| JAPAN HIGHLIGHTS |
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HOKKAIDO
Japan's northern island Hokkaido, is nature's
paradise, used to the Ainu land. Sapporo
attracts many winter visitors for the February
Snow Festival,when snow figures some famous
constructions and cartoon characters.
Otaru is famous for Otaru Canel reminds us
the pioneer days, and for the Sushi Restaurant
Street offers us the freshest sushi in the
world. The largest ski slopes in the area,
the Niseko Ski Resort is situated not far
from Otaru.
Hakodate has Japan's best night landscapes
from nearby mountain sticking to the sea.
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Furano is famous for its beautiful lavender
fields, which blooms
in full color from June
to July.
Mt.Taisetsu is the center of Hokkaido island
surrounded by many hot springs.
Biei has what you cannot see in other part
of Japan.
In the eastern and northern Hokkaido, The
Kushiro Shitsugen is an extensive national
park with beautiful lakes, such as Lake Mashu,
Lake Akan and Lake Kussharo are spread around
the outskirts of Kushiro. Shiretoko Peninsula
has the best primitive landscape covered
with ice cube from Sea of Okhotsk in winter
time. |
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NOTTHERN HONSHU
The summer becomes most hottest season for
Tohoku people, the festivals include the
Aomori Nebuta Festival, where people parade
down the main street with floats of warrior
figures, the Akita Kanto Festival, where
more than 200 kantos (bamboo poles hung with
lanterns) sway on the boulevard, and the
Sendai Tanabata Festival, which is one of
the three major festivals in Tohoku. Northern Tohoku, Hirosaki Castle is a national
important cultural building. The Shirakami
mountain range that velvets to Aomori and
Akita is as a world heritage. Kakunodate
is a historic town with samurai residences
and storehouses. Hiraizumi was originally
modeled on Kyoto and is the site of the noted
Chusonji Temple built in 1109. It is famous
for its gold covered Amitabha Hall and Golden
all.
Southern Tohoku centered by Sendai, the largest
city in Tohoku called the 'forest capital'.
Mt.Zao, located between Yamagata and Miyagi
prefectures, attracts skiers and onseners.
Yamadera Temple has its famous poem, 'Shizukesaya
Iwani Shimiiru Seminokoe' by Basho Matsuo.
Aizu-Wakamatsu city is the castle town of
Tsurugajo Castle. Nearby Mt.Bandai and Lake
Inawashiro, which is world-renowned for its
natural beauty in color.
Niigata, about 90 minutes from Tokyo, is
one of the world's snowiest areas and, as
such, attracts large numbers of skiers throughout
the winter. Sado Island in Niigata is the
fifth largest of Japan's islands on the way
to Russia. |
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CENTRAL HONSHU
Central Honshu have the backbone of Japan,
the Northern Japan Alps and Southern Japan
Alps, which rise to 3,000m and more.
Mt.Fuji is one of the most famous mountain
throughout the world, and is the symbol of
Japan. Izu Peninsula is a popular resort
area for Tokyo people. There are open-air
hot-springs that view Mt.Fuji and/or pacific
ocean.
Nagoya is the largest city in central honshu
holds the Expo 2005, recently opened unique
airport called Centrair with hot spring inside
the terminal. Nagoya Castle, originally a
residence and military headquarters for Tokugawa
Ieyasu.
Hida-Takayama where you feel the best of
traditional Japan. Shirakawago is an intermountain
village registered as a world heritage site.
Old wooden houses called Gassho-Zukuri, constructed
with thatch, remains as it used to be for
hundreds years.
The Kenrokuen in Kanazawa is one of Japan's
three most beautiful gardens. Kanazawa has
21st Century Museum as well. The Noto Peninsula
has unique atomosphere stick into the Japan
Sea. A 90 minutes train ride from Kanazawa
via Fukui takes you to Eiheiji Temple, celebrated
as one of the headquarters of the Soto sect
of Zen Buddhism.
Tateyama mountains and Kurobe canyon are
knows as a cool point of summer time. Tateyama
Kurobe Alpine Route is not JR, but very recommended
for the scenic route.
Nagano became world-famous as the host for
the 1998 Winter Olympics. The Zenkoji Temple
is a representative old temple of Nagano.
The main tower of Matsumoto Castle in the
city of Matsumoto is nicknamed as Crow Castle
because of its black walls. |
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AROUND TOKYO
Of course, the capital of Japan, Tokyo, is
located center of Japan. The region not only
has the biggest city in the world, but also
has some premitive beauties in nature such
as Nikko, Okutama, Mitsumine and more. Nikko
remains of historical constructions reflect
its glory during the Edo Period when it flourished
as an area associated with the Tokugawa Shogun.
Day trips to popular sightseeing areas and
historical sites can be made from Tokyo.
Such areas include Yokohama, which has one
of the largest ports in Japan, the ancient
city of Kamakura, which used to be operated
by Ashikaga samurai in 12 and 13 centries,
and the hot-springs area of Hakone, which
orginated in the old Nara Period. Oze has
a nice walking trail over wetland located
1,400m above sea level, extending through
Gunma, Fukushima and Niigata, three prefectures.
