Activities Shimoda - Gyokusenji & Tsumekizaki David Hallman Part 3 of this Shimoda series takes us on a drive to the outskirts of the city to a famous temple of diplomatic importance en route..
Beauty & Spa Scenic Kawaguchiko Andrew Checkley Of the five lakes cooling Mt. Fuji’s toes, Kawaguchiko is the most popular and most developed.
Food Ishin Tsukemen Restaurant in Yuzawa Rufus Starbuck Two ramen shops on R17 in Yuzawa. One offers traditional ramen, the other tsukemen with the soup and noodles separate. The noodles..
Accommodation The Italia Ken Hotel in Niigata Tomoko Kamishima The Italia Ken, a long-established hotel located in Niigata city’s famous old district, Furumachi, still keeps its unique flav..
Culture Maruoka Castle Bryan Baier Built in 1576, this hilltop castle is the oldest remaining castle in Japan
Shopping Kyu-Karuizawa Shopping Street Peter Sidell In the resort town of Karuizawa in Japan's Nagano prefecture, there's a pedestrianized kilometer of stores selling sou..
7 Culture Suwa Taisha (Suwa Grand Shrine) Brian Wood-Koiwa Suwa Taisha (Suwa Grand Shrine) houses the four largest logs of the Onbashira festival and a tree that snores when it lowers its..
Food Diavolo e Bambina Trattoria Justin Dart Diavolo e Bambina provides wonderful service, good Italian food all in a traditional Minka-style Japanese row house only 10 minutes..
