When you visit Sendai, what you can not miss out on is the Sendai Morning Market (仙台朝市). This market began shortly after the WWII air raid and is now filled with stalls selling fresh local produce. The price tags here are so friendly that citizens of other prefectures travel to Sendai for their grocery shopping
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In Sendai, apart from the Sendai Castle, there are a few more spots in the city center where you can overlook the cityscape of the City of Trees. The good news is that two of them are close to Sendai Station, making it easy for us to access these free observation decks!
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When visiting Sendai, a must-see shrine is Osaki Hachimangu Shrine (大崎八幡宮). It is the only place in the Tohōku region that houses a National Treasure. The shrine was erected in 1607 as the guardian shrine of Sendai and carries Date Masamune’s (伊達政宗, the first lord of Sendai Domain) hope of bringing happiness to his subjects.
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Kawagoe is Saitama’s most renowned tourist spot. If it is on your itinerary, having Kura no Machi Ichibangai Street (蔵の街一番街) on your itinerary is a must. The main street in the old Kawagoe warehouse district is where you can find the majority of the Kurazukuri townscape from the Edo period. The street isn’t just about
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Mt. Hiei or Hieizan (比叡山), a mountain lying on the border between Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, is considered one of the Three Holiest Places in Japan together with Kōyasan (高野山) and Mt. Osore (恐山). The worship halls and pagodas of the World Heritage Enryakuji Temple (延暦寺) are scattered throughout the mountain. The temple, which is
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If you are looking to enjoy the stunning nature of rural Nagano Prefecture, Togakushi (戸隠), which receives approximately 150 thousand visitors yearly, will be one of your top options. The village situated at the foot of Mt. Togakushi in Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park (妙高戸隠連山国立公園) is a must-see in Nagano. The small Japanese village has a
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Planning a trip to Togakushi in Nagano? Don’t miss out on the Togakushi Soba, one of Japan’s three great buckwheat noodles. The locals take their soba noodles so seriously that there is even a soba festival held in autumn once a year! Read on for everything you need to know about the Togakushi Soba Festival
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If you are after a couple of hidden gem places to visit around Kyoto, consider Kameoka. The city that is at the end of the popular Sagano Romantic Train (嵯峨野トロッコ列車) is where you can enjoy Japan’s countryside vibe. Alighting the Sagano Romantic Train at Torokko Kameoka Station, you will be stepping into a scenic city
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The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート) is a scenic route that traverses the Japanese Northern Alps, connecting Toyama and Nagano Prefectures. Known as the Roof of Japan, Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route opens on April 15 and closes on November 30 each year. This spectacular route is renowned for its magnificent 20-meter snow wall at the
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Saitō (西塔) is a quiet place deep in Mt. Hiei in beautiful cedar forests in the west founded by Enchō (円澄), also known as Jikukō Daishi (寂光大師). While the number of attractions here isn’t as many as in the Tōdō area, we loved our visit to Saitō. It wasn’t as busy as Tōdō. The atmosphere here
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