Summer Koshien 2026 ended with Chiben Wakayama beating Kendai Takasaki 4-3 in the final. Dates, ticket prices, stadium access from Osaka, the DH and video-review rules — kept as a planning reference for next summer.
The Nara Prison Museum opened April 27, 2026 inside a beautiful 1908 red-brick prison — the only intact survivor of the Meiji 'Five Great Prisons.' What to see, tickets, hours, access, and the HOSHINOYA cell-suite hotel.
A hunter's guide to Kyoto's local secondhand recycle shops - 19 neighbourhood stores away from the big chains, what turns up, where they are, and how to shop them.
Asuka-mura is a quiet Nara village where Japan's first centralised state took shape, its rice terraces, old plaster-and-lattice houses (the Oka townscape) and ancient tombs protected by a special national law. What to see, how to get around, and when to go.
I ate the ¥8,800 set course at Orizuru, a sushi restaurant in Kinosaki Onsen open since Showa 17. This draft covers the course contents, hours, reservation note, and location.
Takeda Castle, Japan's 'castle in the sky' in Hyogo: when the sea of clouds appears, the Ritsuunkyo viewpoint, the conditions you need, hours and access.
Osaka Castle guide 2026: the 1931 reconstructed keep, the 130-ton Takoishi stone, 13 surviving Edo structures, admission ¥1,200, hours and beating the crowds.
Yakushiji in Nara's Nishinokyō is a World Heritage temple founded in 680 — its East Pagoda (730) is the only original building left, and its bronze Yakushi Triad is a National Treasure.
Okadera (Ryūgaiji) in Asuka, Nara is Japan's first yakuyoke temple and Saigoku pilgrimage No.7 — famous for 3,000 rhododendrons, a Golden-Week dahlia flower pond, and June hydrangeas.
Murō-ji, Nara's mountain 'Women's Kōya,' has a National Treasure five-story pagoda, spring rhododendron and a June hydrangea pilgrimage. Hours, fees, access and what to see.
Nearly every image on Hidden Japan Gems was photographed by me on a Sony α7 across five years of walking Japan; a few licensed photos fill the gaps. Please don't re-use my photos without permission — reach out if you'd like to.
For licensing, write to hello@hiddenjapan-gems.com