Yakushima: Japan’s Ancient Cedar Forest — How to Trek to Jomon Sugi
"It rains 35 days a month" (ひと月に35日雨が降る). This is an exaggeration, but not by as much as it…
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Kagoshima & Sakurajima: Living Under an Active Volcano — How Locals Do It
At the southern tip of Kyushu, a city of 600,000 people goes about its daily business under a…
Read more →Yakushima vs Okinawa: Which Southern Island Should You Choose?
This question comes up constantly among visitors planning their first trip to Japan's southern islands, and the answer…
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Hiking in Japan for Beginners: The 10 Best Trails for Non-Experts
Japan's hiking culture has a reputation problem for international visitors — the country's most internationally famous hikes (the…
Read more →Forest Bathing (森林浴, Shinrin-yoku) in Japan: The Science & the Best Forests
Shinrin-yoku (森林浴) — literally "forest bathing" — was coined as a term by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture,…
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Amami Oshima: The Subtropical Island Between Okinawa & Kyushu
Amami Oshima (奄美大島) occupies an unusual geographic and cultural position: it sits approximately halfway between Kyushu and Okinawa,…
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Ghibli Shrine Locations Japan | Spiritual Sites Guide
Ghibli Real Locations · Genre Guide Kasuga Taisha · Izumo Taisha · Yakushima Yakujinja · Hiezan · Ohara…
Read more →Ghibli Forest Locations Japan | Complete Nature Guide
Ghibli Real Locations · Genre Guide Yakushima · Sayama Hills · Shirakami Sanchi · Sagano · Okutama —…
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Princess Mononoke Real Forest | Yakushima & Shirakami
Ghibli Real Locations · Princess Mononoke Princess Mononoke: Where the ForestSpirit’s Forest Actually Exists Yakushima’s Moss Forest ·…
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