Because they are so far from any other land mass, local species have evolved separately from their mainland cousins and developed unique adaptations to their environment. I had two nights at Chichijima, so I booked two night tours: one for stargazing and one to see the island’s nocturnal wildlife.

After living in Ishinomaki for 5 months, I finally got up early enough to catch the 9:00am ferry to Tashirojima, aka Cat Island. This is not to be confused with the Aoshima Cat Island.

Fujisaki Hachimangu is probably the most important shrine in Kumamoto and has a long rich history. It is closely linked to famous Japanese samurai such as Kato Kiyomasa and the Hosokawa family. In Autumn, the shrine is host to a fantastic four-day festival ending on Sunday with a horse parade through the city.

If you travel to countries hoping to experience another culture, Japan is still rich with it and Nara is the perfect place surrounded by culture and history. It is many things at once: traditional, natural, delightful, heartfelt, and all around wonderful. Come to Nara and be amazed. I honestly could name 100 things in Nara that would make for an amazing trip, but I have narrowed it down to the top 15 spots that you will not find even in most guidebooks.

Equine traditions in Japan date back to the Kofun era. Yokohama’s Negishi racecourse, completed in 1866, marked the beginning of a long and storied history that continues to this day. Intrigued by this story? Then read on.

You wouldn’t expect to be able to feed ducks staying in the middle of a large city like Sapporo. How wrong you would be. I am going to plan a morning for you and you are going to do exactly as I say.

This zoo is in Yokohama ward, and is more than just a zoo; it also resembles a safari park. Fortunately for the animals, cages are really big and fences are as little as possible as to get the animals to live in an environment that is parallel to their native one.

Tokyo is a huge city. No one has any doubts about that. Within Tokyo there are many hidden areas just waiting for more people to visit them. Edogawa is one of those areas with lots to do and many places that will make your trip to Japan even more excellent. Here is a list of the 5 best places in Edogawa to visit.

I met my first stray cat when I went jogging in Japan. There are many domestic cats walking around (so far I have never seen a stray dog here), but strays always look different and give me different looks. That skinny cat I met had white fur, with lots of dirty stains and even some blood ones. Luckily, I could see him/her again when I went to the same spot again.

Hokkaido offers beautiful bushwalks and treks, but hikers beware. There are two dangerous creatures lurking in those forests. One is gigantic and the other is tiny and both are best avoided.

So what do you do when your kid likes animals and you don't want her making friends with the pigeons in the park? You take her to a farm in Chiba, where she can pet bunnies and chase sheep. Yume Bokujo is one such place in Narita.