AREAS

Sapporo / Otaru

Sapporo is Japan's fifth largest city with a population of 1.9 million, and the largest in the area to the north of Tokyo. During the Meiji period (1868-1912), the Japanese government, eager to fortify its northern defenses, established the Kaitakushi (Development Commission) to develop the then-unknown island of Hokkaido, which was largely inhabited by bears and wolves. A beautiful town was created with streets that crossed at right-angles, and less than 130 years later Sapporo now finds itself developed into a major metropolis. The Winter Olympics were held in Sapporo in 1972, and with many facilities for skiing, skating and other winter sports, Sapporo is a highly attractive town for winter sports fans to visit. The city also hosts various festivals and music fairs in summer, and is often crowded with citizens and tourists.

 

 

 

Echigo Yuzawa

Echigo Yuzawa, located in the south of Niigata Prefecture, has long been known as a hot spring town. The famous novel "Snow Country," written by Kawabata Yasunari, the winner of the Nobel Prize in literature in 1968, is set in Echigo Yuzawa. In recent years, Naeba Ski Resort has become popular as a Mecca for skiers and also as the venue for the Fuji Rock music festival.

 

 

 

Karuizawa

Karuizawa is one of the oldest and most popular summer resorts in Japan. It has thrived and been recognized as a beautiful summer resort since a Canadian missionary of the Anglican Church, Alexander Croft Shaw (1846-1902), built his summer retreat here in the late 19th century after he was attracted by the natural beauty of the surrounding area. It was at a tennis court in Karuizawa where the then Crown Prince Akihito, the present Emperor, met Miss Shoda Michiko, the future Empress.

 

 

 

Akihabara

In Akihabara, usually called "Akiba," many electrical shops of varying sizes line the Chuo-dori and Kanda Myojin-dori streets. The city is famous all over the world as a place to purchase and try out electrical goods, but the face of "Akiba" is changing rapidly.
Now a more balanced range of facilities is appearing, including business premises, restaurants and shops for otaku and anime fans.

 

 

 

Shinjuku

With the relocation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Buildings in 1991 to their current location in Shinjuku, Shinjuku virtually became the new hub of Tokyo. Shinjuku is continually changing and transforming itself, and is a must-see destination on any Tokyo sightseeing tour.
Shinjuku Station is a railway terminal that has connections in every direction. Some 3.6 million incoming and outgoing passengers pass through the station every day, and it was certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as being the station with the largest number of users in the world.
Out in the town, the eastern part of Shinjuku is always full of people around the Kabuki-cho area, a nightlife district bustling with restaurants and bars and also with department stores. To the west you will see the soaring high-rises of the business district as well as many huge electronics stores. The cosmopolitan city of Shinjuku attracts a wide variety of people and can meet the needs of everyone who visits there.

 

 

 

Asakusa

Asakusa is among now very few districts in Tokyo that still preserve the old culture of Edo. Once a flourishing part of old Edo's lively downtown districts with its numerous theaters and show tents, the area still seems to teems with the remnant energy handed down from the residents of long ago.

 

 

 

 

Hamamatsucho

With monorails arriving from and departing for Haneda Airport, Hamamatsucho Station is one of Tokyo's major gateways. Sandwiched by big towns like Shimbashi to the north and Shinagawa to the south, and with a 40-floor World Trade Center Building, this area is both a business district and a sightseeing district.

 

 

 

 

Nikko

With its shrines and temples registered as a World Heritage site, and the surrounding area offering natural beauty and hot springs, Nikko has plenty of charms that attract a great number of sightseers from home and abroad. Each season offers its unique character, with sunbeams streaming through fresh leaves in spring and leaves ablaze with warm colors in autumn. There is something new to discover every time you visit Nikko.

 

 

 

Hakone

Embedded in Hakone National Park's steep cliff-like volcanic humps is Japan's most famous hot spring resort, Hakone. The scenery here seems to have jumped right off the pages of a wood block print, or traditional brush painting. Hakone is blessed with dome shaped mountains and rolling hills sprout up towards the sky out of grassy plains, marshes, and placid Lake Ashi, whose surface mirrors a striking view of majestic blue Mt. Fuji. This region has always been known among Japanese to be the finest spot for a relaxing soak in a natural hot spring. Hakone's hot springs served to ease weary travelers having taken its long mountain passages by horse or foot. And during the Meiji period (1868-1912), Hakone provided foreign tourists a look into its unique world of tradition and natural beauty and that continues to this day.

 

 

 

Kyoto

Kyoto was the capital of Japan for more than 1,000 years, from 794 to 1868. For over ten centuries, Japanese culture centered on and evolved around the reigning Kyoto. In effect, Kyoto is a living, breathing museum full of nature, history and many layers of cultural offerings that interests both Japanese and visitors from afar even in this modern day and age.

 

 

 

Hiroshima / Miyajima

Which city in Japan is the most famous for people all over the world? Besides Tokyo, Hiroshima is. Some Japanese people are surprised to hear that Hiroshima is so famous. Its fame is bigger than they think. Hiroshima has something that attracts people from all over the world. Obviously, Hiroshima is one of the rare cities damaged by the atomic bomb. The other, Nagasaki. Hiroshima A-bomb Dome, located in the center of the city, is inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage list, as a so-called negative legacy.

 

 

 

Okinawa

Okinawa, Japan's southernmost group of islands, is located between Taiwan and the large island of Kyushu in southern Japan and consists of approximately 160 islands. It is the only complete prefecture in Japan classed as being inside a subtropical zone. The average yearly temperature is 22.7 degrees Celsius. It's famous for the beauty of the surrounding seas, coral reefs and forests packed with unique forms of vegetation. Being close to the Asian continent and having traded with Asian countries since early times, Okinawa has its own unique history and different culture from that of the rest of Japan. This can be seen in remains of the Ryukyu Kingdom, traditional crafts and performing arts, unique customs and food. The prefectural capital is the city of Naha in the southern part of Okinawa Honto.