an absolute must. The castle dates from 1868. Most of the palace was destroyed in World War II, but was rebuilt in the late 1960s. There is a huge moat around the Imperial Palace. It is definitely worth visiting the hundred-hectare facility. But you should know that it is only open to the public on the birthday of the emperor, one day before Christmas Eve and on New Year’s Day. At these times, however, the castle cannot be visited completely.

You should see Elkan-do in Kyoto. From the pagoda of the temple you have a wonderful view of the city.

The ginkaku-ji is very special. The temple in Kyoto is also called the silver temple by the locals. The temple has an interesting Zen garden, which is one of the most important in the country.

A visit to the Heian shrine is certainly equally interesting. The shrine is to honor the first and last emperors. The vegetable background of the temple is impressive due to its color mixture of crimson red and poison green.

Also worth seeing is the Höryü-ji, the temple of Buddha’s teaching. It is one of the oldest wooden buildings in the world. The temple is also on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Also worth seeing is itsukushima shrine. The shrine can be found on the island of Miyajima and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since the late 1990s. It is estimated that the shrine dates back to the sixth century. It was structurally changed in 1168 until it looked like it can be seen today. Japan also has a number of other shrines and temples.

Other places of interest would be the Fish Market Hall in Tokyo, the Museum of Modern Art, whose building captivates visitors with its fantastic architecture alone, and the Philosophensteig.

But nature lovers are not neglected in Japan either. Some natural beauties are on offer, such as Fuji-san, which is also known abroad as fuji, which is the highest mountain in the country or the Japanese Alps. The Japanese Alps are very popular with mountaineers because they can try out their skills here. The Japanese Alps are also a popular holiday destination for winter sports enthusiasts.

Worth seeing is the Kairakuen Park or the Nikko.

Japan Landmarks

Kyoto in Japan

The city with the greatest cultural and historical importance of Japan is Kyoto. With its fourteen temples and Shito shrines, Kyoto, along with the neighboring cities of Uji and Ötsu, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

Kyoto is located in the Midwest of the Japanese main island of Honshu and a basin open to the south. Because the city is protected by mountains 1,000 meters high, typhoons and floods pose almost no threat to it. In Kyoto, 1.47 million people live on 827.90 square kilometers.

As early as 794, Kyoto was still called Heian-Kyo mentioned in old documents. During the lifetime of Emperor Kammu, old Kyoto became the country’s second permanent capital. The Heian period lasted until 1185, when power came mainly from Kyoto. From 1603, during the Echo period, power finally shifted from Kyoto to the east coast.

Attractions

Imperial Palace: The breathtaking beautiful and elaborately decorated Imperial Palace Kyoto Gosho was the residence of Tenno, the Japanese emperor, until 1868.

Imperial Katsuna Villa: One place that you should definitely visit is the Katsura Villa. This magnificent building is one of Japan’s most beautiful architectural treasures.

Imperial Shugakuin Villa: The magic of this villa is above all the dreamlike garden, in which exotic flowers and plants can be admired. It is not without reason that he has the reputation of being one of the most beautiful gardens in Japan.

Pontacho: In this old entertainment district of Kyoto you can walk in the footsteps of times long past.

Philosophers’ Way: If you are traveling this way in the east of the city, you have the opportunity to see some of the numerous temples along the way.

Heian-Jingu: This is a modern Shinto shrine that was built to honor the imperial family.

Cuisine: Kyoto also became famous for its delicious vegetarian cuisine. Tofu dishes such as yudofu, pickled vegetables and tsukemono, despite their simplicity, are among the favorite dishes of the Kyotans.

Osaka (Japan)

Osaka is a state-of-the-art Japanese city ​​that has big goals. Osaka has set itself the goal of becoming the robot capital of the world. Traditionally, Osaka (population 2.6 million) is a location of traditional businesses that are particularly affected by the economic crisis. With the establishment of modern robot technologies, things are going uphill economically. Osaka has a
reputation as a world city of water due to its incredible 808 bridges. The city fathers of Osaka are planning wonderful promenades for walking, which are to be made the most visited promenade in the city by exclusive shops and cafes.

Namba
If you want to eat well and have fun in this city, you should visit the Namba district. You are spoiled for choice in this area, as there are many karaoke bars and paschinko arcades close together along the canal.

Bunruku National Theater
The most famous theater in Osaka was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003. In this traditional theater, the performances often last for several hours, love stories and heroic dramas are almost always shown. The stars of this theater are puppets that are moved by three people. The special narrative style of the pieces is that the play is told in a dramatic singsong.

A highlight of Osaka is the Hollywood theme park of Universal Studios. In the various cinemas in the park, cinema fans are also the main actors.

Osaka Castle
The concrete reconstruction from 1931 conveys only a fraction of the military and political power that concentrated in Osaka in the Middle Ages. The original building was completed in 1583 under the Shogun Toyotomi Hidyoshi.

Osaka Natural History Museum
It is a very impressive museum, which keeps its visitors under its spell with constantly new exhibitions with the latest findings from astronomy and astrophysics.

Oriental Ceramics Museum
This museum presents the world’s most impressive collections of Korean and Chinese ceramics with more than 1,300 exhibits. Among other things, there are two national treasures of the country in this museum.

Open-air museum
Originally, eleven traditional farmhouses from all parts of Japan were rebuilt in this museum. The typical style of each region is represented by each of the individual farmhouses.

