Weekend Trip: Kawaguchiko
Breathe in some fresh air and take it easy on this gorgeous lake at the foot of Mt Fuji
PAANTU FESTIVAL (パーントゥ)
A terrifying tradition on Miyako-jima sees 3 men dress as monsters and wander the town smearing mud on anyone and anything they see
NAKI SUMO: The Crying Baby Festival
This bizarre annual festival sees two sumo wrestlers hold a baby in a face off with the first to cry winning a blessing of good health
DOAI EKI: Japan’s creepiest station
The Silent Hill-esque platform at Doai Eki, situated between Gunma and Niigata prefectures, is 70m below the surface and enough to give anyone nightmares
MINAKAMI ONSEN, GUNMA
Minakami is a small town in Gunma famed for having the most beautiful onsen in the Kanto region
SHINGO, AOMORI: Christ’s Tomb in Northern Japan
We take a look at Shingo - a town in Aomori Prefecture where it’s claimed by locals that Jesus spent the final years of life
GUNKAN-JIMA: Japan’s ghost town at sea
We take a look at Japan’s abandoned ghost town floating at sea on a battleship shaped island
SAYAMA HILLS: Miyazaki’s world on the edge of Tokyo
Escape the noise of Tokyo and reconnect with nature in the park that inspired Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro