Japan's Top 3

After the Three Views were composed in the 17th century, many authors have come up with their own lists of Japanese sites and attractions. While there are countless lists and variations thereof, here is a selection of the best-known ones:

Views

Three Views

Amanohashidate's "Bridge to Heaven"

Sankei (三景さんけい). The most famous list of them all, attributed to scholar Hayashi Gahō back in 1643. They follow the Snow-Moon-Flower (雪月花せつげっか) aesthetic with Amanohashidate representing the snow (雪ゆき), Matsushima representing the moon (月)げつ, and Miyajima representing the flower (花はな), although the "flowers" are said to actually be the autumn leaves.  

• Amanohashidate, Kyoto
• Matsushima, Miyagi
• Miyajima, Hiroshima

New Three Views

日本にっぽん新しん三景さんけい

• Onuma, Hokkaido
• Miho no Matsubara, Shizuoka
• Yaba Valley, Oita

Three Great Night Views

View from Mount Inasa

三さん大だい夜景やけい Sandaiyakei

• Hakodate seen from Mount Hakodate
• Kobe and Osaka Bay seen from Mount Rokko
• Nagasaki seen from Mount Inasa

New Three Great Night Views

新しん三さん大だい夜景やけい Shin-sandaiyakei

• Kitakyushu seen from Mount Sarakurayama
• Nara seen from Mount Wakakusayama
• Yamanashi seen from Fuefuki River Fruit Park

Castles

Himeji Castle

Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, Takahashi

Three Famous Castles

三さん名城めいじょう Sanmeijō. A list written by Ogyu Sorai in the Edo Period. He chose these three castles as the top among those designed by Kato Kiyomasa and Todo Takatora who he considered to be the best castle designers. All three are modern reconstructions, since Kumamoto Castle burned down during the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion and Nagoya and Osaka Castles were destroyed during World War II. Himeji Castle, widely recognized as Japan's greatest surviving castle, didn't make the cut back in the late 1600s.

• Nagoya Castle Nagoya, Aichi
• Osaka Castle Osaka, Osaka
• Kumamoto Castle Kumamoto, Kumamoto

Three Great Mountain Castles

三さん大山おおやま城じょう Sandaiyamajiro

• Bitchu Matsuyama Castle Takahashi
• Iwamura Castle Iwamura
• Takatori Castle Takatori

Three Great Flatland Mountain Castles

三さん大平おおひら山城やましろ Sandaihirayamajiro.

• Himeji Castle in Himeji, Hyogo
• Matsuyama Castle in Matsuyama, Ehime
• Tsuyama Castle in Tsuyama, Okayama

Three Famous Gardens

Korakuen Garden, Okayama

三さん名園めいえん Sanmeien

It is unclear when these gardens were chosen or by whom. The first recorded list dates back to 1899, but a postcard bought by Shiki Masaoka from his visit to Korakuen Garden in 1891 has "Korakuen Garden, Number 1 of the Top 3 Gardens" written on the back. It is widely believed that the gardens follow the "Snow-Moon-Flower" (雪月花せつげっか) aesthetic coined by a famous Chinese poem by Bai Juyi. Kenrokuen Garden, famous for its snowy scenery, represents the "Snow" (雪ゆき), Korakuen Garden, which to this day has an autumn moon-viewing event, represents the "Moon" (月)げつ, and Kairakuen, known for its early spring plum blossoms, represents the "Flower" (花はな). In addition, each of the gardens are strolling gardens built by famous daimyo (The Tokugawa built Kairakuen, the Ikeda built Korakuen, and the Maeda built Kenrokuen) which is also believed to have played a role in which gardens were given the prestigious designation.

