Just a short train ride out of Tokyo’s city center is a lovely green oasis that surrounds a small lake called Senzokuike. Just across from a train station of the same name, the 77,000 square meter park (41,000 square meters of which are covered in water) is great for boating, bird watching, picnics, cherry blossom … More Tokyo Oasis: Senzokuike
Minami Boso is a collective term for the cities of Tateyama, Minami Boso, Kamogawa, and Katsuura, which make up the southern tip of Chiba’s Boso Peninsula. The area is full of wonderful sightseeing spots, but many are hard to reach by mass transportation and so they are often overlooked. This is a list of my … More Best of Minami Boso, Chiba Prefecture
To experience a foreigner-friendly beginner hike with amazing views, especially in autumn, head to Oku-Nikko, or ‘Inner Nikko’, in Tochigi Prefecture. Although possible to do in a day trip, I highly recommend an overnight stay in order to experience more of what the area has to offer. From Tokyo, it also takes over three hours … More Hiking & Sightseeing in Oku-Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture
Every year, from mid-September to mid-October, a park in Koma, Saitama Prefecture turns vivid red when approximately 5 million red spider lilies spring up from the ground in a forested area cris-crossed by walking paths. It is a wonderful day trip from Tokyo and is easy to access by mass transportation. Use hyperdia.com to find … More Kinchakuda Red Spider Lily Festival, Saitama Prefecture
Recently, many foreign tourists travel to Wakayama Prefecture to visit Mt.Koya and the famous Kumano Kaido. Most are unaware of Shingu, a lovely little city that has its own collection of impressive sightseeing spots, including sections of the famous path and other related World Heritage Sites. Most of Shingu’s attractions are centrally located and can … More World Heritage Site hunting in Shingu, Wakayama
The most ‘mystical’ place that I have ever visited in Japan is Bodai-ji in Mutsu City, Aomori Prefecture. This temple sits beside a lake in the caldera of an eight-peaked volcanic mountain called Osorezan and is usually referred to by that name. Osorezan was founded in 862 by the famous priest, Ennin, when he enshrined … More Bucket List: Aomori’s Sacred Osorezan
The Seto Inland Sea’s ‘art island’, Naoshima, is now on the bucket list of many tourists. Most visit the island and then head off to another famous location on the Japanese main island of Honshu. Unfortunately, they miss the opportunity to explore many fantastic lesser known sightseeing spots in the rest of Kagawa Prefecture. If … More Touring Shikoku’s Kagawa Prefecture (after Naoshima)
Aizu Wakamatsu is located in the center of Fukushima Prefecture and is nicknamed the ‘Samurai City’ due its prominence as a former castle town of the Aizu domain. The city is full of impressive historic sites and is one of my favorite sightseeing destinations. Here is a list (in no particular order) of many of … More Aizu Wakamatsu: The Samurai City
Located just one stop from Meguro Station on the Namboku and Mita Subway Lines, Shirokanedai is an upscale, mostly residential neighborhood. Although it does contain wonderful sightseeing spots, it is unknown to tourists and is a great place to explore in relative peace. Shirokanedai is very easy to get around as almost everything is located … More Tokyo Neighborhoods: Shirokanedai
The town of Oya, near Tochigi Prefecture’s capital, Utsunomiya, is relatively unknown but is an excellent day trip from Tokyo. Oya-ishi, a porous stone created from ash and lava, has been quarried in the area for centuries. It is mostly extracted from underground, so the town’s landscape has not been scarred. However, man-made arches, holes, … More ‘The City of Stone’ Oya, Tochigi
