With alpine flowers in bloom from July to August, autumn-colored leaves adorning the trees from September to November, and the crisp frosty air to delight in from December to March, Utsukushigahara is a choice destination throughout the four seasons.

In the land of the rising sun, fireflies are the image of summer. Many cities throughout Japan even host firefly viewing festivals, where locals and visitors alike are welcome to marvel at the beautiful flashes of light that these insects use to either attract a mate, signal distress, or warn off predators.

Miyazaki prefecture has no shortage of sweeping forest and mountain views and one of the best ways to see it is from up above. Sure, you could try and charter a helicopter but a much easier and cheaper way to get the same feeling is via the Aya Teruha suspension bridge.

Okinawa always brings people the lovely imagine of a blue clear ocean. Many tourists both from within and outside the country visit Okinawa every year to enjoy the time in the water. What if you want to see more ocean life? Or you are visiting during a season not suitable to swim? Or, if you are someone like me, what if you cannot swim?

Kappa were legendary creatures from Japan. They were always known as water creatures in folklore. Amphibious creatures similar to frogs or turtles; sometimes they are called Gataro (川太郎) or Kawako (川子) which means river child. Some people study them in cryptozoology since throughout Japanese history thousands of people have claimed to have seen one themselves.

People often come to Japan of get their fill of cute. Cute clothes, cute characters, cute food, and yes of course cute cafes. This cafe hidden by the sea in the outskirts of Nagasaki is sure to give anyone their fill of cute in the form of adorable Corgi puppies. Yes the rumors are true, there is a Corgi cafe in Japan.

Many tourists travel around Japan hoping to encounter some of its beautiful wildlife. They might want to see macaques relaxing in an onsen, a Tanuki streaking across the road or even a majestic Japanese deer.

Whilst the Alps do, as one would expect, give rise to a huge amount of winter sports tourism, they also have the added benefit of limiting the number of inhabitable areas within the prefecture. However, the cities of Matsumoto, and the prefectural capital, also called Nagano, offer plenty of sites for an avid tourist to see.

Although it can be difficult to have a pet of your own in Japan as an expat, especially if you live in a city, there are plenty of places to go where you can spend time with cute animals and get your fluff fix. One of these is “Sekai no Meiken Bokujo” a communication park for dogs and people, in Gunma Prefecture.

The Japanese serow is an animal that has appeared in pop culture as well. It has been seen in the soccer based game and anime, “Inazuma Eleven GO”, and it is also said that the Ghibli character, the “Forest Spirit” in its deer form from Director Hayao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke is based on the Japanese serow. Even the ever-so-popular Pokemon that a lot of us grew up watching has a character representation of this animal.

Soft meowing played over a loudspeaker outside the cafe. For me, a feline fan, the lure was irresistible!

Japan is actually home to 8 pure Japanese horses as well as other breeds that have been crossbred with Western horses.