History in Japan

Discover 37 places to experience unusual history in Japan.

Nishiki Tenmangū Shrine

A 1000-year-old shrine in Kyoto with a poorly planned sacred arch.

Hirosaki, Japan

Zenringai (Zen Temple Street)

These 33 Zen Buddhist temples were built to protect the nearby castle.

Yokohama, Japan

Site of the Namamugi Incident

After an Englishmen was killed by a samurai here in 1862, a two-day war changed the course of Japanese history.

Kajiki Unofficial Mint Site

Imitations of Chinese coins were minted here for foreign trade before Japan got its own currency.

Higashimurayama, Japan

Shōfukuji Temple Jizōdō Hall

Considered the oldest intact wooden structure in Tokyo Prefecture, this impressive temple was built in 1407.

Kamakura, Japan

Nekonoike Tunnel

This unassuming tunnel’s name recalls a storied "cat pond" that has now been lost.

Dorikono Slope

A slope with a mysterious name recalls a discontinued pre-war energy drink.

Kiyosu Castle

This reconstructed castle was once the base of the “Devil King” who almost united the feudal warring states.

Kigakurin Banshōji Temple

In a shopping arcade, a modernized temple deeply tied to feudal Japan’s prominent warlords.

Kamakura, Japan

Prince Morinaga's Dungeon

The alleged site of the months-long imprisonment of a Japanese prince.

Kamakura, Japan

Kamakura Carnival Mural

This frenetic mural recalls an annual festival that once took the city by storm.

Ghost Chimney Monument

Once known for its eerie appearance, this semicircular monument is all that remains of a Tokyo industrial icon.

Kamakura, Japan

Chikaramochiya

Open since 1690, this former teahouse makes “strength mochi” based on the centuries-old recipe.

Kamakura, Japan

Grave of Yasujirō Ozu

The legendary Japanese filmmaker’s tombstone is marked by a single letter meaning “nothing," and bottles of sake.

Memorial Park of Houses Destroyed by Debris Flows

Minamishimabara, Japan

Memorial Park of Houses Destroyed by Debris Flows

Buried nine feet under, these houses are preserved as a stark reminder of the disastrous 1991 Unzen eruption.

A worn statue of a Japanese monk picks his nose.

Five Hundred Arhats

Hundreds of statues of Buddha’s disciples meditating, napping, sneezing, and picking their noses.