Circle Japan

Until the mid-19th century, Japan lived in isolation, closed off from the rest of the world, and Yokohama was a mere fishing village. But in 1853, American naval officer Matthew Perry demanded the country open to foreign trade, and Yokohama was changed forever. The city quickly emerged as an international trading center, and while today it is often overshadowed by nearby Tokyo, it continues to be one of Japan’s liveliest, and most international, destinations. With its microbreweries and international restaurants, Yokohama has a decidedly different feel from many other Japanese cities. From Yokohama, it’s a quick trip to peaceful Kamakura, home to Daibutsu, Japan’s second-largest bronze Buddha, and to the important Shinto shrine Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. Head to Hakone National Park on a clear day and you’ll be rewarded with picture-postcard views of majestic Mt. Fuji. Tokyo is the largest city on earth and packed with some of the world’s best shops, museums and restaurants, big and small. While the bright neon lights and the bustle of contemporary Tokyo may be what comes to mind when you think of the city, there is another side. Tokyo’s historic gardens and neighborhoods of traditional homes on narrow lanes speak to a timeless Japan that has survived into the 21st century.

Shimizu, eine lebendige Hafenstadt, ist am besten für ihre unfassbare landschaftliche Schönheit bekannt. Unternehmen Sie einen Ausflug nach Miho no Matsubara und genießen Sie die atemberaubenden Ausblicke auf den Berg Fuji und die weitläufigen schwarzen Sandstrände; spazieren Sie durch die eleganten Gärten und einzigartigen Kunstinstallationen des Tokachi Millennium Waldes; und statten Sie dem Kongofukuji Tempel einen Besuch ab, der zuerst im Jahre 822 von Kobo-daishi erbaut und im Jahre 1662 wiedererrichtet wurde.

Think of Osaka, Japan (accent on the O), as a combination of Los Angeles and Chicago. It very definitely has L.A.’s second-city complex, but its attitude is pure Chicago. The only business that matters is business, and so what if the Hanshin Tigers, the local baseball team, are frequently the worst professional athletes in the world? They’re the home team. People in Osaka laugh louder, play harder and drink more than Tokyo’s most decadent dreams. Osaka even has its own dialect, one the rest of the country calls “dirty Japanese,” one entirely different than even Kobe’s—and Kobe is an Osaka suburb. Nothing is old in Osaka. The place was flattened during the war (and then again in 1962 and 1989, by Godzilla). During the reconstruction, they forgot to include much in the way of parks or green space, and the sheer amount of concrete and steel sights can get overwhelming. But Osaka has its attractions and interesting things to do. Sumo wrestlers wait for trains, reeking of chanko-nabe (traditional sumo food; pure energy and calories), just daring the official railway pushers to push them. Yakuza (Japanese gangsters) get train cars to themselves, but if you get on with them, it’s like you’re invisible. Busy markets, the visual noise of neon and nonstop action on shopping streets offer insight into the energy and ambition of Osaka. And if all that isn’t enough, Osaka is less than an hour from some of the most beautiful temples, shrines and ancient Japanese tourist attractions in the world—a thousand years of Japanese history—waiting in the old capitals of Kyoto and Nara.

High atop a hill in Kochi sits 17th-century Kochi Castle, once the seat of the Yamauchi lords. Explore this historic site and enjoy panoramic views of the city, then dine on sushi at Hirome Market.

Sakaiminato is home to Shigeru Mizuki, creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro (a character who’s everywhere in contemporary Japan), and gateway to the ancient region of Honshu, site of the famous “Black Castle.”

Am Japanischen Meer nördlich von Sapporo gelegen, ist Otaru eine der malerischsten Städte Japans. Schlendern Sie am historischen, 1914 erbauten, Otaru Kanal entlang. Besuchen Sie die Herring Mansion, das im Jahr 1922 für den Besitzer einer wohlhabenden Heringsfischerei erbaute luxuriöse Zuhause; Erkunden Sie den Nijo Ichiba Markt in Sapporo, um einen Einblick in den lokalen Lebensstil und die Feilschsitten der Händler zu bekommen. Unternehmen Sie Landausflüge: Otaru & die Herring Mansion; Otaru Gourmet-Tour: Sushi & Sake; die besten Seiten von Sapporo.

Besuchen Sie den größten Outdoor-Buddha Japans, mit einem Gewicht von 220 Tonnen sitzt er selig in seinen Tempelanlagen. Probieren Sie die lokalen Jakobsmuscheln, eine Spezialität Aomoris.

Vom lebendigen Morgenmarkt in Asa-ichi bis hin zu den unvergleichlichen Ausblicken, die der Mount Hakodate für Sie bereit hält, können Sie die Geschichte dieses ersten Hafen Japans erkunden, der für den internationalen Handel geöffnet wurde. Unternehmen Sie einen Spaziergang durch die Ruinen der sternförmigen Festung Goryokaku, der ersten ihrer Art in ganz Japan. Erfahren Sie mehr über die regionale Kultur der Ainu oder genießen Sie einfach die große Auswahl an Meeresfrüchten und Fisch, für die die Stadt bekannt ist.

Until the mid-19th century, Japan lived in isolation, closed off from the rest of the world, and Yokohama was a mere fishing village. But in 1853, American naval officer Matthew Perry demanded the country open to foreign trade, and Yokohama was changed forever. The city quickly emerged as an international trading center, and while today it is often overshadowed by nearby Tokyo, it continues to be one of Japan’s liveliest, and most international, destinations. With its microbreweries and international restaurants, Yokohama has a decidedly different feel from many other Japanese cities. From Yokohama, it’s a quick trip to peaceful Kamakura, home to Daibutsu, Japan’s second-largest bronze Buddha, and to the important Shinto shrine Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. Head to Hakone National Park on a clear day and you’ll be rewarded with picture-postcard views of majestic Mt. Fuji. Tokyo is the largest city on earth and packed with some of the world’s best shops, museums and restaurants, big and small. While the bright neon lights and the bustle of contemporary Tokyo may be what comes to mind when you think of the city, there is another side. Tokyo’s historic gardens and neighborhoods of traditional homes on narrow lanes speak to a timeless Japan that has survived into the 21st century.