VisitKansai
Travel Guide to Kansai Japan

Attractions - All Kansai

The rainy season is over and summer sunshine is upon us. Travelers might have been informed about the hot humid weather in Japan, but they should know it's oppressive particularly in Kyoto. Seek the shade, have a glass of ice-coffee, shaved ices and cool beers. However, summer travelers will be rewarded with spectacles of Matsuri or traditional festivals which is held in many places in Kansai. "Volunteer Guide" will help you to plan the tour as you walk shorter in the sunshine and see more seasonal events.


Kyoto's Eastern Temples

Visitors with limited time in Kyoto would be well advised to head for the Higashiyama (lit. eastern mountains) district. An historic area east of the Kamo River.More

Kinkakuji and Ryoanji

Kinkakujiis the most famous and popular tourist site in Kyoto and always crowded, but gilded temple building is worth seeing. More

Shinsekai downtown

Shinsekai (新世界) is an entertainment and eat-and-drink district where many restaurants and pubs offer Osaka specialty kushikatsu at a reasonable price.More


Osaka half day

Osaka is the largest city in Western Japan with the population over eight million, but it doesn't attract as many tourists as Kyoto does. There is still something for tourists to see, Osaka-jo castle and Dotonbori entertainment district. More

Kyoto 1 day bus trip

If you are looking for transportation in the city of Kyoto, there are many options at your disposal. The convenient solution that we propose is the City Bus All-Day Pass. More

Nara

Major tourist sites including Todaiji temple and Kasuga shrine can be covered in a day trip. They are located in or around Nara Park, a short 15 minute walk from the city centre and Nara Kintetsu station. More


Fushimi Inari Shrine

Fushimi Inari Shrine is unique, magical and highly recommended. Behind the central complex, thousands of gaudily colored torii gates snake upwards in crisscrossing paths over heavily wooded, 233 meter high Mt. Inari.More

Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijojo

The Kyoto Imperial Palace and nearby Nijo-Jo Castle are well worth a visit. While the Palace is an elegant complex, Nijo-Jo is an imposing construction, reflecting the lifestyle of powerful shogun Tokugawa. More

Geisha in Gion

Kyoto is famous for 300-year-old Geisha tradition. There are about 250 Geishas in Kyoto and 100 of them are registered in Gion, the most prestigious geisha community.More


Seasonal Events

Cormorant fishing in Uji

The traditional fishing using cormorant (Ukai in Japanese) is demonstrated to the tourists during summer season. There are twelve such shows in Japan and you can enjoy the one in Uji in Kansai. More

Toka-ye lantern festival

Nara celenrates "Tokae" lantern festival in August. Tens of thousands of candles are lit in the Nara park and gardens around Temples. It will take place every evening between August 5th and 14th in 2010.More