Jade Coast
A gravel beach in Itoigawa City, known as the production area of jade, a gemstone popular in the East. It’s said that if you’re lucky you can even find jade here that made its way from Kotakigawa Jade Gorge, a designated natural monument in Japan, after many many years.
Whether you love hiking, camping, picnicking, snorkeling, or cycling, you can do it all here in Itoigawa! 🥹
Nishina Three Lakes
The Nishina Three Lakes consists of Lake Aoki, Lake Nakatsuna, and Lake Kizaki. Lake Aoki, the largest of the three, offers a range of seasonal views, including Oyamazakura in spring and fireflies in early summer. Particularly recommended is autumn, when you can enjoy the stunning view of the lake, autumn leaves, and the three mountains of Hakuba overlapping.
Lake Aoki is the best spot for water sports in the summer. Whether it's canoeing, kayaking, or SUP, you can do it all here! 💪
Chobo no Sato (Scenic Village)
This 1000m-high lookout spot offers a spectacular view of the Northern Alps as they tower from south to north. Feast your eyes in a grand panorama from Jigadake in Ono City, Nagano Prefecture in the south, to Myojosan in Itoigawa City, Niigata Prefecture in the north. If the weather is just right, a sea of clouds will roll in the valleys below, billowing at your feet like a mystic landscape. Around the area you’ll even find gorgeous blooms all year around, like cherry blossoms and daffodils in spring.
There are flowers and plants here all year round 🪴. You can also enjoy the sunrise, sunset, and a sky full of stars. It's really amazing.
Nagasaki City Dinosaur Museum
A geological stratum formed 81 million years ago during the dinosaur era in Nagasaki peninsula. In the dinosaur speciality museum, about 180 samples, mainly fossils found in the stratum, are exhibited. A permanent exhibition room is parted into five categories, Land of Nagasaki, Age of Dinosaur, Age of Burning Stone, and so on, at each of which easy explanations are provided.
A must-visit for dinosaur fans! There are real dinosaur fossils here—absolutely mind-blowing to see them up close.
d47 MUSEUM
This design museum is located on the 8th floor of Shibuya Hikarie. d stands for “design”. 47 refers to the number of prefectures in Japan. Designed items based on each prefecture are presented across various periods. Themes include architecture, craftsmanship, food, fashion, environments and much more. Exhibits feature creations from young artists to traditional Japanese crafts, and tourism-related local travel designs.
d47 MUSEUM hosts all kinds of exhibitions, from architecture and design to food, fashion, and nature. I really love this place!
Toy Kingdom, Okayama
This theme park is designed for young children to have fun to the fullest and features a "Toy Pavilion" where they can play with popular toys and 19 attractions.
Once you buy a ticket here, you can play with all the toys as much as you want. As parents, it's great not having to pay extra, and the kids had an awesome time!
Ishiwari Cherry Blossom
Morioka District Court is located near "Morioka Castle Ruins Park". The Edohigan-zakura cherry blossom stands in the grounds of the Morioka District Court, about 11 meters high with a root circumference of 4.7 meters.
This place has a super special Edohigan cherry tree that's over 300 years old! What's really cool is that it grows out of a crack, almost two feet wide, in a huge rock. Totally worth coming here to see the cherry blossoms!
Takeo Hot Spring
The hot spring with a history of 1300 years, this name was found in “the Hizen-Koku Fudoki (an ancient report on the Hizen area’s culture)” compiled in the Nara period.
The healing effects of Takeo Onsen attract lots of Japanese people and travelers. It's a great spot to relax in the hot springs—highly recommend!
Zao Onsen Hot Spring Baths
Zao Hot spring, Japan’s oldest water with a history of over 1900 years since establishment. It is well-known to a Japan’s leading water with strong acid called “the water for the beauty” whitening skin by dropping oil without rubbing, this spa became a drop-in popular to which people visit and enjoy bathing easily.
Besides the amazing hot spring water, I really love the konjac balls here—they're delicious! Definitely give them a try if you visit.
Suntory Hall
This hall was created specifically for concerts in 1986. It was designed for “the most beautiful resonance” and has been hosting regular concerts for orchestras in Tokyo, visiting orchestras from overseas, and special performances provided regularly by the Hall. A number of outstanding performances were produced here and classic fans throughout the world calls it “Music Hall of Fame.”
This is Tokyo's very first professional classical music concert hall. I really enjoy coming here for concerts.