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Summary of sightseeing spots on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecutre
Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture is 1.5 times the size of Tokyo’s 23 wards. It would be a bit too much to do on a day trip just to visit the popular tourist spots such as “Sado Gold Mine,” “Tarai Boat” and “Toki (Japanese crested ibis)”! Sado Island is an island in Niigata Prefecture located in the Sea of Japan. Its area is approximately 854 km². It is the second-largest island in Japan, after Okinawa Island, except for the four main islands such as Honshu and except for the Northern Territories. It is about 1.5 times the size of Tokyo’s 23 wards. Since there are few bus services and tourist […]
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Ouchi-juku
It’s like a time trip to the Edo period. The thatched roof and nostalgic atmosphere of Ouchi-juku were very relaxing. “Ouchi-juku” in Shimogo Town, Fukushima Prefecture is one of the best tourist spots in Fukushima Prefecture, located about an hour south of Aizuwakamatsu City by car. In the Edo period, on both sides of the road that connected Aizu and Nikko, there are still about 40 houses with thatched roofs lined up, and the scenery of the post town that still retains the atmosphere of the Edo period remains. It is designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings because the scenery of houses with thatched roofs […]
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Yunokami Onsen
I stayed at Yunokami Onsen Inn because it was close to Ouchi-juku. The hot springs are very comfortable, so I entered three times. Yunokami Onsen, located in Shimogo Town, Fukushima Prefecture, is a hot spring town known for its station building with a thatched roof, which is rare even in Japan. Along the valley of the Agagawa, there are many hot spring inns with a calm appearance, and there are sightseeing spots such as “To-no-Hetsuri” and “Ouchi-juku” in the surrounding area. The history of Yunokami Onsen dates back to the Nara period (8th century), and it is said that villagers found a monkey healing its wounds in the hot spring […]
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Sakurajima
Things to know before traveling! Professor Rabbit will introduce you to the basics of sightseeing in Sakurajima! Sakurajima, floating in Kinko Bay (Kagoshima Bay) in Kagoshima Prefecture, is a volcanic island with an altitude of 1117 m, an area of about 80 km², and a circumference of about 52 km. It used to be an “island”, but in 1914 (Taisho 3) it was connected to the Osumi Peninsula by lava flowed out by a large-scale eruption. Even now, it is an active volcano that repeats small eruptions almost every day, but the four cities of Kagoshima, Kirishima, Tarumizu, and Aira at the foot of the mountain and on the opposite […]
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Ura Bandai (Bandai Kogen Highlands)
Ura Bandai is a highland with wonderful views of many lakes and marshes centered on Mt. Bandai. The drive along the Bandaisan Gold Line from Bandai Kogen Highlands to Lake Inawashiro was very refreshing! Mt. Bandai (altitude 1816m), located almost in the center of Fukushima Prefecture, has records of eruptions in 806 and 1888. The 1888 eruption was a large-scale phreatic explosion that blew away one of the four peaks, causing a debris avalanche that hit Hibara Village (now Kitashiobara Village) at the northern foot of the mountain, burying three villages. The eruption of Mt. Bandai caused many casualties, but on the other hand, it created a beautiful landscape, with […]
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The Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum (GIZA)
You can touch real drift ice at any time in the room to experience freezing temperature at -20°C of the Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum! There were also a lot of swimming “Clione,” the angel of drift ice! The Okhotsk Sea Ice Museum (GIZA) in Monbetsu City, Hokkaido, is a facility where you can experience the world of drift ice all year round. You can touch real drift ice in an extremely cold space at -20°C and see the angel of drift ice “Clione.” Since gloves and warm clothing are available for rent, you can visit the museum dressing light clothes. The origin of the nickname of the museum “GIZA” is […]
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The angel of drift ice “Clione”
The demonic predation scene of “the angel of drift ice” Clione is too scary! The head cracks wide open and the buccal cones pop out! Drift ice is one of the winter features of the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, in the east of Hokkaido. Clione, which is said to “come with the drift ice and leave with the drift ice,” is called “the angel of drift ice” or “the fairy of drift ice” because of its translucent body, red head and red abdomen, and its swimming motion, which looks like an angel flying with its wings fluttering. The scientific name of Clione is “Clione limacina.” The name “Clione” […]
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Nature cruising tour in the sea of Rausu in Hokkaido
I’ve joined a nature cruising tour in the sea of Rausu in Hokkaido! You can enjoy drift ice & bird watching in winter and dolphin & whale watching in summer! The large panorama of the Shiretoko Peninsula and Kunashiri Island was spectacular! Rausu Town in Hokkaido is located on the east side of the Shiretoko Peninsula. In the Nemuro Strait off the coast of Rausu, you can enjoy a nature cruising tour that you can enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Shiretoko Peninsula, a World Natural Heritage Site, and Kunashiri Island in the Northern Territories. You can also observe marine mammals such as orcas, whales, and dolphins in summer, and […]
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The drift ice of the Sea of Okhotsk
A scenic spot for the superb view that you’ll want to see at least once in your lifetime! Visiting Hokkaido to see the drift ice of the Sea of Okhotsk, the mysterious beauty of nature! The northeastern area of Hokkaido, along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, is famous for the drift ice scenery in winter. In addition, Hokkaido is known as the “southern limit of drift ice,” the place where you can see the drift ice in the southernmost part of the Northern Hemisphere. From the coast, you can see drift ice from the middle of January every year, and the best season to see the drift ice […]
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Mt. Bandai (folk song “Aizu Bandaisan”)
Why is Mt. Bandai in Fukushima Prefecture a treasure trove? If you love sleeping in the morning, drinking in the morning, and taking a hot bath in the morning like Shosuke Ohara, is it really no good? Mt. Bandai (alttude 1816m) is a symbolic mountain in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture. The folk song “Aizu Bandaisan”, which sings Mt. Bandai as “Treasure Mountain”, is a Bon Odori festival dance song that has been sung mainly in Aizuwakamatsu City since the beginning of the Meiji era (1868-). Around the beginning of the Showa era (1934), “Aizu Bandaisan” was released by a record company and became famous nationwide. It is counted […]
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The children’s story of “Momotaro”
The children’s story of “Momotaro” is known to every Japanese…, but I found the original story of “Momotaro”! In Japan, from north of Aomori Prefecture to south of Kagoshima Prefecture, many legends use children’s story “Momotaro” as a model. “Momotaro” is a story in which Momotaro, born from a peach, slay demons in Onigashima (island of demons) with a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant. However, in particular, Okayama Prefecture, Kagawa Prefecture, and Aichi Prefecture are famous for three great traditional places of “Momotaro”. The story of “Momotaro” passed down across Japan seems to be closely related to the unification war of Japan by Yamato administration (the name of the Imperial […]
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“Dejima” in Nagasaki Prefecture
Nagasaki’s Dejima, which is in textbooks of history is now filled its surroundings and connected by the land. “Dejima” in Nagasaki Prefecture is an artificial island created in 1636 for the policy of seclusion during the Edo period. The shape of an artificial island is a fan and the total area is about 1500㎡. This is about one-third the size of Tokyo Dome. The construction period was about 2 years and the total construction cost was about 400 million yen in terms of the monetary value as of today. The Edo Shogunate ordered merchants in Nagasaki to create this artificial land. There is an anecdote that when people asked about […]