nature (Page 12)

Four awesomely beautiful shrines for your next trip through off-the-beaten-path Japan

Any proper itinerary for a trip across Japan should include stops in its three most famous Shinto shrines: Hiroshima’s Itsukushima Shrine, Kyoto’s Heian Shrine, and the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. Those, however, are just the tip of Japan’s iceberg of breathtaking sacred Shinto spots.

Even if you’ve got no pressing interest in Japan’s indigenous religion, its shrines are often sites of breathtaking natural and architectural beauty, and here are four that, while off the beaten path, are not to be missed.

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Japan’s most spectacular views (and the lists behind them)

Have you ever wondered what the most spectacular views in Japan are? Allow us to enlighten you!

Recently, we told you about Japan’s top three night views according to the Night View Summit 2015. You may have also heard about Japan’s Three Scenic Spots, one of the many lists of the top three this or that in Japan. So, what’s the deal with all these lists? And who designates them? Find out while checking out some of the best scenery Japan has to offer.

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Don’t be fooled by the rocks they got, the Final Fantasy team needs more from around the block

It’s hard to say which game is more highly anticipated, Final Fantasy XV or Kingdom Hearts 3, but with both of them tentatively scheduled for a 2016 release date, we just might find out. Or not…because a recent tweet about the latest Final Fantasy game is causing us to believe that a 2016 release date could be a pipe dream. Although there has been no delay announced, if the date is pushed back it might be in part due to the rocky situation they are in: they need more rocks!

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This “power spot” in Kumamoto, Japan looks straight out of a Ghibli movie, is pure magic 【Photos】

Deep in the forests of Takamorimachi, a small town in Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, hides a humble shrine shrouded by trees and moss-covered greenery. Hailed as a “power spot” by the Japanese, Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine (上色見熊野座神社) is a mystical destination for those looking to feel the earth’s energy and recharge their spirits, or to just take in the all the scenic beauty it has to offer. Even if you can’t make a visit in the near future, you can at least pacify yourself with these stunning images instead.

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Chinese mushroom picker discovers monstrous beehive

Now that it’s October, fall is slowly beginning to creep up on Japan, which means seasonal favorite dishes including pumpkin, sweet potato, and mushroom will again be arriving on dinner tables across the land in no time. As for the lattermost, people from the countryside are more likely to pick or grown their own rather than buy mushrooms from the supermarket, and some varieties like matsutake can easily retail for a few hundred dollars.

Unfortunately matsutake and other kinds of mushrooms don’t fetch quite as high of a price in China, but while one man was gathering mushrooms, he stumbled across something that was worth much more: a giant bees’ nest.

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Photographer captures serene moments in Japan’s traditional and modern worlds 【Photos】

Anyone can pick up a camera, but it takes a certain level of artistic talent to produce the kinds of photos that you’ll see below.

The work of Japanese photographer Takashi Yasui has been exploding in popularity on major Western websites recently, and for good reason. Yasui has a knack for capturing tranquil moments of time in both the natural world and urban cityscapes in his native Japan. In particular, he’s a master at manipulating light during dawn and dusk, adding an almost otherworldly quality to his vistas. Now take a moment to sit back and relax in order to completely appreciate the scope of Yasui’s craft.

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Winter walking event takes you around Totoro forest loved by Hayao Miyazaki

While the well-known Ghibli Museum in Tokyo might be at the top of the bucket list for any fan of legendary animated film director Hayao Miyazaki, there’s actually an even better place to get in touch with the semi-retired maestro himself.

It’s a beautiful stretch of nature just north-west of Tokyo. called Sayama Hills. Situated in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, and nicknamed “Totoro’s Forest”, this area was the actual inspiration for the animated feature My Neighbour Totoro. Miyazaki has been known to take daily walks through the area, and is so enamoured by the place that he actively participates in regular volunteer events and has made generous donations towards its conservation.

Now, the foundation that protects the forest is inviting the general public in for a special guided walking tour to take place on 5 December. The full-day event takes visitors around some very special areas and includes lots of background information for fans.

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Japan’s Mt. Aso currently erupting, Kyushu residents capture dramatic photos

Japan’s beautiful mountainous scenery and relaxing hot springs are all thanks to volcanic activity, and even today there are still a handful of active peaks to be found in the country. One of the most famous, Kyushu’s Mt. Aso, is even a popular tourist destination. We don’t recommend visiting today, though, because the 1,592-meter (5,223-foot) volcano is currently erupting, as seen in these photos taken by locals.

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Famed director Hayao Miyazaki will create a nature sanctuary on a small island in Okinawa

If the Spirit of the Forest, Cat Bus or Totoro were real, you can be sure they would live in a nature sanctuary created by Hayao Miyazaki. The award-winning film maker has long included his stance on nature and the environment in his movies and now he is going one step further to ensure that at least one small corner of the Earth will stay pristine.

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Shooting star shakes up the Monday blues in Thailand【Video】

Many people that work a weekday 9-5 job consider Mondays to be the bane of their existence. Unsurprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of love for that first day back to the office after a fun weekend.

But for those caught in rush hour traffic this past Monday in Thailand, it was anything but dull and monotonous thanks to a shooting star sighting caught on camera by a number of drivers on their way to work.

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Nagano Prefecture’s Mishaka Pond offers mirror-like waters, inspiration for art lovers

Mishaka-ike, or Mishaka Pond (御射鹿池), is a hidden natural jewel located in Chino City, Nagano Prefecture. The pond’s tranquil beauty inspired a famous painting several decades ago, and Japanese visitors have been increasingly traveling off the beaten path to view its waters for themselves, as it’s a place where the four seasons are distinctly and perfectly expressed.

Escape from the city for a relaxing moment with the following photographic collection of Mishaka-ike in the Japanese countryside.

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Typhoon Goni slams Japan, seems to have a vendetta against its cars 【Photos】

It stands to reason that you shouldn’t be moving around outdoors during a typhoon. At best you’re going to get soaking wet, and potentially injury-causing flying debris are be a legitimate safety concern.

As if to serve as a reminder, the typhoon currently battering Japan decided to remind everyone to stay put by using its 255-kilometer per hour (158.8 miles per hour) winds to dramatically wreck some Okinawan drivers’ cars.

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Great job: China’s “mosquito factory” churning out a stellar one million bugs per week!

It is often said that China is the factory of the world, and with good reason as wherever you are you’re likely able to point to at least a dozen items that were either made or assembled in PRC. While product quality and labor issues persist in some of their booming industries, there is one sector where output couldn’t be better: mosquito production!

That’s right. Somewhere in an area of Guangzhou known as Science City, a team is hard at work producing a whopping 1,000,000 mosquitoes per week. While this may sound like the premise to a cheesy sci-fi movie this level of production may end up saving hundreds if not thousands of lives.

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Embassy of Japan in Afghanistan helps transform once arid desert into lush paradise 【Pics】

Japan and Afghanistan – two countries that you wouldn’t normally imagine to have an especially good relationship, or indeed any relationship at all. But in truth they get along pretty well. The Japanese embassy in Afghanistan assists in a wide variety of projects, from anti-terrorism security to investing in education to funding hospitals.

And there’s one other thing they do that’s a little unique: helping to transform the Afghanistan landscape from a barren desert into a beautiful oasis.

The results of their efforts are truly amazing. You have to see the pictures to believe the difference that they’ve made in just a few short years.

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Exquisitely blown Japanese beer glasses create serene landscapes while you drink

Everyone knows that the best way to drink beer is either from a bottle or poured into a glass, yet more often than not you will find beer packaged in a can at the store. Cans make economic sense since they are cheap, can be crushed down to save space and they float in water if you happen to drop them while you are out having fun. However, all beer drinkers know that drinking from the can tastes horrible compared to drinking from the glass.

There are plenty of beer glasses to choose from, but a beautiful glass strangely makes the beer taste even better, and one Japanese crystal company has some of the greatest glasses for your summer drinking. Fired by the Joetsu Crystal Glass Company, the Tsukiyono Kobo line features fantastic glasses that cast your beer drinking in a much more beautiful light.

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Real-life Ghibli clouds appear as awesome thunderhead forms in the Tokyo skies 【Videos】

If you’ve ever spent the summer in Japan, you know that it’s not the heat, but the humidity that makes many people want to take refuge indoors with the air conditioning blasting. But the silver lining to this cloud is the clouds themselves, as all that moisture in the air can turn Japan’s summer skies into a stunning puffy white landscape.

On the evening of August 5, skywatchers in the Tokyo/Yokohama area that turned their eyes to the west saw a towering, lightning-spitting thundercloud so powerfully majestic it immediately drew comparisons to one of Studio Ghibli’s most beloved anime.

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Why just climb Mt. Fuji when you can build it with this awesome paper-stacking kit?

There’s an undeniable sense of accomplishment you get from making it to the top of a mountain. Maybe it comes from putting such a long series of steps, each insignificant on its own, to rise to a height where the whole world appears differently.

But perhaps a hike doesn’t figure into your plans for the near future due to your busy schedule, flat-as-a-pancake local geography, or crippling fear of grizzly bears. If you can’t climb a mountain, though, the next best thing is to build one, also one step at a time, with this awesome series of paper craft models of Japanese mountains.

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This 4K video of Kagoshima filmed by drone will settle your summer vacation plans【Video】

Living in Tokyo is pretty awesome. There’s not much you can’t find in the city and there’s always something fun going on — but every once in a while, a video or a photo will grab our attention and make us sigh forlornly thanks to a gorgeous landscape. Sure, there are some great beaches around here, but there’s just something about this drone video of Kagoshima that makes us stop and say wow.

If you’re stuck in the office or at school staring out the window and wishing you were anywhere else, this video will only make it worse. But we guarantee you’ll keep watching it over and over!

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Creepy mushroom freaks out Japanese Twitter, ends up being an incredibly rare discovery

For some reason Japan has an affinity for strange mushrooms. There’s the classic weird mushrooms in the Mario games, mushroom anime, and of course cute-girl mushroom smartphone games.

But let’s not forget the abundance of crazy, real-life mushrooms in Japan too. One Japanese Twitter user recently stumbled on one so bizarre-looking that he had to post pictures and ask the internet to help him figure out what the heck it was. Just one glimpse will make you see that when it comes to mushrooms, sometimes reality is stranger than fiction.

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“Skeleton” flower turns transparent when wet

They say spending time on social media rots your brain, but today, just because it was making the rounds on Twitter, I discovered a really neat flower native to both Japan, where I live now, and the States, where I was born. See, who needs to leave the house?

Meet diphylleia grayi, sometimes called the skeleton flower, a humble white woodland blossom that turns transparent when it rains!

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