• Kairakuen, Mito, Ibaraki
• Kenrokuen, Kanazawa, Ishikawa
• Kōrakuen, Okayama, Okayama

Festivals

Gion Matsuri, Kyoto

Nebuta Matsuri, Aomori

Gujo Odori, Gujo

Konomiya Naked Festival in Inazawa

Omagari Fireworks, Daisen

Three Great Festivals

三さん大だい祭まつり Sandai Matsuri

• Gion Matsuri, Kyoto
• Tenjin Matsuri, Osaka
• Kanda and Sannō Matsuri, Tokyo

Three Beautiful Festivals

日本にっぽん三さん大美おおみ祭まつり Nihon Sandai bimatsuri

• Gion Festival (Kyoto, Kyoto)
• Takayama Festival (Takayama, Gifu)
• Chichibu Yomatsuri (Chichibu, Saitama)

The beauty list is often referenced interchangeably with the Three Great Float Festivals (日本にっぽん三さん大だい曳山ひきやま祭まつり Nihonsandai hikiyamamatsuri), which sometimes features Nagahama's Hikiyama Festival in place of the Chichibu Yomatsuri.

Three Great Obon Festivals

日本にっぽん三さん大だい盆踊ぼんおどり Nihon Sandai Bon-odori

• Nishimonai Festival (Ugo, Akita)
• Gujo Odori (Gujo, Gifu)
• Awa Odori (Tokushima, Tokushima)

Three Great Naked Festivals

日本にっぽん三さん大だい裸はだか祭まつり Nihon Sandai Hadakamatsuri

• Saidaiji Eyo (Okayama, Okayama)
• Wakamiya Shrine Autumn Festival (Bungotakada, Oita)
• Konomiya Naked Festival (Inazawa, Aichi)

Some lists replace the Konomiya Naked Festival with the Hadakabo Festival in Hofu, Yamaguchi or the Furukawa Festival in Hida, Gifu.

Three Great Fireworks

日本にっぽん三さん大だい花火はなび Nihon Sandai Hanabi

• Omagari Fireworks (Daisen, Akita)
• Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks (Tsuchiura, Ibaraki)
• Nagaoka Fireworks (Nagaoka, Niigata)

Hot Springs

Certainly one of the more hotly contested categories. (No pun intended).

Shirahama Onsen

Three Great Hot Springs

三さん大だい温泉おんせん Sandaionsen

• Atami Onsen, Shizuoka
• Beppu Onsen, Oita
• Shirahama Onsen, Wakayama

Three Famous Springs

三さん名めい泉いずみ Sanmeisen. Authored by Hayashi Razan, father of Hayashi Gahō.

• Arima Onsen, Hyogo
• Gero Onsen, Gifu
• Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma

Three Old Springs

Bathhouse, Dogo Onsen

三さん古湯ふるゆ Sankotō, Three Old Hot Springs.

• Dogo Onsen, Ehime
• Arima Onsen, Hyogo
• Shirahama, Wakayama

Three Baths of Fusō

扶桑ふそう三さん名めい湯ゆ Fusō-sanmeitō. Fusō is a poetic name for Japan and this one is credited to traveling haiku poet Matsuo Basho.

Kusatsu Onsen

• Arima Onsen, Hyogo
• Yamanaka Onsen, Ishikawa
• Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma

Shrines

Three Great Inari Shrines

Fushimi Inari, Kyoto

Usa Shrine, Usa

Kehi Shrine's Torii Gate

三さん大だい稲荷いなり Sandai Inari

As the head of all Inari shrines, Fushimi Inari Shrine is naturally one of the top three, but there is little historical or present consensus on the others. After Fushimi Inari, the list varies depending on the source. Takekoma Shrine in Iwanuma and Kasama Inari Shrine in Kasama are also suggested by some. To further confuse things, there is a "Top 5 Inari Shrines" (五大ごだい稲荷いなり) list that doesn't contain any shrines in the "Top 3" list

• Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto
• Toyokawa Inari Shrine, Aichi
• Saijō Inari, Okayama or Yūtoku Inari Shrine, Kashima

Three Great Tenjin Shrines

三さん大だい天神てんじん Sandai Tenjin

All Tenjin (Tenmangu) shrines are dedicated to the worship of Sugawara Michizane. This top three list actually highlights his exile from Kyoto to Dazaifu. Along the way, he stopped in Hofu and built the first Tenjin shrine. Official dedication of shrines to him began after his death when a series of natural disasters and tragedies in the capital were believed to be caused by his restless soul seeking vengeance for his unjust exile. Kitano Tenmangu was built to pacify him.

