Otaru
Specialities Cities - Elegantly picturesque with its old-fashioned street lanterns and European-style buildings, Otaru is a charming port city flush with nostalgia that is ...
Otoyo Shrine
Specialities Traditional - Otoyo Shrine is easy to walk past but that would be a big mistake. With an unassuming entrance at the south end of the Philosopher’s...
Shimabara Castle
Specialities Castles - Perched on the eastern edge of the Shimabara Peninsula, this five-storied, white castle is a key feature of Shimabara city. What most don’t realize...
Yokohama
Specialities Cities - Although only a short train ride away from each other, Yokohama offers a much more relaxed atmosphere than Tokyo with all the charm of a...
Nagoya Castle
Specialities Castles - If you’re into your samurai history (or you’ve just watched History of Japan on YouTube too many times) then you’ll be excited to know that one...
Aomori City
Specialities Cities, Festivals - Though Aomori Prefecture’s most beautiful sights are found in its extensive natural environment, don’t underestimate its small but fierce capital city...
Tsuboya Pottery Street
Specialities Traditional - It’s no exaggeration to say that Tsuboya Pottery District is the bona fide birthplace of yachimun - a regional word describing all pottery made by...
Shuri Castle
Specialities Castles - Inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2000, the red Shuri Castle is a reminder of the flourishing Ryukyu Kingdom, when overseas trade networks linki...
Bentenjima and Inasanohama Beach
Specialities Beaches, Festivals - In spiritual Shimane prefecture, there's a sacred beach where eight million gods are believed to congregate once a year to determine the destiny of lo...
Hirado
Specialities Cities, Festivals - Hirado, a city in northwestern Nagasaki prefecture, consists of three islands (Oshima, Ikitsuki, Hirado) and a part of mainland Nagasaki (Tabira). It'...
Teshima
Specialities Festivals - Somewhere near the edge of the world floats Teshima, a remote and sparsely-populated island sheltering mystifying works of contemporary art. Most of t...