Kyushu National Museum

One of only four national museums in Japan. (The others are located in Tokyo, Nara, and Kyoto.) Based on the concept of “understanding the formation of Japanese culture from an Asian historical perspective,” the museum introduces the history of cultural exchange with other Asian regions in five easy-to-understand themes. The museum’s greatest feature is that […]

Sōhonzan Shitennōji

A temple with a long history, a rarity in Osaka. It is the first ever state-sponsored temple in Japan built by order of Prince Shotoku (574-622) in 593. He was also a magnificent statesman who is revered by Japanese even today. Shitennōji has been destroyed countless times by fire caused by wars, lightening, and typhoons, […]

THE GUNDAM BASE TOKYO

A comprehensive store of Gundam plastic models. The encompassing 2,000 m2 of space is divided into ‘Shop’, ‘Builder’s’, ‘Factory’, and ‘Event’; an absolutely wonderful space for Gundam fans. Conversely, if you’re not into Gundam, it’s a place with no meaning.

Motomachi Park

A park – full of verdant greenery stylistically similar to a garden – which also offers an unobstructed view of Hakodate harbor. The building that stands on the site is the former Hokkaido Prefectural Office, built over 100 years ago.

Doraemon Wakuwaku Sky Park

Themed after Doraemon’s “himitsu no dogu” (secret gadgets). Various attractions and a strange photography spot are inside the park, as well as a shop and a cafe.

GENIUS TOKYO

This is one of the largest discos in Tokyo, located in Ginza. As a long-established disco (though this is its 13th year), it has been consistently lively. Because of its location, many customers work in Ginza, and on weekends the floor is packed with businessmen and office workers on their way home from work. The […]

Carl Ojisan

“Carl Ojisan” is a simple, farmer-like bearded old man and the character that represents the “curl” snack. The sign was originally made by large food company Meiji Seika in 2008. On the hour, Kerota a frog comes out of his hat. Although once popular, in recent years the snack’s popularity has slumped and it is […]

知念岬公園

太平洋に向かって突き出した岬の先端にある公園で、あまり人が多くない“穴場”だ。 高台にあり、三方が海に囲まれているので、視界を遮るものがなく非常に眺めが良い。 公園の下は、エメラルドグリーンの珊瑚礁となっており、その先はグラデ―ジョンが美しいコバルトブルーの海と水平線、青い空が広がっている。 そして沖縄で“神の島”と呼ばれている久高島も間近に見える。 また、知念岬は東側に向かって開けているので、海から昇ってくる真っ赤な太陽を見ることが出来る“日の出観賞スポット”としても有名だ。 そして周りに光源がほとんどない場所なので、夜は星空や月が非常にクリアに見える。 公園内はきれいに整備されており、赤瓦屋根の東屋や歩きやすい遊歩道があるので、散策すると非常に気持ちが良い。 なお、公園内に売店やレストランなどはない。

Horie

Horie is perhaps the most refined and high-class area of Osaka, full of shops (including fashion, general goods, furniture), cafes and so on. If the nearby “America mura” is the place for rebellious young people, then Horie is the place for trendy young people. Horie is more open and spacious in comparison to the other […]

OWL OSAKA

About: A high-quality and trendy nightclub with a white owl as its logo. The lighting and interior design is extravagant and the sound quality is also good. Many world-class DJs perform here. Although always busy at night, before the last train in particular the energy in the club peaks and people tend to get excited. […]

Dazaifu Tenmangu (Shrine)

The Imperial Palace

The Tokyo Imperial Palace – residence and palace of the Emperor – holds all sorts of official events; the Imperial Household Agency is located on Imperial Palace grounds too. If you include the outer gardens of the Imperial Palace, a total of 2.3 million sq m of flush greenery sits in the middle of Tokyo, […]

Ueno Farm

The garden is considered to be Japan’s “holy place for gardening” and is visited by tourists and gardening enthusiasts from all over Japan. Over 2,000 varieties of carefully selected flowers and plants suited to the northern climate have been planted on the 13,000 sq m site. The garden, which was created through a process of […]

Ice Breaker Garingo

Get up close and personal with the drift ice on this sightseeing boat from/to Monbetsu Port. The 1 hour cruise runs from mid-January to the end of March. Originally built for oil field development in Alaska, the Garingo II is a beautiful red-bodied icebreaker. The two special screws at the bow of the ship break […]

Kumanoyu Hot Spring

This is an open-air bath built by the local people on the side of the Rausu River. Two separate rock baths are available for men and women in a primeval forest. The men’s bath is very spacious and has no enclosure, so visitors can enjoy bathing while viewing the mountain stream and virgin forest. The […]

Usu Ropeway

Shiretoko Sightseeing Boat “Aurora”

This is cruise takes passengers on a large ferry to the west coast of the Shiretoko Peninsula, where precipitous cliffs continue. There are two courses: Secret ground Shiretoko Cape route Departs from Utoro Port and returns to Shiretoko Cape in 3 hours and 45 minutes (operates from June–September) Kamuiwakka Waterfall Route Returns to Kamuiwakka Waterfall […]

Kitaichi Glass Sangokan

Kitaichi Glass’ largest shop of more than 10 in Otaru City. Each floor of the dignified stone building – constructed in 1891 – presents a different theme of outstanding glass works. On the first floor is a lamp that looks like something from a fantasy, lighting up the cafe where you can be entertained with […]

Nezu Shrine

This venerable shrine is said to have been founded by Yamato Takeru (72-114), a legendary hero in ancient Japanese history, and has a history of more than 1,900 years. It is one of the ten shrines of Tokyo and often appears in period dramas on Japanese television. The shrine pavilion, built in 1706, is the […]

Lake Akan Ainu Kotan

In a corner of the Lake Akan hot spring resort, there is the Ainu Village, the largest Ainu village in Japan, where about 30 houses and 120 people live. The Ainu Theater Ikoro (where Ainu dances are performed), two museums introducing the culture, souvenir stores selling wood carving goods, and restaurants that serve Ainu local […]

Lavender East

The largest lavender field in Japan is operated by Farm Tomita, with approximately 90,000 lavender plants on a 140,000㎡ site. It is open to the public only in July. The view from the observation deck in the center of the grounds is splendid. The lavender fields spread out below you, and you can see the […]