Korakuen garden

Korakuen is a beautiful landscape garden and Okayama's main attraction. Along with Kanazawa's
Kenrokuen and Mito's Kairakuen, Korakuen is well known as one of Japan's three best landscape gardens. It is situated just beside Okayama Castle, which can be seen from the garden as "borrowed scenery". 

The local feudal lord ordered the construction of Korakuen in 1687 as a place of entertainment for the ruling family and a location for receiving important guests. Occasionally, the public was permitted to enter the garden.  

 

Korakuen is a spacious garden that offers a large pond, streams, walking paths and a hill that serves as a lookout point. Rather unique for a Japanese garden, however, are Korakuen's spacious lawns. Also found in the garden are groves of plum, cherry and maple trees, tea and rice fields, an archery range and a crane aviary. 

Naritasan Shinshoji Temple

It is a large and highly popular Buddhist temple complex in Narita City, not far from Narita Airport. It is recommended site to visit if you have a few hours to spend around the airport and wish to experience historic Japan.

                       

The temple was completed in the year 940 around its main sacred object of worship, a statue of the Buddhist Fudo Myoo deity. Kobo Daishi, the founder of the Shingon Sect and one of the most important figures in Japan's religious history, is said to have carved the statue.

                        
 
One of the attractions is its store lined approach, the Omotesando. Stretching over the entire one kilometer distance from Narita railway stations to the temple, Omotesando is a lively street lined by numerous restaurants and shops, that have been selling traditional crafts, foods and souvenirs.

Kokura Castle

It is located in Kitakyushu, Kyushu region and it was built by Hosokawa Tadaoki in 1602. It was the property of the Ogasawara clan between 1632 and 1860. The castle was destroyed in 1866 in the war between the Kokura and Choshu clans.

  
Mori Ogai was based at the castle at the turn of the 19th-20th century when it was a military base. 

The keep was reconstructed in 1959, and the castle was fully restored in 1990. The Matsumoto Seicho museum and castle garden were opened in 1998.

Shiroyama Park

It is located in downtown Kagoshima that extends over Mount Shiroyama. With an altitude of 107 meters, the mountain formerly served as a castle site, which led to its name. Shiroyama literally means "castle mountain" in Japanese. The castle's former grounds at the base of the mountain now serve as the site of the Reimeikan Museum. 

 

The park is well-known for its Shiroyama Observatory with spectacular views over downtown Kagoshima, Kagoshima Bay and Sakurajima. 

The night view is also recommended, particularly if a clear sky and bright moon allow Sakurajima to remain visible.

Furthermore, the park will contain the interest of travelers interested in Japanese history, as it was the location of the final battle of the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877. The local hero, Saigo Takamori is said to have made his last stand at Saigo Cave, located within the park. 

Shuri Castle

It was the palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom in Okinawa. In 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, it was almost completely destroyed.

Beginning in 1992, it was reconstructed on the original site based on photographs, historical records, and memory.

                       

Because of its central role in Ryukyuan political and religious life, the castle is surrounded by various sites of historical interest, including Shureimon, the main gate to the castle, and the Tamaudun Mauseoleum, the royal tombs located next to Shuri Castle.

Amanohashidate

It is a pine covered sandbar that spans the mouth of Miyazu Bay in the scenic, coastal region of northern Kyoto Prefecture. Viewed from the mountains at either end of the bay, the Amanohashidate Sandbar (which roughly translates to "bridge in heaven") looks like a pathway between heaven and earth. The scene has been admired for centuries and is ranked among Japan's three most scenic views.

Several other attractions can be explored on foot or by rental bicycle at either end of the sandbar. They contain a couple of temples, a shrine, a small amusement park and observation decks from which to enjoy the view.

 
Tourists can take sightseeing cruises around the bay or enjoy the sand beaches along the sandbar.

Ouchijuku

Ouchijuku is located in Fukushima prefecture, a former post town along the Aizu-Nishi Kaido trade route, which  connected Aizu with Nikko during the Edo Period. Restrictions set by the shogunate required travelers to make their long journeys on foot and as a result, post towns developed along the routes to provide travelers with food, accommodations and rest.

 
Today, Ouchijuku has been restored to look as it did in the Edo Period with telephone and electricity wires buried. The unpaved main street is lined by thick thatched roof buildings, which house a variety of shops, restaurants and minshuku (small traditional Japanese inns). Soba noodles and locally caught char fish roasted on sticks are popular specialties.

Ouchijuku is one of the must-see tourist spots in this area.

Chusonji

Chusonji is Hiraizumi's most popular attraction, which was established in 850 as a temple of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. 

The temple came to prominence when the northern branch of the Fujiwara clan moved theirbase to Hiraizumi. At its peak, the temple consisted of a large network of dozens of buildings.

With the fall of the Fujiwara at the end of the 12th century, Chusonji suffered likewise so that now only two buildings from that era remain intact.

Luckily, among these is the most spectacular, the Konjikido. Similar to Kyoto's well known Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion). Konjikido is a hall completely covered in gold.  

 

Kenrokuen garden

Kenrokuen in Kanazawa is classified as one of Japan's three most beautiful landscape gardens along with Kairakuen in Mito and Korakuen in Okayama. 

The spacious grounds used to be the outer garden of Kanazawa Castle and were constructed by the ruling Maeda clan over a period of nearly two centuries. It was opened to the public in 1871, it features a variety of flowering trees which provide the garden with a different look for each season.

The name Kenrokuen literally means Garden of the Six Sublimities, meaning spaciousness, seclusion, artificiality, antiquity, abundant water and broad views, which according to Chinese landscape theory are the six essential attributes that make up a perfect garden.


