From Wikitravel

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:

[edit] Three Views

三景 Sankei in Japanese. The most famous list of them all, attributed to scholar Hayashi Razan back in 1643.

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

[edit] New Three Views

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

[edit] Three Famous Castles

三名城 Sanmeijō

• Himeji Castle in Himeji, Hyogo
• Matsumoto Castle in Matsumoto, Nagano
• Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto, Kumamoto

The following castles are also considered National Treasures (国宝 kokuhō):

• Hikone Castle in Hikone, Shiga
• Inuyama Castle in Inuyama, Aichi
• Himeji Castle in Himeji, Hyogo
• Matsumoto Castle in Matsumoto, Nagano

[edit] Three Famous Gardens

三名園 Sanmeien

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

[edit] Three Famous Mountains

三名山 Sanmeizan, also 三霊山 Sanreizan

• Mount Fuji
• Mount Haku
• Mount Tate

[edit] Three Sacred Mountains

三大霊場 sandai-reijo

• Mount Koya
• Mount Hiei
• Mount Osore

[edit] Three Famous Big Buddhas

三大大仏 Sandai-daibutsu

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

[edit] Three Great Festivals

三大祭 Sandaisai

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

The Neputa/Nebuta Matsuri of Aomori and Hirosaki is also a top contender.

[edit] Three Hot Springs

Certainly one of the more hotly contested categories.

[edit] Three Great Hot Springs

三大温泉 Sandaionsen

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

[edit] Three Famous Springs

三名泉 Sanmeisen. This list, too, was authored by Hayashi Razan.

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

[edit] Three Old Springs

三古湯 Sankosen

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

[edit] Three Baths of Fuso

扶桑三名湯 Fuso-sanmeiyu. Fuso is a poetic name for Japan and this one is credited to traveling haiku poet Matsuo Basho.

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

[edit] Three Great Night Views

三大夜景 Sandaiyakei

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

[edit] New Three Great Night Views

新三大夜景 Shin-sandaiyakei

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

[edit] Three Holy Places of Ōshū

奥州三霊場 Ōshū sanreijō are the three most famous pilgrimage sites in the ancient land of Oku (奥), now known as Tohoku.

• Kinkasan
• Mount Osore
• Dewa Sanzan

[edit] Three Great Inari Shrines

三大稲荷 Sandai Inari

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

Note: As the head of all Inari shrines, Fushimi Inari Shrine is naturally one of the top three. The other top shrines have been proposed in various famous historical texts, so this particular "Top 3" is highly debated, often consisting of a list of more than three shrines (despite being a "Top Three" list). While it is generally agreed that Toyokawa Inari Shrine deserves the second spot, the third varies depending on the source. The most commonly listed are Saijo Inari and Yūtoku Inari Shrine. Most of the disputes regarding this list revolve around which of these two shrines should receive the third position.

There are a couple other Inari shrines that want to claim the third spot however, they are less commonly listed as such. They are Takekoma Shrine in Iwanuma and Kasuma Inari Shrine in Kasama.

[edit] Three Great Tenjin Shrines

日本三大天神 sandai tenjin

• Kitano Tenmangu in Kyoto, Kyoto
• Dazaifu Tenmangu in Dazaifu, Fukuoka
• Hofu Tenmangu in Hofu, Yamaguchi

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 shrine dedication 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.

[edit] Three Hidden Regions

三大秘境 Sandaihikkyō

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

[edit] Three Chinatowns

三大中華街　Sandai-chūkagai

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