Why Is Mt Fuji a World Heritage Site? Faith, Art & the 25 Component Parts (2026)
Mt Fuji is a UNESCO cultural — not natural — World Heritage Site. A Fujiyoshida local explains the 2013 listing, its faith-and-art story, and the 25 component parts.
Category Culture
The Best-Preserved Post Towns (Shukuba) in Japan
A guide to Japan best-preserved post towns (shukuba-machi): Magome, Tsumago, Narai, Unno, Seki, Kumagawa and Ouchi. How they compare, which to choose and how to visit them well.
Kumagawa-juku, Fukui: A Post Town on the Mackerel Road to Kyoto
Kumagawa-juku in Wakasa, Fukui is the key post town on the Saba Kaido Mackerel Road to Kyoto, with a clear water channel down the whole street. What to see, how to get there and when to go.
Seki-juku, Mie: The Tokaido Post Town That Survived Whole
Seki-juku in Kameyama, Mie is the 47th Tokaido post town and, by the city account, the only one whose historic townscape survives whole: what to see, the road forks to Ise and Nara, access and when to go.
Unno-juku, Nagano: An Edo Post Town and Silk Village in One Street
Unno-juku is a preserved 650m street on the old Hokkoku Kaido in Nagano, an Edo post town that reinvented itself as a Meiji silk village. What to see, how to read the houses, access and when to go.
Asuka Village, Nara: Japan’s Ancient Capital & Its Old Townscape
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.
Magome-juku: Nakasendo Post Town & the Walk to Tsumago
A stone-paved Nakasendo post town in the Kiso Valley, and the trailhead for the classic 9 km walk over Magome Pass to Tsumago: access, the hike, luggage forwarding and the best time to go.
Akita Kantō Festival 2026: Japan’s Lantern-Pole Spectacle
The Akita Kanto Festival (3-6 August 2026): around 280 bamboo poles strung with ~10,000 lanterns, balanced on palms and foreheads on Kanto Odori.
Japanese Sentō Guide 2026: Etiquette, Tattoos & Best Baths
How to use a Japanese sento (public bath): etiquette, the 550 yen Tokyo price, tattoo rules, the baths inside, and tattoo-friendly sento in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
Takeda Castle Sea of Clouds: When to See It (2026)
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.