• Kitano Tenman-gū in Kyoto, Kyoto
• Dazaifu Tenman-gū in Dazaifu, Fukuoka
• Hōfu Tenman-gū in Hofu, Yamaguchi

Three Great Hachiman Shrines

三さん八幡やはた San Hachiman

• Usa Hachimangu Shrine (Usa, Oita)
• Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine (Yawata, Kyoto)
• Hakozaki Hachimangu Shrine (Fukuoka, Fukuoka)

Three Great Torii

三さん大鳥居おおとりい Sandai Torii

• Omiwa Shrine (Sakurai, Nara)
• Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima, Hiroshima)
• Kehi Shrine (Tsuruga, Fukui)

Temples

Three Sacred Grounds

Okunoin graves on Mount Koya

三さん大だい霊場れいじょう sandai-reijo

• Mount Koya
• Mount Hiei
• Mount Osore

Sulphur pit, Mount Osore

Three Famous Big Buddhas

Great Buddha of Kamakura

三さん大だい大仏だいぶつ Sandai-daibutsu

• Todaiji, Nara
• Kotokuin, Kamakura
• Daibutsuji, Takaoka

Three Pagodas

三さん名めい塔とう Sanmeitō

• Horyuji, Ikaruga, Nara
• Daigoji, Kyoto, Kyoto
• Rurikoji, Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi

Three Hase Temples

三さん長谷ながたに Sanhase

• Hasedera (Sakurai, Nara)
• Hasedera (Kamakura, Kanagawa)
• Hasedera (Nagano, Nagano)

Nature

Mount Fuji

Osugi Gorge

Akiyoshido Cave, the largest in Japan

Kegon Falls

Mount Moriyoshi in Kitaakita

Yamataka Jindai-zakura

Kitakami Tenshochi in Kitakami

Three Famous Mountains

三さん名山めいざん Sanmeizan (Three Famous Mountains), also 三さん霊山れいざん Sanreizan (Three Sacred Mountains)

• Mount Fuji
• Mount Haku
• Mount Tate

Top Three Gorges

三さん大だい渓谷けいこく Sandai Keikoku

• Kiyotsu Gorge (Tokamachi, Niigata)
• Kurobe Gorge (Kurobe, Toyama)
• Osugi Gorge (Odai, Mie)

Three Caves

三さん大だい鍾乳洞しょうにゅうどう Sandai-shōnyūdō

• Akiyoshi-do (Akiyoshidai, Yamaguchi)
• Ryuga-do (Kami, Kochi)
• Ryusen-do Cave (Iwaizumi, Iwate)

Three Waterfalls

日本にっぽん三さん名めい瀑 Nihon San-meibaku

• Nachi Falls
• Kegon Falls
• Fukuroda Falls (Ibaraki Prefecture)

Three Pine Groves

三さん大だい松原まつばら Sandai-matsubara

• Miho no Matsubara (Shizuoka, Shizuoka)
• Niji no Matsubara (Karatsu, Saga)
• Kehi no Matsubara (Tsuruga, Fukui)

Three Snow Monsters

三さん大だい樹氷じゅひょう Sandai-juhyo

Certain mountains in northern Japan have the right trees and weather conditions to cover the trees completely in snow to transform them into Juhyo (樹氷じゅひょう) or "Snow Monsters" (also sometimes called "Ice Monsters" in Japanese). These sites were chosen because they feature a good number of snow monsters along with having a ski lift for easy access.

