A popular illumination spot in the Kanto Area is the amusement park Pleasure Forest in Sagamihara. They illuminate the whole park every night in the winter months. This year they have a special collaboration with Pokémon and a part of the illumination has been redesigned in a Pokémon fashion.

A few rather popular activities here in Japan during summer are hiking, beach surfing and picnics. I present a summer’s day in Zushi, Kanagawa, consisting of a relaxing and scenic hike at Mount Takatori (with different start and end points), finished off with a stroll in the beach.

While popular attractions have their respective appeal, more esoteric destinations in Japan can whet the appetites of more seasoned adventurers. One such place is Enoshima, a quiet island off the Kamakura coast.

The city of Yokosuka Japan is most known for its Japanese and American Navy bases. The culture has been crossed and mixed and reflects in its food, atmosphere, and shopping. The US navy base opens to the public every year for Yokosuka Friendship Day in order to demonstrate the strong relationship between Japan and the US. If you plan on coming to Yokosuka for this event, consider staying for the weekend and visit the surrounding areas as well.

Some of these varieties include: ceramic, glass, metal, bamboo, bronze, clay, crystal and so on. Kawasaki Daishi Temple, while not quite known to many tourists, has always beendedicated to the warding of evil through its ceremonies of purification, such as the Yakudoshi (unlucky or critical age in a person’s life), blessings of talismans and charms, burning rites during New Year, year-end cleaning ritual using long brooms, and others.

Kawasaki, a city in Kanagawa-ken, has a 1.2-hectare park named Ikuta Ryokuchi. They have many places to visit such as Kawasaki Municipal Science Museum, Japan Open Air Folk House Museum, Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Yomiuri Land, and Kawasaki Art Center. But the one that I will share here is the rose garden.

Observing and experiencing nature in real life is no longer a problem. Orbi Yokohama can definitely provide you with lots of interesting and new discoveries. Opened in 2013, Orbi Yokohama is an experience-oriented museum collaborated by BBC Earth and SAGA. When you visit Yokohama, this museum is absolutely a must-see spot.

Join the Traditional Japanese Indigo Dyeing workshop at Nihon Minka-en in Kawasaki City for the one-of-a-kind experience of designing and dyeing your own unique handerchief, bandana or t-shirt. Even beginners can have lots of fun with this traditional Japanese craft.

Enoshima is a small island off the coast of Shonan in Kanagawa. It's a popular tourist destination for locals and foreigners alike; a weekend getaway with beaches, caves and shrines. Despite the allures of visiting such a place when the sun is out, my friends and I decided it would be more of an adventure to visit it under the moonlight.

Owakudani, written as 大涌谷, in Japanese means "Great Boiling Valley". It is both poetic and a bit mysterious. The valley was created in the result of a Mt. Hakone eruption around 3000 years ago, and still experiences volcanic activity. It is mostly safe, nevertheless. The Tourist Center was closed between 2015 and 2016, but now it is available again, as well as the Hakone ropeway.

I have introduced Taiwan ramen and tsukemen, which were invented in the 60s and 70s, as well as the more recent boom of the Toripaitan (chicken soup). Today, let’s take a look at another ramen that has been enjoying its raise in popularity recently: the Yokohama Iekei ramen

Hakone Hachiri is the name given to the stretch of old Tokaido between Odawara and Mishima, via Hakone. Much of the old Tokaido route has been replaced by modern roading. But the Hakone Hachiri stretch has a reasonable proportion still intact, and so has just been declared a Japan Heritage Area.