Popular posts

• 

  Cape Higashi-Hennazaki

  Posted in: Okinawa

  728 Views

  Cape Higashi-Hennazaki is a long, beautiful cape stretching approximately two kilometers on the eastern tip of Miyako Island. The breathtaking ocean view has been designated as one of the country's Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monuments. The scenery experienced from the lighthouse standing at the end of the cape is especially moving. Many flowers bloom in every season along the constructed walking trail, such as the tennoume plum blossoms, designated as the prefecture's...

  Read more
• 

  KOBE MARITIME MUSEUM

  Posted in: Hyogo, Kansai

  726 Views

  Designed with a beautiful white space frame roof portraying a sailboat and waves across the open sea, KOBE MARITIME MUSEUM was founded in 1987, commemorating the 120th anniversary of the opening of the current Port of Kobe in 1868. The museum underwent renovations and reopened in 2020 with the slogan “The Journey of Kobe and Its Port.” The transition of Kobe City with the times and the history and future of the ocean, ships, and the port are told through various materials, models, videos, and...

  Read more
• 

  Lake Akan

  Posted in: Hokkaido, Eastern Hokkaido

  726 Views

  In October 4, 2017, the national park that encompassed Lake Akan was renamed as the Akan-Mashu National Park. Lake Akan is surrounded by three majestic peaks: Mt. Meakan (pronounced "may-ah-con"), Mt. Oakan ("oh-ah-con"), and Mt. Akan Fuji. There is also the smaller, gem-like Lake Onneto located to the southwest. Depending on the weather conditions and vantage point, the surface of Lake Onneto can take on a myriad of colors and many lovingly refer to it as the Goshikinuma (literally, "5 color...

  Read more
• 

  Karatsu Castle

  Posted in: Kyushu, Saga

  725 Views

  Karatsu Castle was built by Terasawa Shima-no-Kami Hirotaka, vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, over seven years starting from 1602. It is said that materials from the dismantling of Hizen Nagoya Castle were used when building the castle. The sands extending from the east and west of the castle look like the outstretched wings of a crane, earning it the alternative name "Maizuru (Dancing Crane) Castle". It is also a famous place for cherry blossom trees and wisteria.

  Read more
• 

  Usuki Fugu

  Posted in: Kyushu, Oita

  723 Views

  Enjoy a wide variety of delicious fugu (pufferfish) dishes, from fresh sashimi to the fugu-chiri hot pot and smoky flavored hire-zake (hot sake with fugu fin). Fugu cuisine is one of Usuki's delicacies its merchants have cultivated over many years in this town that historically prospered from trade.

  Read more
• 

  Wakayama Castle

  Posted in: Wakayama, Kansai

  720 Views

  A historic landmark of the city of Wakayama, the area is designed as a park with various attractions including a garden, history museum and zoo. Enjoy the stunning scenery of the lush green Mount Torafusu, sparkling white castle tower and beautiful cherry blossoms in the spring. Since its construction in 1585, Wakayama Castle was the longtime residence of the Kishu Tokugawa clan, one of the three branches of the ruling Tokugawa clan.

  Read more
• 

  Aomori City

  Posted in: Tohoku, Aomori

  720 Views

  Aomori City is the administrative center of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tohoku region on the island of Honshū. The city faces Mutsu Bay, located on the road connecting the Tsugara Strait and the Hakkoda Range in southern Aomori Prefecture. It has the largest seaport in the province. Before the Seikan Tunnel went into operation, the main entrance to Honshu island for people from Hokkaido was by ferry from Hokkaido to Hakodate city

  Read more
• 

  Nakagoya Astronomical Observatory

  Posted in: Kyushu, Miyazaki

  719 Views

  Nakagoya Astronomical Observatory in Misato in the Higashi Usuki District of Miyazaki is located on the Nakagoya Ridge at an elevation of approximately 1,000 meters. Due to its clear air and freedom from the effects of light pollution, it is the perfect spot for star-gazing. It was previously named the best star-gazing spot in Japan in the "darkness of the night sky" category of the National Continuous Star Observations that used to be conducted by the Japanese government.

  Read more
• 

  Tensha-en Garden

  Posted in: Shikoku, Ehime

  718 Views

  Date Munetada, the seventh feudal lord of the Uwajima domain who went by the pseudonym "Shunzan," constructed this garden as a place of retirement. The name of the garden comes from a poem Date Masamune wrote after his retirement. The poem goes, “I spent my younger days on a horse for battles, now the world is peaceful and my hair has turned gray, my aging body exists here because God in heaven forgave me and let me live."

  Read more
• 

  Saijo Sakagura-dori Street

  Posted in: Chugoku, Hiroshima

  718 Views

  Saijo stands shoulder to shoulder with the famous sake brewing regions, Nada and Fushimi. In the vicinity of JR Saijo Station, seven sake breweries are still in operation.

  Read more
• 

  Chuson-ji Temple

  Posted in: Tohoku, Iwate

  718 Views

  If you are going to see Hiraizumi in Nishiiwai-gun, Iwate Prefecture, take a recommended UNESCO World Heritage Sites tour. A number of World Heritage sites and related facilities are scattered around the town in walking distance from each other, they include the Konjiki-do of Chuson-ji Temple, head temple of the Tendai sect in the Tohoku region, and Motsu-ji Temple, the special-status head temple of the Tendai sect, which has a famous stone slab with a poem by Matsuo Basho inscribed on it....

  Read more
• 

  Tofuku-ji Temple

  Posted in: Kyoto, Kansai

  715 Views

  Famous for its gorgeous display of autumn leaves, Tofuku-ji Temple is one of the Kyoto Gozan, the five great Zen temples of Kyoto. The complete seven-structured temple compound (Shichido Garan) was constructed over 19 years from 1236, and while destroyed by fire numerous times, it was rebuilt each time. Valuable structures are preserved on the temple grounds, such as the Sanmon gate, a national treasure, as well as the Yokushitsu (bathing room), Tosu (lavatory) and Zendo (meditation hall),...

  Read more