Kusatsu, Ikaho, Shima and Takaragawa are
the famous for hot-spring. |
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AROUND KYOTO
Kyoto had been Japan's capital for over 1,000
years (from AD794), and during that time
became the best of Japanese art, culture,
religion, and thought. Located some 500km
west of Tokyo, Kyoto can be reached in 2
hrs. 50 min. by Shinkansen super express
from Tokyo.
Nara was also a major center of Japan's arts,
crafts, literature, and industries. The most
famous and national treasured class attraction
is Todaiji Temple, where the Great
Buddha sits under the wooden roof. And Horyuji
Temple is the oldest temple complex in Japan.
Osaka is the central city of west Japan with
a population of 3 million. The Osaka castle
is the symbol of their heart and spirt, although
they lost their originality by adding the
Universal Studio.
Kobe is the one of Japan's main ports as
well as the Japan's main China Town, along
with Yokohama, Nearby Akashi has national
longest bridge connects Awaji Island. Mt.
Rokko, located near Kobe city, has one of
the spectacular night view over the port.
Himeji Castle is registered as a world cultural
heritage site.
Mt. Koya was founded in 816 by Kobo Daishi
Kukai, the great Shingon sect of Buddhism,
the monastery is consist of over 120 temples.
Kumano Kodo, which is an old religious pilgrimage
path, has just achieved world heritage registration
in 2004. People come to this path after the
Shikoku88 temples.
Lake Biwa with its small sacred island inside
is the largest lake in Japan and it offers
various chances like fishing, swimming, boating
and camping. |
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WESTERN HONSHU
The Japan's Mediterranean Sea, Seto-Naikai,
is surrounded by the three main islands of
Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Because of the
strategic reason, during World War, Japan
made her best battleships in this area. Chugoku
locates in the far west of Honshu, main island.
Shikoku (literally four countries), Japan's
fouth largest island, can be reached via
the Seto Ohashi Bridge.
Tottori Sand Dunes lasts 5km along the Japan
Sea where you can ride 'imported' camel.
Izumo Shrine, which origins go back to the
times of Japanese myth, is situated in the
eastern part of Shimane Prefecture known
as the Izumo region. The atmosphere of a
historical castle town can be felt in Matsue,
which is referred to as the 'Water Capital'
because of her bordering to lakes, seas and
rivers. The higest peak of the Chugoku region
is Mt. Daisen where you can ski in winter
time.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial and The Dome
are symbols of everlasting peace, portraying
the horror of atom bombs which we don't want
to see anymore anywhere in our universe.
Warehouses with white colored wall stand
along the Kurashiki River in Kurashiki. Miyajima
is included as one of the Three Views of
Japan, is an island in the Seto Inland Sea,
also called as floating shrine. The Itsukushima
Shrine is located on the island and is known
as the center of the island's belief. |
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SHIKOKU
Shikoku has 88 Temples
which attract young
and old for their
enlightment and impermanence
of life and death.
Matsuyama holds the
oldest hot-spring in
Japan called Dogo
Onsen. The Shimanto River
is one of the clearest
streams in Japan (no
damn dams!).
Should you be interested in the Pilgrimage,
we'd also like to invite you to hit and surf
on this or below. |
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KYUSHU
Lodated in the north
of Kyushu, Fukuoka is
the transport hub
of Kyushu, also connected
to South Korea by
ferry and flight, as well
as the center of
economy and administration.
Dazaifu Temmangu
Shrine is the God of education,
sister of Yushima
Shrine in Ueno, Tokyo.
A port town, Nagasaki,
developed her ties
with foreign countries
especially Holland
and China in early
era. Huis Ten Bosch is
a theme park with
17th century Holland. A
Nagawaki Peace Park
was established at the
epi-center of the
atom bomb blast to appeal
the everlasting peace.
The generous nature
of Kyushu where our emperor
landed from heaven,
has stunning hot springs
and mountains, can
be seen in Beppu, Aso
and Kirishima. The
Aso Panorama Line, a large-scale
landscape on the
plateau access to the active
vocano Mt. Aso. Kumamoto
Castle, constructed
in 1608, is one of
Japan's three beautiful
castles. Beppu is
a hot-springs town with
one of the greatest
quantity water from the
earth. Yufuin is
another well-known hot springs
region in mountain
area, surrounded by beautiful
nature.
Southern Kyushu is pleased with a warm climate
throughout the year which has almost a tropical
atmosphere. Sakurajima is most active mountains
in the island, errupts ashes all over the
city. The "sand bath" where one
is buried under heated sand evaporated by
underneath hot-spring, is a specialty of
Ibusuki in southern Kagoshima. One of the
largest evergreen forests in Japan can be
observed on Yakushima Island, located 4 hours
slow ferry ride from Kagoshima port, you
can feel the 8,000 years giant trees. |
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OKINAWA and ISLANDS
Okinawa is world-class beautiful seas and
white sand beaches of the tropical island.
The Shuri Castle belonged to the Ryukyu Dynasty,
which reigned in Okinawa for 450 years from
1429 till USA occupation. Kita-Daitoujima
and Minami-Daitoujima were inhabited only
after 1900. The first settle came from Hachijo-jima
(south of Tokyo). The main island has one
mono-rail from the airport to the city center.
Western most island called Yonaguni is only
110km away from Taiwan. |
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