Nestled between the Myoko and Yuzawa ski areas of Niigata is the smaller and less well-known Cupid Valley - also known as Yukidaruma Kogen, or Snowman Plateau/Heights! Being off the main track it is usually quieter and less crowded than bigger resorts, yet still has runs up to 4km, and many things to enjoy in a day trip.

Yamadera is the most famous temple on the mountain in Yamagata prefecture, most tourists come to visit in every season but Autumn is arguably the most spectacular. Only some people know the exclusive trail that starts from Omoshiroyama Station which is a local train station near Yamadera station called Omoshiroyama-Kogen.

In Aomori, traveling by foot can be very time consuming as public transportation or access to certain attraction spots are limited. However, there are still many attraction spots to visit on foot easily during your visit here.

Scattered across a large plateau on the outskirts of the city are the Saitobaru Burial Mounds, a collection of three hundred and thirty-three kofun, a type of grave used in Japan during the Kofun period, an era pre-dating written records.

Contrary to many seated Buddha statues, the Ushiku Buddha statue stands at a marvelous height of 120 metres, with a 10 metres base and 10 metres lotus platform. What you see in pictures are nothing compared to what meets the naked eye.

Well now it’s autumn and Tokyo is no less mesmerizing with trees that leaves start to turn yellow before finally falling during winter. It may be hard to imagine but I found a lovely spot to enjoy the autumn at The University of Tokyo and it’s one of my favorites!

To aid in that ever-essential de-stressing, there are a ton of campsites in Japan that maximize both comfort and convenience for those looking to enjoy nature without roughing themselves up too much. With that in mind, here are the top 5 reasons to go camping in Japan.

In this article, I would like to introduce some nice spots in the Okutama region in western Tokyo and give an example how you could organize a day trip.

Named after the Japanese musical instrument the Biwa because of its shape, the 259 square miles' body of water located in the Shiga prefecture is the home of many freshwater fish and supports the pearl industry. But what visitors soon discover is that on the western side of the lake there is a strip of land that meets all the requirements of a natural beach.

The temple was built in AD 686 and is positioned near the top of a mountain. There is a covered stairway leading up that’s strewn with flowers and lined with stone lanterns.

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.

Akita Inu are big, affectionate, hardy companions that helped people for over 1000 years in many different ways. In these times especially, at least for me, playing with an Akita Inu helped alleviate a lot of stress.