A photo shows a section of the Michinoku Coastal Trail in Miyako, Iwate Prefecture.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 31, 2024
1,000-kilometer nature trek helping Tohoku once again hit its stride
An area struck by disaster and rich in nature pins its hope on good reviews overseas to get the tourism sector thriving.
Kazuo Nozaki (left) played a central role in the establishment of the Tsuchinoko Expedition, and Kohei Michishita, executive director of Shimokitayama Tsuchinoko Park, on Nov. 27, 2023.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 19, 2024
Village revisiting craze of phantom creature for local promotion
A snake-like creature that can tell lies, swill sake and jump 2 meters high becomes the best hope for a community suffering from depopulation.
Instead of hoping seats are free and scrambling to find luggage space on the shinkansen, what if you could fly charter across Japan on your next trip instead?
LIFE / Travel
Jan 13, 2024
Can charter flights connect rich tourists with rural Japan?
The tours, which fly to cities in western, central and northern Japan, will be priced from around ¥1.5 million per person for a group of four people staying two nights.
The Sapporo Snow Festival offers outdoor dining, markets, sports, ice sculptures and more across three event sites.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 6, 2024
Asia's winter festivals: Snow, fire and spectacle galore
The ancient city of Nara wards off the wintertime darkness with an unusual tradition: lighting a local mountain on fire.
A field study by elementary school students takes place in the Izawa River basin in Shiso, Hyogo Prefecture.
LIFE / Travel
Dec 24, 2023
Unveiling Shiso, a hidden gem of nature and coexistence
With 90% of its area covered by forest, the Hyogo city boasts picturesque streams and a bounty of access points to refreshing natural spring water.
Shinjuku's Kabukicho is filled with colorful individuals that give the neighborhood its character.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Dec 22, 2023
Christmastime in Shinjuku Golden Gai
One of Tokyo's most storied watering holes gets a little quiet during the holidays now that it relies quite a bit on tourists.
Blair Masters and Talisker Scott Hunter pose for a photo with their kei truck, nicknamed “KT,” outside Ebisu Circuit in Fukushima Prefecture.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Nov 6, 2023
The little truck that could: A fresh way to tour Japan's north
Travelers have documented almost every corner of Japan. Perhaps a new kind of adventure would be doing those same journeys by different means.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?