12 Gardens & Parks Niigata's Saito Family Summer Villa Tomoko Kamishima In 1918, a wealthy merchant in Niigata, Saito Kijuro (IV), built a beautiful summer villa; carefully and spaciously planned for..
Historical Shimane: Japan's Well-Kept Secret Featured Shimane prefecture is a coastal area in the west of Honshu — Japan’s main island. While not too far from the popular Hiroshima..
7 Traditional Visiting Odawara Castle Shehzad Lokhandwalla Built in the 1400s by Hojo Soun, Odawara Castle was taken down in the 1800s, then reconstructed in 1960 and remains today.
16 Arts & Crafts Matsumoto Crafts Elena Lisina Samples of crafts such as oshie dolls popular in Matsumoto city.
12 Traditional Horyu-ji Temple's Western Precinct Tomoko Kamishima Horyu-ji Temple's Sai-in (Western) Precinct was established by Prince Shotoku (574-622) for the purpose of training Buddhi..
11 Traditional Ryoan-ji, North West Kyoto Katherine Moore Set in a large garden with a pond, Ryoan-ji is the home of Japan's most famous Zen Garden. Sit in quite contemplation and maybe..
Historical A Hokkaido Adventure: From Obihiro to Kushiro Serena Ogawa Enjoy Hokkaido with this 3-day itinerary taking you from Obikiro to Kushiro.
Etiquette Japanese women and makeup Hiroko Mano Japanese makeup culture. Why most Japanese women wear makeup. Why there are so many makeup stores in Japan.