sightseeing (Page 4)
Commissioner of the Japan Tourism Agency claims the country isn’t exciting enough to appease the Western crowd.
Enjoy the best of the cherry blossom viewing season with this list of the top spots to see sakura around the country.
Introducing the “Street Museum” smartphone app enhanced with VR contents to make your travels that much more memorable.
How many of the top 20 most popular Japanese castles (according to TripAdvisor) have you been to?
Our Japanese reporter Mr. Sato visited these seven well-known tourist spots and captured 88 Pokémon in six hours.
Vacationing can be an expensive endeavor, so save a bit of yen by visiting these fantastic free locations!
If you loved the scenery in Chihiro’s train journey in Spirited Away, you’ll love this unique location just one hour away from Tokyo.
Move over, Land Down Under! The “Administrative District Down and Off to the Side” of Japan not only looks like you, but can go toe-to-toe with many of your attractions.
Had he not died at 32, this year would have been Bruce Lee’s 75th birthday. To honor the occasion we took a whirlwind pilgrimage through Hong Kong!
When we wrote about Samurai Studio earlier this month, we have to admit we were more than a little excited to head down and try it out ourselves. Hey, who doesn’t occasionally (or constantly) wish they could run around dressed in Japanese armor with a couple of swords strapped to their side?
Samurai Studio opened for its 10-day limited run today, and we were literally the first in line! In case you’re on the fence about going or just want to see what the process is like, you’ll want to check out our full report, complete with lots and lots of photos.
Moving to Japan from another country can be a bit of a culture shock. Some handle the transition without any problems, and others can find it initially overwhelming. But it’s easy to forget that Japan isn’t one giant monolith, and the various prefectures can be wildly different—so much so that moving to a new prefecture can bring plenty of surprises even for those born and raised in Japan!
A great example is one of our own RocketNew24 Japan writers, Masami, who shares some of the things that surprised her after moving to Nara. Here are nine that may resonate with you!
Japan is often known by tourists for its most popular attractions, like Mount Fuji, the cities of Tokyo and Kyoto, and its amazing shrines and temples.
But there’s a lot more to the island nation than that.
We took a look at a Quora thread that asked, “what are some of Japan’s best kept secrets,” and rounded up some places that might not be in all the guidebooks, but are definitely worth a visit.
Today (October 1) is Citizen’s Day in Tokyo, celebrating the independence and welfare of the area’s residents. And what better way to do that than by giving them free access to over 20 of Tokyo’s cultural attractions from museums to art galleries to gardens and even zoos.
Now, considering it’s Citizen’s Day you might be thinking that such a deal is only open to people living in Tokyo, but no! Anyone who can get out here today and today only can get free admission to the following places.
Japan, as we’ve noted before, is allegedly full of ghosts. Now you may or may not believe in such things, but plenty of people in Japan are sure they exist, from the ghosts of murder victims to the spirits of seafood. In fact, there are numerous shinrei (ghost/spirit) spots, where unearthly apparitions are believed to appear regularly throughout the country.
Many of these spots have been identified and information about their locations can be found online. One might assume that this is to help people avoid accidentally going to a place filled with spooks — but that’s not entirely the case! In fact, some want to go to the shinrei spots — and a new taxi tour in Yokohama will gladly to take you on the night ride of your life!
Remember when Tottori Prefecture finally got a Starbucks after all these years of being one of the few places in the world without one? Oh man, that was crazy.
Tottori is just one of those places. The kind of area that’s so quiet and uneventful that not even Starbucks, the corporate giant that’s more than happy to smother historic cultural heritage sites with their over-roasted beans and pricey lattes for a quick buck, spent decades more or less pretending it didn’t even exist. The Prefecture’s population of just over half a million is shockingly small by densely-populated Japan’s standards, and it’s just generally ignored by the rest of Japan as a place that, well… doesn’t have much to see, to put it kindly.
But wait a second! What’s this?! Tottori has been sitting on an amazing tourist draw in the form of a sand sculpture museum that features mind-boggling, award-winning and massive sand sculptures and they basically haven’t even really told anybody about it.
Summer in Japan means heat and humidity — enough such that people will try to cool down by any means necessary, including enjoying a few hair-raising ghost stories. From haunted houses to horror films, there are plenty of ways to get goosebumps in Japan, but today we’ll be taking you to the location of one of Tokyo’s most famous angry spirit!
Though it’s not exactly a shinrei spot (a place where ghosts have allegedly appeared), Taira no Masakada Kubizuka is one of the most famous “ghost” spots in Japan. It’s where Taira no Masakada’s head was enshrined in order to quell his spirit…because people believed it was wrecking havoc on the capital!
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Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Japanese-style afternoon tea in this Japanese manor house outside downtown Tokyo is something special
Mr. Sato shares his own secret Ministop hack to help save the ailing convenience store
TeamLab opening amazing outdoor art exhibit at one of Japan’s more uniquely beautiful gardens【Pics】
Does this video about an abandoned dog leave you wiping your eyes or shaking your fist?
Temple with 600-year-old tree near busy Tokyo station is like a tranquil pocket dimension
Tokyo Station staff share their top 10 favorite ekiben
Japan has vending machines that put protective film on your phone for you — Here’s how to use them
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Getting a driver’s license in Japan the hard way: The first driving test a few more times
Weekly
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw
Move aside, convenience store egg sando – there’s a better version of the iconic sandwich in Japan- Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
Japan’s popular bead bonsai kit is as beautiful as it is gruelling to make
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Final version of Sanrio: Beginning of Kawaii exhibition opens in Tokyo[Photos]
Japan has new rules for bicycle riders, and these 14 things could get you a fine or a court date
Monthly
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events- Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]- Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
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Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday- Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Yearly
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
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Getting a driver’s license in Japan the hard way: The first driving test a few more times
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Police in Japan warn of scam artists posing as cops to collect fines for breaking new bike rules
“Disaster”: 2018 Kanji of the Year unveiled by Buddhist monk at Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto
Kanji fail – Japanese World Cup fans notice Greek player’s strange tattoo
How to speak Japanese like a gyaru【2024 edition】
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
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