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:

Three Views

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

  • Amanohashidate, Kyoto
  • Matsushima, Miyagi
  • Miyajima, Hiroshima
  • New Three Views

  • Onuma, Hokkaido
  • Miho no Matsubara, Shizuoka
  • Yaba Valley, Oita
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    Three Famous Castles

    _O____ ''Sanmeij?''

  • Himeji Castle in Himeji, Hyogo
  • Matsumoto Castle in Matsumoto, Nagano
  • Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto, Kumamoto
  • The following castles are also considered National Treasures (____ ''kokuh?''):

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

    _O____ ''Sanmeien''

  • Kairakuen, Mito
  • Kenrokuen, Kanazawa
  • K?rakuen, Okayama
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    Three Famous Mountains

    _O___R ''Sanmeizan'', also _O___R ''Sanreizan''

  • Mount Fuji
  • Mount Haku
  • Mount Tate
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    Three Sacred Mountains

    _O______ ''sandai-reijo''

  • Mount Koya
  • Mount Hiei
  • Mount Osore
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    Three Famous Big Buddhas

    _O______ ''Sandai-daibutsu''

  • Todaiji, Nara
  • Kotokuin, Kamakura
  • Daibutsuji, Takaoka
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    Three Great Festivals

    _O____ ''Sandaisai''

  • Gion Matsuri, Kyoto
  • Tenjin Matsuri, Osaka
  • Kanda and Sann? Matsuri, Tokyo
  • The Neputa/Nebuta Matsuri of Aomori and Hirosaki is also a top contender.

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    Three Hot Springs

    Certainly one of the more hotly contested categories.

    Three Great Hot Springs

    _O______ ''Sandaionsen''

  • Atami, Shizuoka
  • Beppu, Oita
  • Shirahama, Wakayama
  • Three Famous Springs

    _O____ ''Sanmeisen''. This list, too, was authored by Hayashi Razan.

  • Arima Onsen, Hyogo
  • Gero Onsen, Gifu
  • Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma
  • Three Old Springs

    _O____ ''Sankosen''

  • Dogo Onsen, Ehime
  • Arima Onsen, Hyogo
  • Shirahama, Wakayama
  • Three Baths of Fuso

    _}_K_O____ ''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
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    Three Great Night Views

    _O_____i ''Sandaiyakei''

  • Hakodate seen from Mount Hakodate
  • Kobe and Osaka Bay seen from Mount Rokko
  • Nagasaki seen from Mount Inasa
  • New Three Great Night Views

    _V_O_____i ''Shin-sandaiyakei''

  • Kitakyushu seen from Mount Sarakurayama,
  • Nara seen from Mount Wakakusayama
  • Yamanashi seen from Fuefuki River Fruit Park
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    Three Holy Places of ?sh?

    ___B_O____ ''?sh? sanreij?'' are the three most famous pilgrimage sites in the ancient land of ''Oku'' (__), now known as Tohoku.

  • Kinkasan
  • Mount Osore
  • Dewa Sanzan
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    Three Great Inari Shrines

    _O______ ''Sandai Inari''

  • Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto
  • Toyokawa Inari Shrine, Aichi
  • Saijo Inari, Okayama ''or'' Y?toku 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 Y?toku 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.

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    Three Great Tenjin Shrines

    ___{_O___V__ ''sandai tenjin''

  • Kitano Tenmangu (Kyoto)
  • Dazaifu Tenmangu (Dazaifu)
  • Hofu Tenmangu (Hofu)
  • 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 occurred in the capital were believed to be caused by his restless soul. Kitano Tenmangu was built to pacify him.

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    Three Hidden Regions

    _O______ ''Sandaihikky?''

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

    _O_______X_@''Sandai-ch?kagai''

  • ''Ch?kagai'', Yokohama
  • ''Shinchi-Ch?kagai'', Nagasaki
  • ''Nankinmachi'', Kobe