Takayama: Japan’s Old Town Preserved in the Mountains β Jinya, Markets & Sake
Takayama (ι«ε±±) in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture owes its extraordinary historical preservation to the same geographical accident…
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Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route: Japan’s Greatest Mountain Road (Snowwall in Spring)
The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (η«ε±±ι»ι¨γ’γ«γγ³γ«γΌγ) is one of Japan's most extraordinary transportation experiences β a 37 km…
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Wajima: Japan’s Lacquerware Capital & the Noto Peninsula Morning Market
The Noto Peninsula (θ½η»εε³Ά) extends northward from Kanazawa into the Sea of Japan like a peninsula reaching toward…
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Nozawa Onsen: The Village That Has Given Free Hot Water Since the 1100s
Nozawa Onsen (ιζ²’ζΈ©ζ³) β a village of approximately 3,600 people on a mountain slope in northern Nagano Prefecture…
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Sado Island: Gold Mines, Noh Theater & Japan’s Former Place of Exile
Sado Island (δ½ζΈ‘ε³Ά) β Japan's sixth-largest island, 45 km off the Niigata coast in the Sea of Japan…
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Shirakawa-go & Gokayama: UNESCO Thatched Farmhouses in the Japanese Alps
Deep in the mountain valleys where the Sho River (εΊε·) cuts through the Japanese Alps between Gifu and…
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Nagoya: Miso Katsu, Tenmusu & the Surprising Food City Nobody Talks About
Nagoya (εε€ε±) is Japan's fourth-largest city β 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 (ζΎζ¬ε) is visually unlike any other major Japanese castle. While the dominant color scheme of most…
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Nagano & Zenko-ji: The Temple Town at the Heart of the Japan Alps
Nagano (ι·ι) is unusual among Japanese cities in that its central organizing principle is a Buddhist temple rather…
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Japanese Castle Guide: Matsumoto, Himeji, Osaka & More
Japan's castles are the most visible and most directly experiential connection to the feudal political history that shaped…
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Kanazawa: Japan’s ‘Little Kyoto’ β Kenroku-en, Higashi Chaya & Omicho Market
Kanazawa (ιζ²’) owes much of its current reputation to a historical accident: the city was never significantly bombed…
Read more βKutani Pottery: The Bold Blue and Red Ceramics of Kanazawa
Kutani pottery (δΉθ°·ηΌ) β produced in the Kanazawa area of Ishikawa Prefecture, with historical origins in what is…
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