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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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