Miyama Park (みやま公園) in Tamano City is an enormous park that boasts a size of more than 200 hectares. It hosts 150,000 trees spanning more than 300 species, including plums, camellias, azaleas, maples, and about 7,000 cherry trees that bloom one after another throughout the year!
Miyama Park – The Best Park in Tamano City Read More »
Located in the western part of Iwate Prefecture in northeast Japan, Appi Kōgen (安比高原) is an alluringly beautiful place for relaxing walks along the plateau from spring to autumn. When the region transforms into a winter wonderland, many flocks to Appi Kōgen for skiing or snowboarding on its high-quality snow because Appi Ski Resort is
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Sone Tenmangū (曽根天満宮), enshrining Sugawara no Michizane (菅原道真), was erected by his fourth son and 13 retainers after he passed away in Dazaifu, Kyushu. The spot proves that Michizane was wrongly demoted for a crime he didn’t commit. In addition to the pine that is the shrine’s symbol, around 200 plums of 40 varieties bloom
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At the border between Ikeda City (池田市) and Minoo City (箕面市) is the Satsukiyama or Mt. Satsuki (五月山). The 315-meter-tall mountain is the symbol of Ikeda City. Known for its great viewpoint overlooking the Osaka Plain, many tourists would come to the summit of Satsukiyama for the night view as the lights down in the
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Like other Tenman shrines in Japan, the Sanda Tenman Shrine (三田天満神社) has Sugawara no Michizane (菅原道真) as the main god. His favorite flower, plum blossom, is thus planted in the precinct. In fact, the 200-year-old plum isn’t just another plum on the street. The plum is called Tobi-Ume (飛び梅), the same plum as the one
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Tamagawa Onsen (玉川温泉) in Akita Prefecture is a special hot spring resort. It consists of two ryokans (traditional Japanese inns) nestled in the mountains of Towada-Hachimantai National Park. Why is it special? Because it is ranked number one for both the acidity of the spring at pH1.2 and the amount of spring water gushing out
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Anyone who has been to or even heard of Shibuya Station (渋谷駅) knows there is a Hachikō statue there. Hachikō wasn’t just another Akita around the corner. Due to his fierce loyalty to his first owner, he gained the deepest respect from the community that even a statue of him was made and then placed
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Ōdate City (大館市) in Akita Prefecture is where loyal Hachikō came from. Although most of his life was spent in Tokyo, you can find Hachikō’s statues all over the city! So, one of the reasons that people visit his hometown is to see the Akitas. It is hard to resist to not love those cute,
Where to Meet the Akitas in Hachikō’s Hometown: Ōdate City Read More »
After exploring Hirosaki, you might feel like you haven’t experienced enough of the Tsugaru region’s hospitality. You decide to hop on a train and are on your way to the sister-like city, Kuroishi. During the 50-minute train ride, you might look out the window and think, “I wonder whether there is anything interesting to see along this
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When we first saw a picture of the rice field art (or rice paddy art), we thought, “Ah, who destroyed the rice field by putting paint on those poor plants…”. And then, when we were told the drawings were formed by planting various types of rice to create different colors at different spots of the
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