See the detail as below.
Kenrokuen

Hirosaki Castle

The castle was built in 1611 by the Tsugaru Clan. A three-story castle tower, fortified moats, castle gates and some watchtowers survive or were reconstructed.

  
The castle is located in Hirosaki Park, a spacious public park of about 0.6 square kilometers. The park is one of Japan's best cherry blossom spots. In spring, lots of tourists visit the park to enjouy cherry blossom viewing. 

The castle's original five-story keep burnt down in 1627 after being struck by lightning. Rebuilt in 1810, the present three-story keep is the only one in the Tohoku Region that was not rebuilt in the modern times.　　

Nangoku Hotel in Chiba

General info:
Address:2544-1 Shirahama  Shirahamacho Minamiboso City Chiba Prefecture
TEL:0470-38-5759
Website (Japanese only)
Access:30 minutes by bus from JR Tateyama Sta / 30 minutes by car from Tomiura IC

The hotel offers hot spring and other attractive facilities such as penny arcade, free table tennis and free Karaoke. The hotel itself is aging, but accommodation fees are reasonable.  

The hotel is close to Nojimazaki Lighthouse, which is located at the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula.

Some of the rooms ofter the view of the lighthouse. It is situated about five minutes walk from the hotel.

Check-out time is noon, which is very user-friendly. 

Daio Wasabi Farm

This wasabi farm is located in Azumino, Nagano Prefecture.It is one of the popular tourist spots due to its beautiful watermills and for the river that runs through it.   

A restaurant offers wasabi-flavoured ice cream and other wasabi-themed products.

Outside of Japan, the site is best known for its appearance in the 1990 film Dreams by world famous director Akira Kurosawa in the segment called "Village of the Watermills". 

Yoshida Castle

It is located in Toyohashi city, southeastern Aichi Prefecture. At the end of the Edo period, Yoshida Castle was home to the Inaba clan, feudal lord of Tateyama Domain. It was also known as Imahashi Castle and later as Toyohashi Castle.

The castle is a flat-land style, built on the west bank of the Toyogawa (river). The main bailey was enclosed by a moat, with three three-story watchtower, one two-story watchtower and three gates. 

The second and third baileys were also moated, and had smaller watchtower and fortified gates. Aside from some remnants of the stonework on the moats, nothing remains of the original structures.

Takayama Jinya

It is a former government outpost that was established in order to bring the Hida Province under the direct control of the Edo Shogunate. 

It was established in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture.

 

 The grounds and building are open to the public for a fee, and there is lots of information about the history of the building during the Edo Period displayed inside. It's recommended. 

There is a farmer's market held every morning in front of Takayama Jinya, along with a farmer's market held on the banks of the Miya River.

Iwasaki Castle

It is a hill castle, located in Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture. It was built during the Sengoku period in Owari Province and was a support castle to Shobata Castle.

It is now situated in a two-hectare park. Parts of the castle lie in ruins, including the remains of a well and a watchtower which were discovered during archeological digs. 

The keep, or tenshu, was rebuilt in 1987 out of concrete and holds a museum about the history of the castle.

Kyoto Tower

It stands 131 meters tall just across Kyoto Station. It is Kyoto's tallest building and a rare modern iconic landmark in the city well-known as its ancient temples and shrines. 　

The tower was completed in 1964, the same year as the opening of the shinkansen and the Tokyo Olympics.

 
A viewing platform is located 100 meters　above ground and affords a 360 degree view of Kyoto and as far as Osaka on clear days.


Kyoto Tower stands on top of a typical commercial building, which contains souvenir shops, restaurants and a hotel, as well as a public bath in the basement.
 

Nishio Castle

It is located in Nishio, eastern Aichi Prefecture. At the end of the Edo period, Nishio Castle was home to the Ogyu Matsudaira, Japanese feudal lord of Nishio Domain. 

The castle dates to the Kamakura period with a fortification called Saijo- jō was built by Ashikaga Yoshiuji in around 1221. The territory came under the control of the Tokugawa clan in the Sengoku period, and by order of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Sakai Shigetada reconstucted the castle in 1585 with moats, stone walls, several watchtower, gates and a donjon.The castle was expanded further under Tanaka Yoshimasa, rulers of Sunpu Castle under Toyotomi Hideyoshi.


 

Following the establlishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, the castle became the headquarters of Nishio Domain, which changed hands many times during the Edo period. 

It was dismantled in 1872, following the Meiji Restoration. The current structures include a large watch tower and gate, reconstructed in 1996 to boost local tourism along with a local history museum.

Marugame Castle

It is also known as Kameyama Castle, is a hilltop castle in Marugame City.

It has a commanding view of the city below and overlooks one of the narrowest parts of the Seto Inland Sea. Marugame Castle is one of only twelve castles remaining in Japan that have survived the post feudal ages (since 1868) with their keep buildings intact.

It was originally constructed from 1597 to 1602 by Ikoma Chikamasa, the feudal lord who also built Tamamo Castle in nearby Takamatsu.


However, due to a new policy by the shogun that limited the number of castles per province to just one, The Castle was abandoned again just 13 years after its completion. The castle was rebuilt in 1660 after the province had been split into two. 

Over the centuries many of the castle buildings were destroyed by fires, and now only the original keep and several of the castle gates remain.

Kinugawa Hot Springs

It is one of the popular hot spring destinations near Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture, Kanto region. The clear, mild waters that flow from the area's hot springs have been in use since the Edo Period (1603-1867), and can be experienced at Kinugawa Hot Spring's ryokan and public baths.

Most visitors overnight at one of the largest hotel ryokan overlooking the Kinugawa River. Each of the ryokan has its own baths, some of which are open to non-staying guests during daytime.

Additionally, there are several public baths that are open to anybody. A few free foot baths are also available around Kinugawa Hot Springs.