The 10 best steam trains in Japan

The haunting whistle of a vintage train is so ingrained upon our collective consciousness that even the youngest of children often recognize the sound. Before the advent of the bullet train and the modern railway system, the steam locomotive, or SL train, was the fastest way to get around.

Japan has preserved many of these trains, some dating back to the nineteenth century. You, too, can experience the nostalgic thrill of the steam locomotive. Grab your Japan Rail Pass, and have fun exploring the following SL trains.

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The 10 best spots in Tokyo for Instagram photos

Do you relish filling your Instagram feed with dazzling travel photos? Where can you find the best places to capture historic or modern culture, or to make your photos pop? Consider our picks for the coolest places to brush up on your photography in Tokyo.

The following list encompasses ten of the best Instagrammable spots in Tokyo. Don’t forget to use your Japan Rail Pass for fast and easy travel.

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Tokyo Skytree: Visiting Tokyo’s Tallest Tower

Rising above the Tokyo skyline is a structure that looks like a conglomeration of the Eiffel Tower and the Seattle Space Needle. It is one of the tallest structures in the world, and it combines Tokyo’s futuristic character with traditional Japanese values. How?

The Tokyo Skytree was built using the same principles as the Japanese pagoda, a type of tower with many roofs stacked atop one another. Its stability springs from its central pole, called a shinbashira. In the case of the Skytree, this central pole is in the form of a massive concrete tube, fastened to the rest of the tower using fuel dampers invented by NASA. Even in an earthquake, the tower is designed to sway against this pole without sustaining harmful structural damage.

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Kanazawa travel guide: Access and things to do

Kanazawa is known as ‘Little Kyoto’, though it is a unique destination in its own right. The capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, it offers a huge number of historical attractions, Buddhist temples, and interesting museums, as well as fascinating samurai and geisha districts.

Kanazawa’s best-known attraction is the 17th-century Kenrokuen Castle. This impressive piece of historic architecture boasts one of the country’s very best landscape gardens and it draws visitors from both across Japan and abroad.

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