Daisen Park
Sakai City's urban park is adjacent to the Nintoku-tennō-ryō tumulus (Daisen tumulus), which has been designated a World Heritage Site. The vast park of 380,000 m2 is filled with greenery and seasonal flowers and is dotted with large and small tumulus, including the Osamezuka tumulus and the Magodayuyama tumulus.
Daisen Park has been selected as one of Japan's Top 100 Urban Parks and Top 100 Historic Parks. It's definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.
Narita International Airport
The international airport and gateway to Tokyo, visited by 44 million travelers each year (as of 2019). Opened in 1978, this world-famous airport (airport code NRT) has ferried over 6 million flights both in and out of Japan. The airport grounds include 3 different passenger terminals, a freight terminal and is currently planning to open a new runaway in addition to its two runways currently open.
Narita Airport has introduced a lot of new high-tech safety measures so travelers can feel secure when going through departure procedures. They've really made a lot of thoughtful arrangements. It's pretty impressive!
Ameyoko Shopping Street
The Ameyoko Shopping Street, affectionately known as "Ameyoko," stretches approximately 500m between JR Ueno Station and JR Okachimachi Station, with around 400 shops lining the street. It features a variety of businesses, including food and confectionery, clothing, general goods, and jewelry stores.
Ameyoko in Ueno is seriously the best place for shopping! It's like a paradise for affordable goods—some stuff is even cheaper than in Taiwan!
GALA Yuzawa Snow Resort
It is a ski resort with convenient access, approximately 74 minutes from Tokyo Station via the Joetsu Shinkansen, and the slopes are directly connected to "GALA-Yuzawa Station". Furthermore, it is open until early May, and is popular for skiing and snowboarding until Golden Week.
GALA Yuzawa Snow Resort is super convenient to get to, which attracts a lot of ski lovers. The conditions and terrain at GALA are also really great—love it!
Hida Takayama Old Townscape
Hida Takayama Old Townscape is said to be a town where the original landscape of Japan remains, as the streets from the Edo period still remain, and the charming town houses and noren (curtains) of old stores continue to be seen.
Hida Takayama sells Kihachiro's Hida beef buns—definitely recommend grabbing one as a snack while you're here!
Sengan-en
Sengan-en is a Japanese garden made for the Shimadzu family estate by Mitsuhisa Shimadzu in 1658. The grounds boast a sprawling 50,000 square meters in total. The garden itself uses the “borrowed scenery” technique, incorporating Kagoshima’s coveted spots like the volcano Sakurajima and Kinko Bay as a natural backdrop.
Sengan-en is one of the most famous spots in Kagoshima. If the weather is good, you can see Sakurajima volcano and the whole garden view all at once. Just for this scenery alone, I highly recommend adding it to your Kagoshima travel list! 👍
Mt. Inasayama Observatory
At 333m above sea level, this observatory stands at the top of Mt. Inasayama at the center of Nagasaki City. The observatory with a cafe and restaurant offers a view over Nagasaki Bay, Unzen, Amakusa and Goto Islands.
At the Inasayama Observatory, you can enjoy the view during the day, at sunset, and even at night. It's super romantic! So beautiful. 💕
Ise Jingu
Known affectionately as "Oise-san," the shrine is usually called "Ise Jingu-Shrine," but officially, it is called "Jingu-Shrine".
I used to visit Ise Jingu for worship. I truly recommend this place to everyone, especially after the pandemic. If you're busy with life and looking for peace and energy, this is the spot for you.
Lake Toya Onsen
This hot spring was created by the eruptive activity of Mt. Yosomiyama during the Meiji Era. It boasts an abundance of hot spring water and has the largest number of hotels and inns in Hokkaido. It is now one of the most popular hot spring resorts in Hokkaido, attracting more than 3 million tourists a year.
Lake Toya is ranked as the third most beautiful volcanic lake in Japan! My favorite part is definitely the Lake Toya Onsen. There's a hot spring street along the lakeside with lots of upscale hotels, all facing the lake. You get gorgeous lake views from your room, and you can even watch fireworks shows! 👍
Sugadaira Kogen Snow Resort
Sugadaira Kogen is known as the "Davos of Japan" for its Swiss-like scenery and climate, and is also known for its high-quality powder snow. The resort is called "Sugadaira Kogen Resort" because of the small and medium-sized slopes scattered at the foot of Mt. Neko, and has 3 areas; Pine Beak, Taro, and Davos, with 60 different courses on 11 slopes.
Sugadaira Kogen Snow Resort has great facilities and is a large ski resort where you can really enjoy yourself 😎. It's definitely a great place to ski!