A view of Miyama, Kayabuki No Sato with moss covered roofs The Japanese countryside holds many gems that most international tourists don?t even know exist. This is understandable, because Japan holds such a sheer wealth of...

The most popular tourist attraction in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, is the “Hell Tour� ?Jigoku Meguri, ?????. There are 8 jigoku hot springs, all with unique features. This is Umi-jigoku ?????, known as “Ocean� or “Sea� Hell. Technically...

Usa Jingu Shrine ?Usa Shrine, ????? is the head shrine of about 40,000 Hachiman Shrines in Japan. Hachiman Shrines are literally all over Japan, all the way up to Hokkaido. These shrines are dedicated to the deity of archery and war, and became...

Tourism in Japan is at an all-time high. In 2016 over 24 million people were attracted to the Land of the Rising Sun from all over the world. In fact, the huge cultural differences that are found in the country, especially in relation to the Western...

So you want to become a ski instructor and you?ve done some research into becoming one by doing a ski instructor internship (get put into a job once qualified) course. But you now have a choice to make. Where do you do it" There are companies in...

Akita Prefecture, in the far north of Japan on the west coast, is full of culture, history, natural beauty and friendly people. As our flight from Tokyo to Akita descended for landing, an endless snow covered mountain range welcomed us to this...

The nation of Japan has been an attractive vacation spot for many over the years due to their unique culture and culinary experiences. Some travellers like to choose their destination based on a certain activity such as gambling. For many years,...

Presenting the new Super Hokuto – Hakodate to Sapporo by JR Group Canon EOS 6D (200mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO200) E5 Series Shinkansen Reaching only Hakodate used to be a tiring journey, usually involving an overnight sleeping car or a full-day...

Usually when I travel Japan, I rely on hotel WiFi, or seek out internet cafes to get online. After years of traveling like this, it became clear that I was wasting a lot of time… hotel WiFi was often slow, finding and then using an internet cafe...

Ginkaku-ji ?Silver Pavilion Temple, ???? – officially called Jish?-ji ?Temple of Shining Mercy, ???? – is 1 of 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kyoto and isn’t actually silver. Ginkaku (Silver Pavilion, ??) In this article: Explore...

Halfway between Tokyo and Osaka is Japan’s 3rd largest city, Nagoya. Nagoya Castle is the icon of the city, with a white walled and jade green roof tiled main tower, adorned with two 1200kg gold kinshachi statues. In this article: Nagoya...

When Japanese tourists visit other countries on tours, the tour companies often educate the groups about local manners and customs. Japanese tourists are quite adept at working hard to leave a good impression because they understand they are...

Altough dwarfed by the much newer Tokyo Sky Tree, Tokyo Tower offers a unique view of this massive city – and has a long and romantic history that makes it a great site to visit. When it was first built in the late 1950s there were no nearby sky...

A showcase of photos from Hakone, Kyoto, Osaka and more, taken with the Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G lens… Before my autumn 2013 traveling in Japan, I purchased my first DSLR camera – the Nikon D5200. One of the first things I did when...

Mount Koya ?K?yasan, ???? is a 1200 year old sacred temple town in the mountains of northern Wakayama Prefecture. There are over 100 temples in Koyasan. Koyasan is a UNESCO World Heritage area, part of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the...

It took just 6 months for 20 000 labourers to build the stone base and walls of Nagoya Castle’s main tower, led by the legendary samurai Kat? Kiyomasa ??? ??? in the early 1600s. Kiyomasa was a leader of men, having fought in the Seven-Year War as...

This single building was what drew me to Daigo-ji ?Daigo Temple, ???? during one hot Kyoto summer (well that, plus I’m on a mission to see all of the 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kyoto). This goj?not? ?Five-Storied Pagoda, ????is a national...