Scenery — 12 places

OceanSeas

Into the clear blue, and beyond.

Photo: Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

12 destinations

Into the clear blue, and beyond.

SHIRETOKO

Shiretoko

Hokkaido

A peninsula where sea, forest and mountains remain unbroken.

MATSUSHIMA

MatsushimaMiyagi · Tohoku

Matsushima Town and surrounding areas, Miyagi Prefecture. A scenic spot where islands large and small float in Matsushima Bay, counted with Amanohashidate and Miyajima among the Three Views of Japan. A national Special Place of Scenic Beauty.

Seas / Islands

The Jogasaki Coast and the Pacific seen from a pine-covered cliff

IZU

Izu & Jogasaki CoastShizuoka · Tokai

Ito City, Shizuoka Prefecture. A sheer cliff coast formed when lava from the eruption of Mount Omuro reached the sea. One of the highlights of the Izu Peninsula Geopark, where a suspension bridge and walking trails look out over rugged rocks and sea.

Seas / National parks

AMANOHASHIDATE

AmanohashidateKyoto · Kansai

Miyazu City, Kyoto Prefecture. A scenic spot where an avenue of pines runs along a sandbar about 3.6 km long, separating Miyazu Bay from the Aso Sea. One of the Three Views of Japan and a national Special Place of Scenic Beauty.

Seas

The Seto Inland Sea and a town seen from a mountaintop

SETOUCHI

Seto Inland SeaHiroshima / Okayama / Kagawa / Ehime / Yamaguchi / Hyogo · Chugoku

An inland sea enclosed by Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. An archipelagic seascape dotted with islands large and small, it forms the heart of Setonaikai National Park, one of Japan's first national parks, designated in 1934.

Seas / Islands / National parks

The vermilion great torii of Itsukushima Shrine standing in the sea at high tide

MIYAJIMA

Miyajima

Hiroshima

Shrine buildings that float on the sea with the ebb and flow of the tide.

NAOSHIMA

NaoshimaKagawa · Shikoku

Naoshima Town, Kagawa Prefecture. An island in the Seto Inland Sea where museums and outdoor works are scattered through the island's landscape. From its calm inlets and beaches, you look out on the Setouchi sea with its layered islands.

Islands / Seas

AMAMI

Amami OshimaKagoshima · Kyushu

The main island of the Amami Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture. Subtropical evergreen broadleaf forests, mangroves and a sea of intricate inlets spread across the island. In 2021 it was inscribed as part of the World Natural Heritage site "Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, Northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island".

Islands / Seas / Forests

An emerald-green inlet surrounded by green forest

OKINAWA

Northern Okinawa IslandOkinawa · Okinawa

Okinawa Prefecture, around Nakijin Village and Nago City in the north of the main island. On both sides of the Kouri Bridge, which spans to Kouri Island, spreads a shallow emerald-green sea.

Seas / Islands

The white sand and islets of Kabira Bay seen through the trees

ISHIGAKI

Ishigaki Island & Kabira BayOkinawa · Okinawa

Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture. Kabira Bay, in northwestern Ishigaki Island, is known for its white sand, small green islands and a sea that changes colour moment by moment. It is a national Place of Scenic Beauty and part of Iriomote-Ishigaki National Park. Swimming in the bay is prohibited; glass-bottom boats let you view the underwater world.

Seas / Islands / National parks

A white sand beach and the Miyako blue sea

MIYAKOJIMA

Miyako Island

Okinawa

White sand beaches and the sea of "Miyako blue".

IRIOMOTE

Iriomote IslandOkinawa · Okinawa

Taketomi Town, Okinawa Prefecture. The second-largest island in Okinawa Prefecture after the main island, most of it covered by subtropical forest. Vast mangrove forests spread at the river mouths, and the Iriomote cat lives here. Inscribed as a World Natural Heritage site in 2021.

Islands / Forests / Seas