Honeymoon

Kansai International Airport (Japanese: 関西国際空港, romanized: Kansai Kokusai Kūkō), commonly known as Kankū (Japanese: 関空) (IATA: KIX, ICAO: RJBB), is the primary international airport in the Greater Osaka Area of Japan and the closest international airport to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. It is located on an artificial island (Kankūjima (関空島)) in the middle of Osaka Bay off the Honshu shore, 38 km (24 mi) southwest of Ōsaka Station, located within three municipalities, including Izumisano (north), Sennan (south), and Tajiri (central), in Osaka Prefecture. The airport's first airport island covers approximately 510 hectares (1,260 acres) and the second covers approximately 545 hectares (1,347 acres), for a total of 1,055 hectares (2,607 acres). Kansai opened on 4 September 1994 to relieve overcrowding at Osaka International Airport, also called Itami Airport, which is closer to Osaka. It consists of two terminals: Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Terminal 1, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, is the longest airport terminal in the world with a length of 1.7 km (1+1⁄16 mi). The airport serves as an international hub for All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, and Nippon Cargo Airlines and as a hub for Peach, the first international low-cost carrier in Japan. It is also the North Pacific hub for the FedEx Express, which obtained its fifth-right under the 1998 U.S. and Japan air agreement and established the Hub in 2014. In 2019, 31.9 million passengers used the airport, making it the third busiest in Japan. The freight volume was 802,162 tonnes total: 757,414 t international (18th in the world) and 44,748 t domestic. The 4,000 m × 60 m (13,120 ft × 200 ft) second runway was opened on 2 August 2007. As of June 2014, Kansai Airport has become an Asian hub, with 780 weekly flights to Asia and Australasia (including 119 freight), 59 weekly flights to Europe and the Middle East (5 freight), and 80 weekly flights to North America (42 freight). In 2020, Kansai was ranked the tenth-best airport in the world by Skytrax and received its awards for Best Airport Staff in Asia, World's Best Airport Staff, and World's Best Airport for Baggage Delivery.

Dōtonbori (道頓堀) runs along the Dōtonbori canal in the Namba district. Historically a theater district, it is now a popular nightlife and entertainment area characterized by its eccentric atmosphere and large illuminated signboards. One of the area's most prominent features, a billboard for confectionery company Glico displaying the image of a runner crossing a finishing line, is seen as an icon of Osaka within Japan.

Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, is one of four Universal Studios theme parks, owned and operated by USJ Co., Ltd., which is wholly owned by NBCUniversal (as of 2017). The park is similar to the Universal Orlando Resort since it also contains selected attractions from Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood.

Osaka Castle (大坂城 or 大阪城,, Ōsaka-jō) is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and it played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.

Nara Park (奈良公園, Nara Kōen) is a public park located in the city of Nara, Japan, at the foot of Mount Wakakusa. Established in 1880 it is one of the oldest parks in Japan. The park is one of the "Places of Scenic Beauty" designated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Over 1,200 wild sika deer (シカ or 鹿 shika) freely roaming around in the park are also under designation of MEXT, classified as natural treasure. Jinrikisha (人力車, or rickshaw) services can be found near the entrances to popular sites as Tōdai-ji or Kōfuku-ji. While Nara Park is usually associated with the broad areas of the temples and the park proper, previously private gardens are now open to public.

The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is a natural forest of bamboo in Arashiyama, Kyoto, Japan. Experience the surreal feeling of being in an ethereal world as you enter the pathways through this place of enormous densely packed overgrown bamboo. Natural light gets scarcer the further into the grove you go.

Nishiki Market (錦市場, Nishiki Ichiba) (literally "brocade market") is a marketplace in downtown Kyoto, located on a road one block north and parallel to Shijō Street (四条通, Shijō-dōri) and west of Teramachi Street (寺町通, Teramachi-dōri). Rich with history and tradition, the market is renowned as the place to obtain many of Kyoto's famous foods and goods.

