As one of Japan's mythical three holy mountains of Dewa, Mt Haguro is surrounded by a lush forest and has been welcoming visitors to its peak since the 6th Century A.D. [...]
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Hanitsu Jinja is one of Aizuwakamatsu (Fukushima) shrines that honor Aizu 's first feudal lord, Masayuki Hoshina. Built-in 1675, the Shrine was at that time a gorgeous and opulent shrine often compared to Nikko's Toshogu Shrine. Unfortunately destroyed during the Boshin War, [...]
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While not being a military school per se, the Nisshinkan Samurai School was designed to produce elite members of the Society where sons of Samurai families entered at age ten to master all arts, ranging from the art of war, politics, history, and science. Also, unique for its time, [...]
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Ouchi-Juku is a former post town along the Aizu-Nishi Kaido trade route in Fukushima, 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 […]
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Located on the outskirts of the former post town of Ouchijuku near the Aizu Nishi Kaido trade route, the Takaura Shrine is a gorgeous little shrine dedicated to Prince Mochihito who died in June 1180. Near the beginning of the Genpei War (1180–1185) during the Uji battle [...]
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Located near Wakayama City, Awashima Jinja is a Japanese shrine-like no other. It’s known as the Memorial dolls shrine. Being first and foremost a shrine dedicated to women and where women come to pray for fertility and other health-related matters, Awashima Jinja is also famous for being the […]
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Located in the beautiful, narrow streets of Higashiyama district, the Hokan-ji temple and its famous Yasaka No To (or the tower of Yasaka), is one of the most picturesque views in Japan. Founded during the Asuka era (593-710), Hokan-ji is now a famous Buddhist temple [...]
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Located in the heart of Kyoto south of the famous Gion Geiko District, you will find the beautiful Kennin-ji Zen temple (also known as Kenninji). Now before going any further on Kennin-ji, we would like to first explain the difference between Geisha and Geiko. [...]
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The Oto fire festival is held every year on the 6th of February at Kamikura Jinja Shrine in Wakayama prefecture. It has the honor of being among Japan's most famous Matsuri with around 1,500 to 2,000 participants joining every year for over 1,400 years [...]
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Most famous and accessible spots to enjoy views of Mount Fuji are located in Yamanashi prefecture around its many gorgeous lakes. Shizuoka prefecture also has a lot to offer in that respect such as the many, not often talked about, spots in Numazu. [...]
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Located in Osio in Kanagawa prefecture, Oiso No Sagicho is a 400-year-old Matsuri (festival) celebrating a guardian deity for travelers called a Dosojin as well as being known as Oiso or ‘Little New Year’. [...]
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Every year on the 7th of January, in the small village of Yanaizu in central Fukushima, you can enjoy a fantastic and unique festival, the Nanokado Hadaka Mairi, or in English the Yanaizu Naked Man Festival. [...]
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