The 10 best places to go on day trips from Osaka or Kyoto would be the following: Nara, Kobe, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kurashiki, Naoshima island, Nagoya, Mt. Koya, Kanazawa, Lake Biwa. If you have the JR Rail Pass, a lot of these places are accessible using the JR lines for all or part of the trip.

Nara is very popular to go to after visiting Kyoto, and Kobe is only a quick Shinkansen ride away. You can see the beautiful night view of Kobe city from atop the ropeway of Mt. Rokko, and be back at your hotel in Osaka or Kyoto before midnight. Or if you like art, go for a ferry ride on the Seto Inland Sea to Naoshima island which is full of art exhibits.

There's a lot you can see without having to move your base of operations so go enjoy Japan to its fullest!

Nara Park

Come and meet the friendly deer at Nara Park with its many World Heritage sites
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Kobe Harborland

A large multi-complex facility facing the sea where you can feel the port city of Kobe
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Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

An invaluable historic museum that continues to convey the horrors of the atomic bomb
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Itsukushima (Miyajima)

One of the Three Views of Japan, it is a World Heritage island that has been worshipped as a sacred island since ancient times
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Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter

A white walled area that integrates Japanese and Western styles while still retaining the Edo era townscape
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Naoshima

Naoshima, an island of art, floating atop the beautiful Seto Inland Sea
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Nagoya Castle

Nagoya Castle boasts a large number visitors from all over the country. Its restoration is being done by citizens of Nagoya.
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Mount Koya Danjo Garan

Witness Mount Koya’s 1,200 years history at Danjo Garan
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Kanazawa Castle

The symbol of Kanazawa, a castle town in the wealthy Kaga Domain
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Lake Biwa

Japan’s largest lake with a beautiful natural panorama changing with the seasons
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