It was under Emperor Kanmu's ordinance, in 808 that Seisuiji Temple was founded by a Buddhist monk who came from Kyoto while traveling Japan on a missionary tour. [...]

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If you ever visited an old school sushi restaurant in Japan you may have come upon a large wood tub containing rice, these are called Sushi Oke, and Hangiri are simply just that in a larger size capable of accommodating up to 3 adults. [...]

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As one of Japan's mythical three holy mountains of Dewa, Mt Haguro is surrounded by a lush forest and has been welcoming visitors to its peak since the 6th Century A.D. [...]

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Having been a port since the medieval times, Shukunegi went through a prosperous 17th century brought about by the Sado Kinzan Gold Mine. It was developed as a kitamaebune (a famous shipping route from the Edo period) port of call for the merchant shipping industry. [...]

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Hanitsu Jinja is one of Aizuwakamatsu (Fukushima) shrines that honor Aizu 's first feudal lord, Masayuki Hoshina. Built-in 1675, the Shrine was at that time a gorgeous and opulent shrine often compared to Nikko's Toshogu Shrine. Unfortunately destroyed during the Boshin War, [...]

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While not being a military school per se, the Nisshinkan Samurai School was designed to produce elite members of the Society where sons of Samurai families entered at age ten to master all arts, ranging from the art of war, politics, history, and science. Also, unique for its time, [...]

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Ouchi-Juku is a former post town along the Aizu-Nishi Kaido trade route in Fukushima, which connected Aizu with Nikko during the Edo Period. Restrictions set by the shogunate required travelers to make their long journeys on foot and as a result, post towns developed along […]

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Located on the outskirts of the former post town of Ouchijuku near the Aizu Nishi Kaido trade route, the Takaura Shrine is a gorgeous little shrine dedicated to Prince Mochihito who died in June 1180. Near the beginning of the Genpei War (1180–1185) during the Uji battle [...]

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The former Ikeda Family Garden is a Japanese style garden located in a rural area of Daisen City in Akita prefecture. The garden was arranged by the Ikeda family who was one of the major landowners in the Tohoku region during the Edo period. [...]

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Every year on the 7th of January, in the small village of Yanaizu in central Fukushima, you can enjoy a fantastic and unique festival, the Nanokado Hadaka Mairi, or in English the Yanaizu Naked Man Festival. [...]

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Located in the mountains of the Akita Towada-Hachimantai National Park, Tamagawa Onsen is a unique hot spring resort! Indeed the onsen is famous for having Japan’s most acidic hot spring water with a pH of around 1.  It features a very rare radioactive stone, known as Hokutolite. [...]

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Having been a port since the medieval times, Shukunegi went through a prosperous 17th century brought about by the Sado Kinzan Gold Mine. It was developed as a kitamaebune (a famous shipping route from the Edo period) port of call for the merchant shipping industry. [...]

Read more