Kansai In-Depth Tour｜Art Palaces and Architectural Wonders🏙️

Travel directly from Osaka's Namba to Kyoto's Arashiyama, and discover Kansai's most stunning architecture and museum treasures in 72 hours.

📍Osaka Royal Classic Hotel
Located at the intersection of time and space in the heart of Namba, just a three-minute walk from the culinary hotspot of Dotonbori. This hotel, steeped in "Showa Modern," pays homage to Modernism with its black lacquer counters and Kyoto-dyed fabric walls. The rooftop open-air bath overlooks the neon lights of Sennichimae, and rooms include authentic Uji tea sets. An early morning stroll to the adjacent Kuromon Market is especially recommended, where you can experience the tuna auction through a dedicated entrance for hotel guests.

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📍Fukuda Museum of Art
A darkly aesthetic vessel nestled beside Togetsukyo Bridge in Arashiyama! Architect Koichi Yasuda designed the building based on the "obscura" concept. Its exterior resembles an inky lacquer box, while its interior features light wells that channel the light and shadows of the bamboo forest. The permanent exhibition focuses on the Kyoto School of Painting from the Meiji to Showa periods. Yokoyama Taikan's "Summer Forest" creates a dialogue with the museum's collection of 3,000 ukiyo-e prints. A must-see is the teahouse "Seishintei" on the basement floor, where you can admire the mist of Arashi Gorge and the stone sculpture of an Aomori dog by artist Yoshitomo Nara through floor-to-ceiling windows.

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📍 Miho Museum
I.M. Pei's hidden paradise in the Shigaraki Mountains! Travel through a 200-meter glare tunnel and suspension bridge to a geometric valley formed by a glass roof. The museum houses treasures from the Silk Road and contemporary lacquerware. The most striking feature is the sphinx fragment in the Egyptian Hall, which is framed by steel-framed glass at a 28-degree angle and meets mountain cherry blossoms. At Xingyu Shokudo, you can enjoy a five-color bento box inspired by the museum's "Birds and Beasts Playing" painting, paired with Shiga Prefecture's signature "Sanchan" sake.

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📍 Osaka University of Arts
A surreal campus hidden in the Tajiri Gorge! Amidst the concrete buildings designed by Kenzo Tange stands the 10-meter-tall sculpture "Art Warrior" by graduate Makoto Aida. The library houses a collection of rare Edo-period ukiyo-e prints, while the Department of Photography boasts a rare 19th-century cyanotype printing facility. The "Geidai Market" is open to the public on the third Sunday of each month, where Bizen-yaki sake cups crafted by the Department of Ceramics can be purchased.

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📍Kiyomizu-dera Temple
A thousand-year-old stage suspended on Mt. Otowa! The Kiyomizu Stage, supported by 139 mortise-and-tenon wooden pillars, has withstood thousands of earthquakes without a single nail. During special spring nighttime viewings, 2,000 cherry blossoms transform into crimson clouds under spotlights. In autumn, the crimson leaves of Kinun Creek and the cypress thatched roofs create a trio of hues. Don't forget to explore the dark corridors during the womb pilgrimage, touch the "Shūshi Daikokuten" (Deity of the Gods) and pray for a happy marriage, and savor the refreshing water of Shiunzan, available only for sale.

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