Ancient sites in Japan off the beaten path.
What are some less-touristed ancient sites in Japan, for travelers seeking beautiful places with fewer crowds? Answer
Options include Sakurai, a town of ancient shrines, temples and Kofun burial mounds; Sekigahara, the site of the 1600 Battle of Sekigahara; and Uji, a tea-producing city on the Uji River. This page includes 14 options. Click here to see which are close enough to be day trips from major cities like Kyoto or Osaka.
Otsu
Enryaku-ji, the ancient headquarters of the Tendai Buddhist sect on Mount Hiei, draws visitors to this lakeside prefectural capital in Shiga, Japan.
Uji
Uji, a city on the southern edge of Kyoto in Japan, is known for its high-quality tea production and two UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Byōdō-in Buddhist t…
Omihachiman
On the eastern shore of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, Omihachiman is a Japanese city known for its merchant heritage — the Omi merchants were among feudal J…
Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land
A UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed in 2011, Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture preserves five groupings of temples, gardens, and archaeological remains from t…
Tsuruoka
In 2014, Tsuruoka became the first city in Japan to receive UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy designation, a distinction rooted in food traditions that incl…
Tottori
This grassy hilltop with ancient stone castle walls offers sweeping views over Tottori's low-rise cityscape, backed by forested hills, while the city itself…
Sekigahara
The Battle of Sekigahara, fought here in 1600, ended Japan's Sengoku Period and established the Tokugawa Shogunate, making this tiny town in Gifu Prefecture…
Sakurai
Ringed by some of Japan's oldest and most venerated shrines and temples, Sakurai is a town in Nara Prefecture with deep roots in ancient Japanese history.
Kameoka
A city in Kyoto Prefecture where visitors can ride a scenic railway through a dramatic river gorge, explore ancient stone castle ruins, and drift downstream…
Takedamachi
Taketa City in Ōita Prefecture, southwestern Japan, is built around the ruins of Oka Castle, where the Meiji-era composer Takeki Rentarō is said to have conc…
Urasoe
This coastal city in Okinawa Prefecture that served as an ancient capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Urasoe sits between Naha to the south and Ginowan to the nor…
Kashihara
Kashihara, in Nara Prefecture, is considered in both mythology and historical scholarship to be the founding ground of Japan — the site where, according to t…
Nanjo
Coastal city on the southern tip of Okinawa Island, Nanjo sits where the land meets the sea and is scattered with ancient castle ruins — known locally as gus…
Tsurugashima
This town in western Saitama Prefecture, Japan, sits at a major road junction where two expressways meet and has preserved several traditional folk performin…
Ancient sites in Japan: quick answers
Which ancient sites in Japan can you visit on a day trip from Kyoto or Osaka?
Kashihara, Sakurai and Sekigahara are among 3 ancient sites on our day trips from Kyoto. And Omihachiman is among 2 ancient sites on our day trips from Osaka.
Which are the highest-rated?
8 are rated gold, including Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land, Tottori, Otsu and Kashihara.
Which can you reach by train?
5 of the 14 have a railway station within a 10-minute drive, including Hiraizumi – Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land, Otsu, Tsurugashima and Uji.