The majestic Mount Fuji is a symbol of Japan. Each year, around 250,000 travelers from around the world visit the 3,776-meter mountain – an average of 4,000 visitors per day.
Many of these visitors use Japan’s highly efficient train system to reach their destination. This often includes passage through Kawaguchiko Station.
When is the best time to visit Japan? This is a question without a simple answer. Japan is a year-round destination, with interesting activities, attractions, and festivities throughout the year.
Your decision will depend on several factors. First, do you wish to avoid the crowded, busy times, more expensive times, or hot, cold, or rainy weather? Second, what activities or events to do wish to enjoy? Are they seasonal or available year-round?
In the West, Valentine’s Day is well established as an opportunity to confess love to that one special person in your life and shower them with affection, which usually means showering them with gifts or planning to take them on the perfect date. It is usually the man who is expected to do the heavy lifting and buy their girl an assortment of candy-colored goodies to express their love and celebrate the special day.
Valentine’s Day in Japan goes down a little differently: men are usually expected to do very little on February 14th and it is the women who are expected to be the principal gift-giver. Not just to their partner, but also to men with who they share any kind of significant relationship.
Also known as Kōkyo, this palace in Tokyo is the residence of Japan’s Imperial Family. The Imperial Place is defined by distinctive whitewashed buildings with sloping roofs in a historic Japanese style, and is surrounded by a vast, formidable moat.
Visitors to Tokyo are encouraged to take a guided tour of the extensive, elegant palace grounds. These include the Imperial Palace East Gardens, which houses the large collection of the Museum of the Imperial Collection, and Kitanomaru Park, home to the National Museum of Modern Art.
Nishiki Market, known in Japanese as Nishiki Ichiba, is a narrow shopping street in Kyoto. Often referred to as “Kyoto’s Kitchen” or “Kyoto’s Pantry,” this fresh food market is five blocks long and lined with over one hundred restaurants and shops. Some shops are tiny stalls, while others are enormous two-story buildings.
The market has a pleasant, busy atmosphere that will allow you to taste Japan’s culinary culture at its finest.
Kyoto is a city steeped in history. It is home to 17 of the 22 UNESCO World Heritage Sites declared in Japan. Entering certain areas of this modern city is like stepping back in time.
Toji Temple is one of those sites. It is home to a the tallest wooden pagoda in Japan. Its name means “East Temple” in Japanese, and it was founded in 796. At one time there was also a “West Temple,” called Saiji, but today only its sister, Toji, remains.
In spring, the temple grounds are a favored spot for viewing cherry blossoms, including a huge, photo-worthy weeping cherry. Check out this travel guide to see all that Toji Temple has to offer.