Kinkaku-ji ("Temple of the Golden Pavilion") is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. It is one of the most popular buildings in Japan, attracting a large number of visitors annually. The Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku) is a three-story building on the grounds of the Rokuon-ji temple complex. The top two stories of the pavilion are covered with pure gold leaf. The pavilion functions as a shariden, housing relics of the Buddha (Buddha's Ashes). The building was an important model for Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion Temple) and Shōkoku-ji, which are also located in Kyoto. When these buildings were constructed, Ashikaga Yoshimasa employed the styles used at Kinkaku-ji and even borrowed the names of its second and third floors. The pavilion successfully incorporates three distinct styles of architecture, which are shinden, samurai and zen, specifically on each floor. Each floor of the Kinkaku uses a different architectural style. The first floor, called The Chamber of Dharma Waters (Hou-sui-in), is rendered in shinden-zukuri style, reminiscent of the residential style of the 11th century Heian imperial aristocracy. It is evocative of the Shinden palace style. It is designed as an open space with adjacent verandas and uses natural, unpainted wood and white plaster. This helps to emphasize the surrounding landscape. The walls and fenestration also affect the views from inside the pavilion. Most of the walls are made of shutters that can vary the amount of light and air into the pavilion and change the view by controlling the shutters' heights. The second floor, called The Tower of Sound Waves (Chou-on-dou ), is built in the style of warrior aristocrats, or buke-zukuri. On this floor, sliding wood doors and latticed windows create a feeling of impermanence. The second floor also contains a Buddha Hall and a shrine dedicated to the goddess of mercy, Kannon. The third floor is built in traditional Chinese chán (zen) style. It is called the Cupola of the Ultimate (Kukkyou-chou). The zen typology depicts a more religious ambiance in the pavilion, as was popular during the Muromachi period. The roof is in a thatched pyramid with shingles. The building is topped with a bronze hōō (phoenix) ornament. From the outside, viewers can see gold plating added to the upper stories of the pavilion. The gold leaf covering the upper stories hints at what is housed inside: the shrines. The outside is a reflection of the inside. The elements of nature, death, religion, are formed together to create this connection between the pavilion and outside intrusions. The Golden Pavilion is set in a magnificent Japanese strolling garden. The location implements the idea of borrowing of scenery ("shakkei") that integrates the outside and the inside, creating an extension of the views surrounding the pavilion and connecting it with the outside world. The pavilion extends over a pond, called Kyōko-chi (Mirror Pond), that reflects the building. The pond contains 10 smaller islands. The zen typology is seen through the rock composition; the bridges and plants are arranged in a specific way to represent famous places in Chinese and Japanese literature. Vantage points and focal points were established because of the strategic placement of the pavilion to view the gardens surrounding the pavilion. The pavilion grounds were built according to descriptions of the Western Paradise of the Buddha Amida, intending to illustrate a harmony between heaven and earth. The largest islet in the pond represents the Japanese islands. The four stones forming a straight line in the pond near the pavilion are intended to represent sailboats anchored at night, bound for the Isle of Eternal Life in Chinese mythology.

Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社) is the head shrine of the god Inari. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari which is 233 metres (764 ft) above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines which span 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) and take approximately 2 hours to walk up. Along the main path there are around 1,000 torii gates. Inari is the god of rice, but merchants and manufacturers have traditionally worshiped Inari as the patron of business. Each of the torii at Fushimi Inari Taisha has been donated by a Japanese business. This popular shrine is said to have as many as 32,000 sub-shrines (bunsha (分社)) throughout Japan. The shrine is open 24 hours with both the approach to the shrine and the Honden (本殿 main hall) itself illuminated all night. There is no entrance fee.

Built in A.D. 794 on the model of the capitals of ancient China, Kyoto was the imperial capital of Japan from its foundation until the middle of the 19th century. As the centre of Japanese culture for more than 1,000 years, Kyoto illustrates the development of Japanese wooden architecture, particularly religious architecture, and the art of Japanese gardens, which has influenced landscape gardening the world over. © UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Lake Biwa Canal (琵琶湖疏水 or 琵琶湖疎水, Biwako Sosui) is a historic waterway in Japan connecting Lake Biwa to the nearby City of Kyoto. Constructed during the Meiji Period the canal was originally designed for the transportation of lake water for drinking, irrigation and industrial purposes, but also provided for the conveyance of waterborne freight and passenger traffic. From 1895 water from the canal supported Japan's first hydroelectric power facility, providing electricity for industry, street lighting and Kyoto's tram system. In 1996 the canal was recognized as a nationally designated Historic Site. While no longer used as a navigable waterway for freight, the waterway continues to provide water for drinking and irrigation purposes to the city of Kyoto as well as hydroelectric power through the 4.5MW Phase III Keage power station. Locations along the canal route and associated irrigation structures such as the former Keage Incline, the Nanzen-ji aqueduct and Philosopher's Walk, have become popular sightseeing destinations.

Himeji-jo is the finest surviving example of early 17th-century Japanese castle architecture, comprising 83 buildings with highly developed systems of defence and ingenious protection devices dating from the beginning of the Shogun period. It is a masterpiece of construction in wood, combining function with aesthetic appeal, both in its elegant appearance unified by the white plastered earthen walls and in the subtlety of the relationships between the building masses and the multiple roof layers. © UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Dōtonbori (道頓堀) runs along the Dōtonbori canal in the Namba district. Historically a theater district, it is now a popular nightlife and entertainment area characterized by its eccentric atmosphere and large illuminated signboards. One of the area's most prominent features, a billboard for confectionery company Glico displaying the image of a runner crossing a finishing line, is seen as an icon of Osaka within Japan.

The Tempozan Ferris Wheel has a height of 112.5 metres (369 ft) and diameter of 100 metres (330 ft). It opened to the public in 1997 and was then the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. During the 17-minute ride it offers a view of Osaka Bay and surrounding areas, including Mount Ikoma to the east, Akashi Kaikyō Bridge to the west, Kansai International Airport to the south, and the Rokko Mountains to the north. The wheel has colored lights that provide a weather forecast for the next day. Orange lights indicate a sunny day, green lights a cloudy day and blue lights indicate rain.

The main local market os Osaka. A good place for an early feed on fresh seafood and other foods before exploring the rest of the city.