Kansai is dense. A weekend from Kyoto or Osaka reaches a mountaintop monastery, a pilgrimage trail through cedar forest, or an island of contemporary art — none of them more than three hours away.
Kōyasan
Two hours by train and cable car from Osaka, to a Buddhist temple complex on a mountaintop at 800 metres.
Over fifty temples offer lodging. A tatami room, shojin ryori vegetarian monastic food, and the option of attending the 6am service.
Okunoin, the cemetery — two kilometres of moss-covered tombs among enormous cedars, leading to the mausoleum of Kūkai, who founded the complex in the ninth century. Walking it at night, lantern-lit, is one of the more remarkable things in Japan.
Book temple lodging ahead, particularly in autumn.
Nara
Forty-five minutes from Kyoto, comfortable as a day trip.
Tōdai-ji holds the Great Buddha in one of the largest wooden buildings of its kind. Kasuga Taisha has thousands of stone and bronze lanterns.
The deer roam the park freely and bow for crackers, and are less gentle than photographs suggest — they will headbutt for food.
Staying overnight means seeing the park early, before the groups arrive.
Himeji
An hour from Kyoto by shinkansen — the finest surviving Japanese castle, white, never destroyed by war or fire, and restored in recent years.
A half day, and often combined with Kobe or Okayama.
The Kii peninsula
The Kumano Kodo — a network of ancient pilgrimage routes through forested mountains linking three grand shrines, and a UNESCO site alongside the Camino de Santiago.
Sections walk in a weekend, with a stay at Yunomine Onsen, which has one of the oldest hot springs in Japan and a small bath in the riverbed.
Nachi Falls, with a pagoda beside it, is the classic image.
The art islands
Naoshima, Teshima and Inujima in the Seto Inland Sea, reached by train to Okayama and Uno, or to Takamatsu, then ferry.
Museums and site-specific installations built into former fishing villages over decades — Tadao Ando buildings partly underground, and work by Monet, Turrell and De Maria in spaces made for them.
Most museums close Mondays. Naoshima's accommodation is limited and books well ahead.
Times
| Destination | From | Time | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nara | Kyoto | 45min | Day |
| Himeji | Kyoto | 1h | Day |
| Kōyasan | Osaka | 2h | Overnight |
| Kumano Kodo | Osaka | 3h | Weekend |
| Art islands | Osaka | 3h | Weekend |
| Kanazawa | Kyoto | 2h | Weekend |
Practical
Regional passes — the Kansai area passes — are cheaper and better matched than the national JR Pass for these.
Book temple lodging and ryokan ahead, especially in autumn colour season.
Luggage forwarding (takkyūbin) moves suitcases between hotels overnight for around ¥2,000, which makes a weekend detour light.