An often-missed sight is Mount Shosha, located 6km away up north from Himeji Castle. Mount Shosha is located in Shoshazan Engyo-ji, a national heritage site famous for its scenes from the 2003 movie "The Last Samurai".

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.

Although I could have chosen many more, in this piece, I profile five gardens from all across Kyushu for a diverse yet uniquely southwestern Japanese botanical experience.

There’s no better place to see jellyfish than at the Kamo Aquarium in Tsuruoka, located on the Sea of Japan in the north’s Dewa Sanzan, or Three Sacred Mountain region.

This article is about the wide variety of activities you can do on Lake Hamana and how to enjoy the perfect day on the lake.

The origin of this formation is unknown. Some specialists and scientists believed the site is completely natural. Others claim that the formations are man-made stepped monoliths, while others affirm that it is a natural site modified or a man-made artifact.

Nemurin Oriental is a small pension called situated in the Nasu Kogen region of Tochigi prefecture. It's perfect if you want to relax in a quiet environment, enjoy nature and take soothing baths in private hot spring baths.

If you are in Kanazawa and want to try it out for yourself, where should you go? There are various places in and around the city that are suitable for a solid forest bathing experience. I’ve listed my favorite three spots for you.

Surrounding Kobe city is the abundant mountain terrains of Rokko-san (Mount Rokko). There are many hiking trails available at Mount Rokko and some range from three to seven hours depending on difficulty level and speed (stamina).

Ishie is believed to be the creature living in Lake Ikeda in Ibusuki City, Kagoshima. It was described as a giant lizard with dark skin in color and humps on its back. It was predicted to be 45 feet long. Many times was captured and published to the society but it could not be proved its truth.

Niemonjima. Have you heard of it? If you're not a history buff, then perhaps you haven't. Located off the coast of southwest Chiba, this tiny landmass was the secret hideaway of one of the greatest generals in Japanese history. Minamoto-no-Yoritomo was one of the founders of the Kamakura Shogunate, and after a battle with a rivaling faction, he fled for safety behind the shoreline rocks of Niemonjima.

Not far from Tokyo, Shizuoka prefecture has a lot of natural beauty to explore and unique food experiences to offer. If you are traveling to Japan, make sure to seek experiences beyond what is available in the major cities. We at runAway Japan did just that! Early on in our 50-day adventure through Japan, we traveled to Shizuoka prefecture and found a beautiful waterfall and tasted a flavor of ice cream unlike anything we had tried before!