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[edit]
Three Views[edit]
- Sankei (三景). The most famous list of them all, attributed to scholar Hayashi Gahō back in 1643. They follow the Snow-Moon-Flower (雪月花) aesthetic with Amanohashidate representing the snow (雪), Matsushima representing the moon (月), and Miyajima representing the flower (花), although the "flowers" are said to actually be the autumn leaves.
New Three Views[edit]
日本新三景
Three Great Night Views[edit]
三大夜景 Sandaiyakei
- Hakodate seen from Mount Hakodate
- Kobe and Osaka Bay seen from Mount Rokko
- Nagasaki seen from Mount Inasa
New Three Great Night Views[edit]
新三大夜景 Shin-sandaiyakei
- Kitakyushu seen from Mount Sarakurayama,
- Nara seen from Mount Wakakusayama
- Yamanashi seen from Fuefuki River Fruit Park
Castles[edit]
Three Famous Castles[edit]
三名城 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.
Three Great Mountain Castles[edit]
三大山城 Sandaiyamashiro
Three Great Flatland Mountain Castles[edit]
三大平山城 Sandaihiroyamashiro.
- Himeji Castle in Himeji, Hyogo
- Matsuyama Castle in Matsuyama, Ehime
- Tsuyama Castle in Tsuyama, Okayama
Three Famous Gardens[edit]
三名園 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) aesthetic coined by a famous Chinese poem by Bai Juyi. Kenrokuen Garden, famous for its snowy scenery, represents the "Snow" (雪), Korakuen Garden, which to this day has an autumn moon-viewing event, represents the "Moon"(月), and Kairakuen, known for its early spring plum blossoms, represents the "Flower" (花). 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.
Festivals[edit]
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Three Great Festivals[edit]
三大祭 Sandaisai
The Nebuta Matsuri of Aomori is often considered to be one of the top three festivals, but it is actually only listed as one of the top three festivals of the Tohoku region (below).
Three Great Festivals of Tohoku[edit]
東北三大祭り
Three Great Festivals of Kyoto[edit]
京都三大祭
- Gion Matsuri
- Aoi Matsuri
- Jidai Matsuri
Three Great Festivals of Shikoku[edit]
四国三大祭り
Three Great Obon Festivals[edit]
日本三大盆踊り
Three Great Fireworks[edit]
日本三大花火
- Omagari Fireworks (Daisen, Akita)
- Tsuchiura All Japan Fireworks (Tsuchiura, Ibaraki)
- Nagaoka Fireworks (Nagaoka, Niigata)
Hot Springs[edit]
Certainly one of the more hotly contested categories. (No pun intended).
Three Great Hot Springs[edit]
三大温泉 Sandaionsen
Three Famous Springs[edit]
三名泉 Sanmeisen. Authored by Hayashi Razan, father of Hayashi Gahō.
Three Old Springs[edit]
三古湯 Sankosen
Three Baths of Fusō[edit]
扶桑三名湯 Fusō-sanmeiyu. Fusō is a poetic name for Japan and this one is credited to traveling haiku poet Matsuo Basho.
Shrines[edit]
Three Great Inari Shrines[edit]
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三大稲荷 Sandai Inari
- Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto
- Toyokawa Inari Shrine, Aichi
- Saijō Inari, Okayama or Yūtoku Inari Shrine, Kashima
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 Kasuma Inari Shrine in Kasama are also suggested by some.
Three Great Tenjin Shrines[edit]
三大天神 Sandai Tenjin
- Kitano Tenman-gū in Kyoto, Kyoto
- Dazaifu Tenman-gū in Dazaifu, Fukuoka
- Hōfu Tenman-gū 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 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.
Three Great Hachiman Shrines[edit]
三八幡 San Hachiman
- Usa Hachimangu Shrine (Usa, Oita)
- Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine (Yawata, Kyoto)
- Hakozaki Hachimangu Shrine (Fukuoka, Fukuoka)
Three Great Torii[edit]
三大鳥居 Sandai Torii
Temples[edit]
Three Sacred Grounds[edit]
三大霊場 sandai-reijo
Three Holy Places of Ōshū[edit]
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.
Three Famous Big Buddhas[edit]
三大大仏 Sandai-daibutsu
Three Pagodas[edit]
三名塔 Sanmeitō
Three Hase Temples[edit]
三長谷 Sanhase
Nature[edit]
Three Famous Mountains[edit]
三名山 Sanmeizan (Three Famous Mountains), also 三霊山 Sanreizan (Three Sacred Mountains)
Three Hidden Regions[edit]
三大秘境 Sandaihikkyō
Top Three Gorges[edit]
三大渓谷
Three Caves[edit]
日本三大鍾乳洞
Three Waterfalls[edit]
日本三名瀑
Three Pine Groves[edit]
三大松原 Sandai-matsubara
- Miho no Matsubara (Shizuoka, Shizuoka)
- Niji no Matsubara (Karatsu, Saga)
- Kehi no Matsubara (Tsuruga, Fukui)
Towns[edit]
Three Sake Towns[edit]
日本三大酒処
- Fushimi, Kyoto
- Nada, Kobe
- Saijō, Higashihiroshima
Three Lacquerware Towns[edit]
日本三大漆器
Three Chinatowns[edit]
三大中華街 Sandai-chūkagai
Food[edit]
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Soba[edit]
三大そば Sandai-soba'
Ramen[edit]
三大ラーメン Sandai-raamen
- Sapporo Ramen (Sapporo, Hokkaido)
- Kitakata Ramen (Kitakata, Fukushima)
- Hakata Ramen (Fukuoka, Fukuoka)
Udon[edit]
三大うどん Sandai-udon
Beef[edit]
三大和牛 Sandai-wagyu
Some sources also claim Yonezawa Beef (Yonezawa) is one of the top three beefs.