Okinawa vs Hawaii: Why Japan’s Tropical Getaway Wins for Certain Travelers
Okinawa and Hawaii are the two Pacific destinations most frequently compared by travelers choosing a tropical getaway from…
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Otaru: The Canal Town Near Sapporo — Glass Art, Sushi & Snow
Twenty-seven minutes by train from Sapporo, the former herring port of Otaru (小樽) occupies a position in Hokkaido's…
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Sapporo in Winter: Snow Festival, Susukino Night Market & Hokkaido Food
There are cities that tolerate winter and cities that embrace it. Sapporo (札幌) — the capital of Hokkaido,…
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Sendai: The City of Trees — Tanabata Festival, Gyutan & Date Masamune’s Castle
Sendai (仙台) earned its nickname — "The City of Trees" (杜の都 / Mori no Miyako) — from a…
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Shirakawa-go & Gokayama: UNESCO Thatched Farmhouses in the Japanese Alps
Deep in the mountain valleys where the Sho River (庄川) cuts through the Japanese Alps between Gifu and…
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Shiretoko Peninsula: Japan’s Last True Wilderness — UNESCO Site & Brown Bears
At the northeastern tip of Hokkaido, a peninsula juts into the sea between the Sea of Okhotsk and…
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Nagoya: Miso Katsu, Tenmusu & the Surprising Food City Nobody Talks About
Nagoya (名古屋) is Japan's fourth-largest city — the capital of Aichi Prefecture, the center of Japan's automotive manufacturing…
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Matsumoto Castle: Japan’s Oldest Wooden Castle & the City of Mountains
Matsumoto Castle (松本城) is visually unlike any other major Japanese castle. While the dominant color scheme of most…
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Matsushima: Japan’s Most Scenic Bay — 260 Islands, Oysters & Zen Temples
Matsushima (松島) — "Pine Islands" — has been celebrated as one of Japan's most beautiful landscapes since the…
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Miyako Island: The Best Beaches in Japan (That Nobody Knows About)
Miyako Island (宮古島) — located 300 km southwest of Okinawa main island, roughly equidistant between Okinawa and Ishigaki…
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