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Mikata Five Lakes

The Mikata Five Lakes are located across Mihama Town and Wakasa Town in Fukui Prefecture. They lie within Wakasa Bay Quasi-National Park and collectively refer to five lakes-Lake Mikata, Lake Suigetsu, Lake Suga, Lake Kugushi, and Lake Hyuga. The area is also designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty. From Lake Hyuga, which connects to Wakasa Bay, to Lake Mikata, the most inland of the five, each lake differs in water type (freshwater, seawater, and brackish water) as well as depth.

• Fukui
• Nature Spots

Jindaiji Temple

This temple is renowned for warding off dangers and matchmaking, with a National Treasure, a seated Buddha statue of Shaka Nyorai, located in the Shaka Hall.

• Fuchu, Chofu, Tama
• Shrines & Temples

ONE PIECE Shinkansen

The globally renowned hit series ONE PIECE, beloved for its manga, anime, and live-action adaptation, has teamed up with the SANYO SHINKANSEN, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of its full operation in 2025. This collaboration brings the world of ONE PIECE to life on the tracks, as specially designed trains travel through the Sanyo area-an area between mountains and the sea that closely resembles the setting of the series.

• Osaka
• Hyogo
• Hiroshima
• Okayama
• Yamaguchi
• Shinkansen

Yatsushiro National Fireworks Competition Festival

Held in Yatsushiro City, located in the southern central part of Kumamoto Prefecture, this prestigious event is one of only three national fireworks competitions in Japan-and the only one held in western Japan. Alongside Akita’s famous “Omagari Fireworks” and the Tsuchiura competition in Ibaraki, Yatsushiro’s event is a must-see, representing the pinnacle of pyrotechnics in the west of the country and throughout Kyushu.

• Kumamoto
• Autumn festivals & Events

Kurokawa Onsen

This hot springs village sits along the same river that waters the rice paddies between the northern mountains of Aso. The entire hot springs area is designed seamlessly with nature, with each hilltop inn and connecting halls a separate annex that attaches to the next mountain hill.

• Kumamoto
• Famous Places