Tokyo (Japan)

Tokyo is an interesting city with a lot of sights. The city also has a lot of beautiful parks that invite you to relax.

So you shouldn’t miss the Koiskikawa cork. The park was created between 1629 and 1659. It combines the Japanese and Chinese landscape gardening. Unfortunately, the park is only seven hectares in size, previously it was eighteen. Various leisure facilities were built on the lost space.

Up to eighty-eight landscapes can be seen in Rikugien. The park itself is eight hectares in size. The Japanese and Chinese landscape gardeners are also mixed with him.

The Shinjuku Gyoen has a size of fifty hectares. The park is an association of English, French and Japanese garden architecture. The park provides wonderful impressions, especially when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

Other green spaces in the city are the Ueno-Koen and the Yoyogi-Koen.

Worth a visit is the Tokyo City Hall, which is actually not actually a City Hall, but the seat of the administration of the Tokyo Prefecture. The huge building was designed in 1991 by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. It has a height of 243 meters. On the forty-fifth floor there is an observation deck from which you have a wonderful view of the city. Classical music is also played up there.

The parliament dates from 1936. It is an impressive 201 meters long. Anyone wishing to view the building must first make an application.

Tokyo has more interesting buildings to offer, such as the Tokyo International Forum or Sunshine City.

There are also bespoke museums in Tokyo, such as the Bridgestone Art Museum. Here you can see a collection of paintings and sculptures created by Impressionist European artists. The National Museum has an extensive collection of Asian art.

The National Museum is the site of an extensive collection of Asian art.

In the National Museum of Western Art you can see works of French art from Monet to Rodin.

Other museums in Tokyo include the Shitamachi Museum, the Endo-Tokyo Museum, the Goto Museum, the Hara Museum etc.

There are also enough opera houses and theaters to be visited in Tokyo.

Something special is Kabuki-za. The building was built in the first half of the twentieth century. The architectural style is a good choice since the building was built in the style of a sixteenth-century fortress. In the theater itself you can experience the traditional Japanese Kabuki theater.
In the National Noh Theater there are traditional Japanese no performances.

Other theaters and operas in Tokyo include the National Theater and Takarazuku.

Anyone who spends their vacation in Tokyo should not miss the Imperial Palace. Before it was built, there was a castle called Edo. The old castle dates from the fifteenth century. Construction of the Imperial Palace began in 1868. Unfortunately, most of the Imperial Palace was affected by the Second World War. By 1960 everything was restored and rebuilt.
The Imperial Palace is only open to the public on its birthday, one day before Christmas Eve and on New Year.

The Hie shrine dates back to the fifteenth century and was dedicated to the patron god Edo.. Anyone who prays in the shrine should be protected from premature births and traffic accidents.

The Meiji Shrine was built in 1920. It was intended as a memorial for Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shoken. During the Second World War it was completely destroyed until 1958 but restored. Behind the shrine there are personal pieces of the imperial couple to visit. The green area around the palace is also simply unique. The park there is truly a relaxation pool in the otherwise hectic city.

There are more shrines to visit in Tokyo, and there are enough temples to see in the city.

The sights already mentioned are just a small part of what Tokyo actually has to offer.

Yokohama in Japan

The second largest city in Japan is Yokohama. Due to its perfect location on the Tokyo Bay, Yokohama’s commercial port is of great importance for the whole country. Before the seaport opened in 1859, Yokohama was a nameless fishing village. Over the following decades, Yokohama developed into an important commercial and industrial city.

The impressive commercial city has an area of ​​approximately 435 square kilometers on which around 3.6 million people live.

Minato Mirai 21
The Minato Mirai 21 urban development project started in 1983 with the construction work that had already been planned in 1960.

Nippon Mone Memorial Park
The Nippon Mone, built in 1930, is located in a stone dry dock in the park, which was completed in 1985. The four-master has served as a sailing training ship in the past decades. Today there is a maritime museum on the ship. Just like the surrounding park, the ship is accessible to every visitor.

Landmark Tower
Japan’s tallest and most impressive building is the Landmark Tower with a height of 296 meters. The tower stands out from far away from the skyline of Yokohama.

Sankein Gardens
Sankein Gardens is open most of the day. If you love mysticism and secrets, you should definitely visit this sun-drenched park. In this park there are also some impressive buildings, such as a villa from 1650 and a 500 year old magical pagoda.

Yokohama Park
In this wonderful park you can not only relax on the green areas. The special thing about this park is that it was designed according to western culture.

French
Hill Park
In this park you get an unforgettable view of the bay and the port of Yokohama. It was opened in 1962 at

Makigahara Childrens Zoo
The animals of all continents are housed in the buildings of this zoo. It is a very popular destination for many families with children. This park not only offers entertainment, but visitors can also learn a lot about the natural habitat of the animals that live there.

Yokohama Hkkijima Sea Paradise
The gigantic amusement park offers attractions for the whole family. There are many colorful rides for the children and an aquarium with many colorful exotic marine animals.

Silk Museum
You can get a deep impression of the elaborate production and processing of silk in the Yokohama Silk Museum.

Yokohama Archives of History

In this museum, visitors can learn more about the history and development of Yokohama and the port.

Ramen Museum
This museum is particularly attractive for pasta lovers. Parts of Yokohama from 1960 and the best-known ramen noodle shops in the country are replicated on several floors of the museum. In this museum you can also benefit from the most varied types of pasta.

Matsuri Museum
The spectacular shrine festivals take place in Yokohama every year, and the museum is dedicated to this festival.