Yakushima: Japan’s Ancient Cedar Forest β How to Trek to Jomon Sugi
"It rains 35 days a month" (γ²γ¨ζγ«35ζ₯ι¨γιγ). This is an exaggeration, but not by as much as it…
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Yufuin: A Quiet Onsen Town in the Oita Mountains β Worth the Hype?
Yufuin (η±εΈι’) has been one of Japan's most popular onsen destinations for decades β and this popularity has…
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Beppu: Japan’s Hot Spring Capital β The ‘Hells of Beppu’ & Sand Bath Experience
The first thing you notice about Beppu (ε₯εΊ) is the steam. It rises from grates in the pavement,…
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Fukuoka: Japan’s Most Livable City β Yatai Stalls, Hakata Ramen & Local Itinerary
For the past several years, Fukuoka (η¦ε²‘) has appeared consistently at or near the top of Japan's domestic…
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Kagoshima & Sakurajima: Living Under an Active Volcano β How Locals Do It
At the southern tip of Kyushu, a city of 600,000 people goes about its daily business under a…
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Miyazaki: Surfing, Palm Trees & the Unexpected Tropical Corner of Kyushu
Japan is many things to its visitors β ancient temples, neon cities, volcanic mountains, snowbound ski resorts. Almost…
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Mt. Aso: Hiking Inside an Active Volcano in Kumamoto
There are a handful of places in Japan that deliver an experience that is not available anywhere else…
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Nagasaki: History, Champon Noodles & the Hillside Views of a Forgotten City
Nagasaki (ι·ε΄) has two claims to world historical significance that could not be more different in character. The…
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The Atomic Bomb Dome & Nagasaki Memorial: How Japan Remembers 1945
On August 6, 1945, at 8:15 AM, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima β the…
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The Hidden Christian Villages of Nagasaki: Japan’s 250-Year Secret Faith
In 1549, the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier arrived in Japan and began the first sustained Christian evangelization of…
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