Three Views of Japan: Matsushima, Amanohashidate, Miyajima

For decades, travel media has ranked Japan’s most beautiful places, and the lists change every year. However, Japan itself settled this argument nearly four centuries ago. In Japan, July 21 is Three Views of Japan Day, celebrating a scenic ranking written in 1643 that has never been revised: Matsushima, Amanohashidate, and Miyajima. No additions, no updates, no Mt. Fuji. And this year one of the three has extra reason to celebrate.

Quick Answer: The Three Views of Japan (Nihon Sankei) are Matsushima in Miyagi, a bay dotted with some 260 pine-covered islands; Amanohashidate in Kyoto, a 3.6-kilometer pine-forested sandbar called the “bridge to heaven”; and Miyajima in Hiroshima, home of the floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine. July 21 is their official commemoration day, and 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Miyajima’s UNESCO World Heritage listing.

今日は #日本三景の日🌲『日本国事跡考』の中で、松島・天橋立・宮島を「日本三景」と記した江戸時代の儒学者・林鵞峰の誕生日 🎂海とともに松の深い緑の景観が美しい日本三景をさらに広くPRすることが目的✨
宮島は今年、世界遺産登録30周年記念の年で、ますます来場者が増えそうあわ💭 pic.twitter.com/8sTjC4Spai
— 新宿あわわ【公式】食品衛生月間ＣＭ放映中 (@sinjukuawawa) July 20, 2026

The list comes from a single book written in 1643. The Confucian scholar Hayashi Gaho, son of the shogunate’s chief scholar, praised the three spots as Japan’s “three superb views” in his work Nihonkoku Jisekiko, and the label simply stuck. It stuck so hard that in 2006 the three regions’ tourism council made his birthday, July 21, the official Three Views of Japan Day. For perspective: this ranking predates the founding of the United States by more than 130 years, and it was already old news when Commodore Perry arrived.

The Shinjuku mascot character Awawa summed up this year’s mood in its post: “The day aims to spread the beauty of the Three Views, where the deep green of pines meets the sea. Miyajima marks the 30th anniversary of its World Heritage registration this year, so visitors look set to increase even more.”

The Reality Check: What the Three Views of Japan Actually Look Like

Each of the three is a completely different experience. Matsushima (Miyagi, about 40 minutes from Sendai) is best seen from a sightseeing cruise weaving between hundreds of tiny pine islands, with oysters and grilled beef tongue waiting back on shore. Amanohashidate (northern Kyoto Prefecture) is a natural land bridge you can walk or cycle across in about an hour, flanked by beaches. Miyajima (Hiroshima, a 10-minute ferry from the mainland) is the celebrity of the three: the vermilion “floating” torii of Itsukushima Shrine, wild deer wandering the streets, and maple-leaf momiji manju sweets. The shrine was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1996, the same year as the nearby Atomic Bomb Dome, making 2026 a double 30th anniversary year for Hiroshima. Map trivia fans also love pointing out that the three sites sit almost exactly on a straight line across Japan, a coincidence that has fueled amateur theories for years.

Why This Is Sparking Debate in Japan

How is Mt. Fuji not on Japan’s official best-scenery list? That is the eternal question, and the answer is simple: the list is frozen in 1643, written by a scholar ranking coastal “borrowed landscape” beauty in the aesthetic of his era, when Fuji was revered as a sacred mountain rather than sightseeing scenery. Over the centuries, rival lists have piled up, from “New Three Views” chosen by public vote in 1915 to night-view and sunset rankings, but none has dethroned the original. Some in Japan argue the trio needs modernizing; traditionalists reply that the whole point is that it cannot be updated. A ranking that survives 383 years without a single edit is no longer a ranking. It is heritage.

Fun Fact

Fun Fact: Did you know? At Amanohashidate, the traditional way to view the sandbar is matanozoki: you climb to the observation deck, turn your back to the view, and look at it upside down between your own legs. Inverted, the strip of pines appears to float across the sky like a bridge to heaven. Yes, everyone actually does it, and yes, there are dedicated platforms for it.

Three views, 383 years, zero revisions. Beat that, travel magazines.

FAQ

Q: What are the Three Views of Japan?
A: Matsushima (Miyagi Prefecture), Amanohashidate (Kyoto Prefecture), and Miyajima (Hiroshima Prefecture), designated in the 1643 book Nihonkoku Jisekiko by scholar Hayashi Gaho and celebrated every July 21.

Q: Why is 2026 special for Miyajima?
A: Itsukushima Shrine marks the 30th anniversary of its UNESCO World Heritage registration (December 1996), and commemorative events are drawing extra visitors this year.

Q: Can I visit all three in one trip?
A: They are far apart (northeast, central, and western Japan), so most travelers pair each with a nearby hub: Matsushima with Sendai, Amanohashidate with Kyoto, and Miyajima with Hiroshima. Seeing all three is a classic multi-trip goal for Japan repeaters.

Q: Which of the Three Views is best for first-time visitors?
A: Miyajima is the most accessible and iconic, especially combined with Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park. Note that the floating torii appears to stand in the sea at high tide, so checking the tide schedule before visiting is essential.

Japan Now! is our daily series bringing you the trends, news, and cultural moments happening in Japan right now. For anyone curious about Japan, check back every day to stay in the know. You never know when it might come in handy on your next trip!

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External Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Views_of_Japan

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