See Japan's three views prized for 400 years
Since the 1600s, Japan has named three places its Three Views: a bay scattered with pine-covered islands, a long sandbar of pines across a bay, and a red torii gate standing in the sea. In each, you take in the view from a boat and from a lookout above. They are far apart, so pick the one on your route: Matsushima from Sendai, Amanohashidate from Kyoto, or Miyajima from Hiroshima.
More than 260 small islands topped with pines dot the bay, and a sightseeing boat of about 50 minutes weaves among them. On shore, Godaido, a small temple hall, is reached by a bridge with gaps between its planks so you can see the sea below. It is about 40 minutes from Sendai by local train, and Sendai is about 90 minutes from Tokyo by shinkansen (bullet train).
A sandbar about 3.6 km long and lined with pines stretches across the bay, and you can walk or cycle its whole length. From the lookouts at either end, people turn their backs to it, bend over and look between their legs, which makes the sandbar look like a bridge floating in the sky. It is about two hours from Kyoto by direct train.
The shrine's red gate stands out in the water, and the shrine itself is built on stilts over the tidal flats, so at high tide both seem to float. At low tide you can walk across the sand to the foot of the gate, so check the tide table before you go. The island is a 10-minute ferry ride from Miyajimaguchi, about 30 minutes from Hiroshima by train.