LONELY PLANET
 
Gion is the famous entertainment and geisha quarter on the eastern bank of the Kamo-gawa. While Gion’s true origins were in teahouses catering to weary visitors to the nearby shrine Yasaka-jinja, by the mid-18th century the area was Kyoto’s largest pleasure district.
The best way ...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Good food and drinks as a hiking reward
Venue: Beer Mount When: Jun 15th - Oct 15th 2018 ,  1:00pm - 9:00pm
Mt. Takao is one of the most popular hiking mountains in Japan. It's a beautiful, easy hike that attracts visitors of all ages and capabilities.
In addition to its natural beau...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
You can now prepurchase your Ghibli tickets online
I'm sure they are out there. But at the moment, I've yet to meet a person who hasn't been impressed by, if not become a fan of, Studio Ghibli after watching one of their productions.
One of the most endearing attractions for both loc...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Yummy by name and by nature in the Niigata countryside
It may seem unusual that in a part of Niigata often dubbed as yukiguni, or snow country, there's a gelato shop which has been a staple on the local foodie scene since 2010.
The store is frequented by visitors far and wide, and on...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Night Museum of the Lights
Venue: Osaka City Hall When: Nov 4th - Jan 31st 2019 ,  5:00pm - 10:00pm
The historical lifeblood of Osaka has always been its waterways. So much so that it became a merchant city, trading with other cities with the canals that criss-cross the city.
While t...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Where the red spider lilies weave a magical web
Venue: Kinchakuda When: Sep 15th - Sep 30th 2018 ,  9:00am - 4:30pm
For fifty weeks of the year, the town of Koma (one stop past Hanno on the Seibu Ikebukuro line; 50 km from Ikebukuro, Tokyo) could be just about anywhere in rural Japan...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
A charming sculpture museum in the Nagano countryside
About half an hour on the train from Matsumoto, picturesque Azumino is a lovely rural area, with expanses of wasabi and rice fields reflecting the distant mountains, and few buildings except those clustered around the stations.
It...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
Destination 32 degrees
Perched on 32 degrees north, on the same latitude as Cyprus and Baja California, Miyazaki on the shores of Kyushu Island is blessed with warm sea breezes and a retro and laid back attitude far from the bustle of the major metropolises.
Indeed, if you ask the ci...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
A singular waterfall in the wild with warm water
Just after the famous Shiretoko Five Lakes, the main and only street turns into a dirt road. The way should lead to a big waterfall but there is no sign to speak of, let alone the shadow of another person.
 
The deserted road and the m...

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JAPAN TRAVEL
A tiny standing sushi bar in Tsukiji
Draped by a couple of short noren curtains, you could be forgiven for walking past Sushi Okame and imagining that you had just spied a cheap drinking bar, before going on your way and thinking nothing of it.
 
But this tiny standing-only establish...

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