Shirogane Blue Pond

The pond’s crystal blue appearance, as though something had melted in the water, and the decayed larch surrounding it gives the pond a mysterious aura yet awesome vibe. The blue pond suddenly rose to international fame when it was once selected as one of Apple computer’s wallpaper. Now, this pond is by no means old. […]

Imperial Palace East Gardens (Observation of Inner Palace Grounds)

Part of the Edo Castle was turned into the Imperial Palace East Gardens when constructing the palace for the Emperor. It is necessary to register at Otemon (gate), but reservations in advance is not necessary and it’s free! *The inner grounds is massive, use the map below to get your bearings. Below are the main […]

Lake Toya Pleasure Boat

A 50 min cruise on large boats such as the “Espoir” — designed to look like an old castle from the Middle Ages. The natural scenery of the lake and mountains seen from the ship is wonderful and healing. The boat cruises around the four islands, and visitors can disembark and go for a walk […]

Usu Ropeway

Lake Akan Hot Springs

Due to the volcanic land, the area around Lake Akan gush with high quality hot springs; one hot spring town on the lake’s south shore has around 20 lodging facilities. Among them, roughly 10 of the lodges (like the 2 below) allow you to enjoy their hot spring for about ¥1500 without having to stay […]

Otaru Canal

The canal – completed in 1923 – spans 1,140 meters in length and a sightseeing highlight. Along the canal, a promenade and stone brick warehouses stand seeming nostalgic. Once dusk settles in, a romantic fairy-tale-like scene emerges as the promenade and brick warehouses come to life from the warm glow of gas lamps. Nowadays, the […]

Kushiro City Red-crowned Crane Natural Park

YANAGAWA TACHIBANA-TEI OHANA

The Tachibana Residence was built in 1738 by the fifth lord of the Yanagawa domain as his private residence. In 1910 during the Meiji period (1868-1912), a guest house and Japanese garden were built, and today the entire 23,100 m2 site is designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty in Japan.

Super Kids Land Main Store

A shop specializing in anime/manga characters – mainly figurines and plastic models. The first floor contains figurines, while the second floor contains Gundam products. The large Gundam at the entrance serves as a landmark.

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.

Abashiri Drift Ice Sightseeing & Icebreaker Ship – Aurora

Get up close and personal with this sightseeing cruise from Abashiri Port. The cruise lasts for about 1 hour and runs from the end of January to the beginning of April. All 491 tons of the ship break the ice blocks apart as it marvelously moves forward, and because of its large size there is […]

Kushida Shrine

The shrine is widely known and beloved by Fukuoka citizens as “Okushida-san”, the chief guardian of the city of Hakata. The shrine is also the site of Hakata Gion Yamakasa, a summer festival famous throughout Japan, and Hakata Okunchi, an autumn festival. Located near the southern entrance to the Kamikawabata shopping street, the shrine is […]

Asahiyama Zoo

It is one of the most popular zoos in Japan, with approximately 1.4 million annual visitors. Encompassing the 152,000m2 zoo are over 110 species of 650 different kinds of animals, but there aren’t any “superstar” or rare animals like pandas (although there are red pandas here). And while there are animals from Hokkaido, there is […]

Munakata Taisha

Kuidaore Taro

The Kuidaore Taro doll dressed in red and white striped clothes and large black and dark rimmed glasses holding a taiko drum is considered a very famous and popular figure in Kansai. It was originally the mascot of a large restaurant chain Osaka Meibutsu Kuidaore which was established in 1949 and went on to achieve […]

Kushikatsu Daruma “Daruma Daijin”

A large-scale, scary-looking old man based on the fourth shop owner was put in place in 2008 and remained there ever since. There is also a full-body version in front of the shop. Size 6.4m tall, 4.1m wide Photo tips Try taking two shots with the full body in front of the store

Hakata Gion Yamakasa

It is a Shinto ritual dedicated to Kushida Shrine, known as the chief deity of the Hakata area of Fukuoka City, and has a long history of about 800 years. In 2016, it was registered as a World Heritage SiteINtangible Cultural Heritage) by UNESCO, along with 32 other festivals around Japan. Drawing approx. 3.5 million […]

Tochoji Temple

Tochoji Temple was first founded in 806 by Kobo Daishi (774-835)—the founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, a form of esoteric Buddhism—and a very famous high priest in Japan. It it also the first temple he founded. It houses the Fukuoka Daibutsu, the largest wooden seated statue of Shaka Nyorai in Japan. Made from […]

Outer Gardens of the Imperial Palace (Kokyo Gaien)

Free to roam at anytime the Japanese black pine trees and beautiful green grass laid out in the open space is a nice scene to take in. Interestingly, during the Edo period, this area was occupied with houses of senior statesmen. Below are the main viewing attractions. Nijubashi 2 bridges connect the outer gardens over […]

Yunohana Hotel

A total of 5 baths including cedar and rock bath are located on the 1st floor; the open air bath is on the 2nd floor. Both are right next to the sea boasting great views.