Dotonbori Glico Sign

Major Japanese manufacturer Glico put up the sign in 1935. The version currently on display is the sixth rendition, remade in 2014. The sign’s happy-looking, smiling male athlete raising both hands and his left leg after scoring is considered symbolic of the city of Osaka itself. From 30 mins after sunset until midnight the sign […]

Mt. Hakodate

The view from Mt. Hakodate is simply magnificent; so much so that it received the highest accolade – 3 stars – from global travel guide book Michelin Green Guide Japan.

Hachiman-zaka

The picturesque scene of the tree lined hill stretching out to the sea is often used in movies and commercials. A major newspaper even ranked it the No.1 hill in Japan.

Kottaro Marsh Observatory

This observatory is located at the northeastern edge of Kushiro Marsh on a small hill. Compared to other observatories in Kushiro Marsh, the view from this observatory is “inferior”. However, if you are lucky, you can see beautiful Japanese cranes. The nearby road is a narrow gravel road, so be careful when driving.

Genroku Sushi

Near the shop there is a hand holding sushi prominently sticking out from a wall, originally installed in 2010. The type of sushi being held is red-fleshed (lean) tuna. Size 2.4m tall, 2.4 wide  

Madame Tussauds Tokyo

Hollywood stars, famous sports athletes, musicians, historically important people, and others are on display as full bodied figures; over 60 personalities are on display. You can touch and take pictures with the figures.

Sapporo Clock Tower

The clock tower was initially built in 1878 to serve as the military drill hall for Hokkaido University.

Rausu Kunashiri Observation Tower

This observatory – located on a hill 167m above sea level — presents a great panoramic view of Rausu city, the Shiretoko mountains, the Nemuro Channel, and Kunashir Island (about 25 km away). Stationed telescopes are available, which is nice.

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 […]

Former Osaka Shosen

The building was built in 1917 in the German architectural style as a branch of the shipping company Osaka Shosen. It was once called “the beauty of the harbor” because of its beautiful exterior with orange tiles and white stone strips in harmony. One of its features is the elaborate design down to the smallest […]

Kokura Castle

Kokura Castle was built by Tadaoki Hosokawa (1563-1646), an influential warlord, over a period of seven years from 1602, and is a symbol of Kitakyushu. Unfortunately, the castle was completely destroyed by fire in 1837 and 1866, but was finally rebuilt in 1959. On the castle grounds are a zone where visitors can learn about […]

Otaru Music Box Museum

The largest music box shop in all of Japan. Inside the brick building built in 1912 is a 9 meter atrium and an attic filled with the warm presence of wood.Around 3,400 various kinds of music boxes are on display and sold. It’s grand sight,Within walking distance from the flagship is a workshop where you […]

CLUB PICCADILLY UMEDA OSAKA

About: The only night club in Kansai to be featured in famous British dance/music magazine DJ Mag’s list of the top 100 nightclubs in the world. Visit the link below to see DJ Mag’s summary. https://djmag.com/top-100-clubs/poll-clubs-2018-club-piccadilly Originally a movie theater, the building has been redeveloped into a high-class, luxury space. It has the largest-scale facilities […]

Mount Io

Mount Io is a 512-meter-high active volcano located between Lake Mashu and Lake Kussharo. Its other name is Atosanupuri, meaning “naked mountain” in Ainu. In the past, it was used as a mine to extract sulfur. With the blue sky in the background, the plumes of smoke and the sound of gurgling are quite impressive. […]

Usu Ropeway

Lake Kussharo

Lake Kussharo, with a circumference of 57 km and an area of 79.3 km2, is the largest caldera lake in Japan. It was formed about 30,000 years ago inside the Kussharo Caldera, which is the largest caldera in Japan, measuring about 26 km east to west and 20 km north to south. Incidentally, the word […]

Goryōkaku Park

If you look at Fort Goryokaku from right above, you’ll see it is shaped like a pentagram. It is the first western style castle and where the last samurais fought the new government army 150 years ago. Today it exists as a park. It’s open from 5am and entrance is free (too generous)! When spring […]

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 […]

Senso-ji

The oldest temple in Tokyo.   Though the temple has the same characters as “Asakusa”, it is read “Senso-ji”, not “Asakusa-dera”. In the year 628, 2 fishermen (brothers), built Senso-ji to enshrine the the bodhisattva of mercy and salvation after going out to nearby Sumida River and catching a statue of the bodhisattva Kannon with […]