• Mount Zao (Zaō Onsen, Yamagata)
• Mount Hakkoda (Aomori, Aomori)
• Mount Moriyoshi (Kitaakita, Akita)

Cherry Blossom Spots

三さん大だい桜さくら名所めいしょ Sandai Sakura Meisho

• Mount Yoshino (Yoshino, Nara)
• Hirosaki Park (Hirosaki, Aomori)
• Takato Castle (Ina, Nagano)

Cherry Blossom Trees

三さん大だい桜さくら Sandai-zakura

• Miharu Takizakura (Miharu, Fukushima)
• Neodani Usuzumi-zakura (Motosu, Gifu)
• Yamataka Jindai-zakura (Hokuto, Yamanashi)

Night Cherry Blossoms

三さん大だい夜桜よざくら Sandai-yozakura

• Takada Park (Joetsu, Niigata)
• Hirosaki Park (Hirosaki, Aomori)
• Ueno Park (Tokyo)

Towns

Vine bridge, Iya Valley

Kurashiki's Historic District

Chinatown, Yokohama

Three Hidden Regions

三さん大だい秘境ひきょう Sandaihikyō

• Shirakawa-go, Gifu
• Iya Valley, Tokushima
• Shiiba, Miyazaki

Three Sake Towns

日本にっぽん三さん大だい酒さけ処しょ Sandai Sakedokoro

• Fushimi, Kyoto/South
• Nada, Kobe
• Saijō, Higashihiroshima

Three Historical Battlefields

三さん大だい古戦場こせんじょう　Sandai-kosenjō

• Dan-no-ura 1185 (Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi)
• Okehazama 1560 (Nagoya, Aichi)
• Sekigahara 1600 (Sekigahara, Gifu)

Three Historic Warehouse Towns

日本にっぽん三さん大蔵おおくらの町まち Sandai Kuranomachi

• Kitakata, Fukushima
• Kawagoe, Saitama
• Kurashiki, Okayama

Three Ceramicware Areas

三さん大だい焼やき物もの Sandai-yakimono

• Mino-yaki (Tajimi and other eastern Gifu)
• Seto-yaki (Seto, Aichi)
• Arita-yaki (or Imari-yaki) (Arita and Imari, Saga)

Three Lacquerware Towns

日本にっぽん三さん大だい漆器しっき Sandai Shikki

• Kainan, Wakayama
• Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima
• Wajima, Ishikawa

Three Chinatowns

三さん大だい中華ちゅうか街がい　Sandai-chūkagai

• Yokohama Chūkagai, Yokohama
• Shinchi-Chūkagai, Nagasaki
• Nankinmachi, Kobe

Three Fishery Ports

三さん大だい漁港ぎょこう　Sandai-gyokō

• Kushiro, Hokkaido
• Choshi, Chiba (prefecture)
• Yaizu, Shizuoka (prefecture)

Three morning markets

三さん大朝おおあさ市し　Sandai-asaichi

• Wajima, Ishikawa - (Unfortunately devastated by a great fire after the earthquake Jan 2024)
• Katsuura, Chiba
• Takayama, Gifu

Food

Kitakata Ramen

Sanuki Udon

Soba

三さん大だいそば Sandai-soba, buckwheat noodles

• Wanko Soba (Morioka/Hanamaki, Iwate)
• Izumo Soba (Izumo, Shimane)
• Togakushi Soba (Nagano, Nagano)

Ramen

三さん大だいラーメン Sandai-raamen

• Sapporo Ramen (Sapporo, Hokkaido) - miso soup based
• Kitakata Ramen (Kitakata, Fukushima) - soy sause based
• Hakata Ramen (Fukuoka, Fukuoka) - pork broth based

Udon

三さん大だいうどん Sandai-udon

• Sanuki Udon (Takamatsu, Kagawa)
• Inaniwa Udon (Yuzawa, Akita)
• Mizusawa Udon (Shibukawa, Gunma)

Beef

三さん大だい和牛わぎゅう Sandai-wagyu

• Kobe Beef (Kobe, Hyogo)
• Omi Beef (Shiga)
• Matsusaka Beef (Matsusaka, Mie)

Some sources also claim Yonezawa Beef (Yonezawa) is one of the top three beefs.

Green Tea

三さん大だい銘茶めいちゃ Sandai-meicha

• Shizuoka
• Uji (Kyoto prefecture)
• Sayama (Saitama prefecture), or more recently Kagoshima

Others

三さん大だい美人びじん県けん sandai bijin ken

The three prefectures which produce the most beautiful women: Akita, Kyoto and Fukuoka.

See also

• Japanese castles
• Japanese cuisine
• Japanese gardens
• Japan's Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots