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.