Arita Sera: Where to Shop for Arita Porcelain in Saga (2026)
Arita Sera: 22 Arita-porcelain shops on one hilltop in Saga, open year-round with free parking — the easy place to buy the real thing.
Category Location
Travel destinations in Japan, organized by region.
Imari Ware: Japan’s First Porcelain (Arita, Old Imari & Nabeshima)
Imari ware is Japan's first porcelain — made in Arita from the 1610s, named for the port it shipped from, and exported to Europe as Old Imari.
Lake Shusenko’s Submerged Forest: Akita’s Cobalt-Blue Spring Spectacle (2026)
Each spring, snowmelt floods Akita's Lake Shusenko until the shoreline trees stand in cobalt-blue water — a submerged forest at its best in early-to-mid May, and possibly on borrowed time.
Tsubakiya Café Kichijoji: Taishō Coffee & Curry (2026)
A Taishō-roman coffee parlour on the 7th floor above Kichijoji Station — siphon coffee in Royal Copenhagen cups, beef curry, hayashi rice and the café's signature chiffon cake.
Murō-ji Temple 2026: Nara’s ‘Women’s Kōya’ and Its 1,200-Year Pagoda
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.
Ringo no Ki: Apple Pie & Apricot Sweets in Chikuma (2026)
Chikuma is one of Japan's great apricot towns. Patisserie Ringo no Ki turns local apricot and its own-orchard apples into pies, jelly and baked sweets — a short hop from the Obasute terraces.
Ashiu Forest 2026: Kyoto’s Primeval Woods You Can Only Hike with a Guide
One of western Japan's last primeval forests, at the source of the 146 km Yura River — and you can only enter on a guided tour with a Kyoto University-certified group. The route I walked, the cost, when to go, and the leeches to pack for.
Todai-ji & the Nara Deer 2026: Great Buddha, Hours & Day-Trip Tips
Nara's Todai-ji holds a 14.7 m bronze Great Buddha (eye-opening 752 AD) in one of the world's largest wooden halls, in a park of 1,000+ wild deer — an easy day trip from Kyoto. Hours, fees, deer etiquette and a half-day plan.
Kyoto Botanical Garden 2026: Japan’s Oldest, Season by Season
Japan's oldest public botanical garden (opened 1924): 24 hectares, ~12,000 plant species and one of the country's largest conservatories, for ¥500 — a calm, cheap day away from Kyoto's temple crowds, in every season.
Club Wyndham Chikumakan 2026: A Dog-Friendly Onsen Ryokan with 6 Baths
A dog-friendly onsen ryokan in Togura-Kamiyamada, Nagano: two sulfur sources across six baths, a domestic-beef kaiseki, and tatami rooms for two small dogs — a short drive from the Obasute terraces.