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Torii gates are iconic symbols found throughout Shinto shrines in Japan. They mark the crossing between the normal world to the sacred world. In ancient Japan, they were traditionally made of wood or stone, but today, they are made of reinforced concrete and even stainless steel.

They can also be absolutely massive, towering over trees and buildings. Some are found in the middle of the city, others in rural forests or on lonely mountains. Some are even in the water, such as Miyajima’s Itsukushima Shrine, famous for its “floating” torii gate.

While torii make great photo opportunities, they also mark important places of worship, so it’s good to know a bit about what you’re visiting before you do. Here are five iconic torii gates in Japan.

1. Torii of Peace
Photo: iStock/Phil McMannisThe torii floats just close enough to land.
The Torii of Peace at Hakone Shrine is one of the most sought torii gates for photographers and sightseers. That’s because of its unique position where it appea..

Japan is home to a wide variety of special interest museums, and one of them is the New York Lamp Museum in Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture. The venue exhibits approximately 70 items, including ornate Tiffany's stained glass lamps made over a century ago. The designs on the lamps include flowers, creatures like dragonflies and butterflies, and geometric patterns, among others.
Aside from the lamps on display, one of the best reasons for planning a visit here is the stunning gardens that can be enjoyed at the same time. Spring is regarded as the most colorful season, with the likes of geraniums, roses, snapdragons, and lupines looking their best. There is plenty to appreciate throughout other seasons, though, including hydrangeas and sunflowers during summer, dahlias and cassia in autumn, and nanohana (rape blossoms) and winter cherry blossoms around January and February.
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Another nicety of visiting here is the on-site cafe which offers ocean views and a va..

Sapporo is the capital city of Hokkaido Prefecture and a major tourist destination. As it's home to a huge snow festival and with great access to the rest of Japan's northernmost island, many visitors will travel from Tokyo to Hokkaido.
So, what is the best way to get from Tokyo to Hokkaido? Though the two areas are around 820km apart, Tokyo and Sapporo are actually well connected to each other. Whether you favor speed, budget, the route and its sights, or even a specific vehicle, we've got you covered.
1. Flights from Tokyo to Hokkaido (Sapporo)
The fastest way to get from Tokyo to Hokkaido is by airplane to Sapporo. Every day about 80 flights travel from the airports of Haneda and Narita to the New Chitose Airport, in a trip that takes about 1 hour and a half.
The ticket usually goes for 20,000-30,000 yen, but it’s possible to find cheaper options with earlier reservations or with less strict travel days/times.
Browse & Book Now ▶ Flights from Tokyo to Hokkaido
You ca..

If you've ever visited a restaurant and thought to yourself “why aren't there more cheese-based dishes on the menu?”, then a great place to check out is Cheese Cheers Cafe. The chain has several branches in Japan, including one within just a few minutes on foot from Hibiya Station in Tokyo.
The concept of the restaurant was to create dishes for cheese lovers, by cheese lovers, and the menu definitely delivers on that. Some of the highlights include a creamy, cheesy risotto, a Bolognese pasta topped with a tower of Bella Lodi (a type of Italian hard cheese), various pizzas including a four cheese variety, and a carbonara made with Mimolette (a cheese that originates from Lille in France). There are also a number of meat dishes that come topped with cheese, including the Japanese staple of hamburger steak.
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Even the desserts here take on a cheese theme, and one of the most popular items is the CCC cheesecake – it's designed to look just like..

In recent years the deliciousness of Japanese fruit has been attracting attention overseas. Among the sought-after fruits, melons have gained popularity as a high-class fruit.
Various kinds of melons are grown throughout Japan, and prices range from inexpensive ones for everyday consumption to high-end melons intended for gift-giving.
Here’s everything you need to know about Japanese melons, from the different varieties to when and how to eat them.
1. What kind of melons are grown in Japan?
Ibaraki Prefecture has the largest growing area and the highest production of melons, with about 40,000 tons harvested annually. Kumamoto and Hokkaido produce about 20,000 tons, and the rest of these relatively easy-to-grow fruits are cultivated from Tohoku to Kyushu.
Japanese muskmelons, considered a high-class fruit, are both fragrant and delicious and characterized by the net-like pattern of their surface. Varieties with green flesh include Earls melon and Andean melon, while Yubari melons and ..

The interest in Okinawa as a travel destination has been growing over the years, with international interest piqued from the prefecture's publicity in TripAdvisor's Traveler's Choice Awards. As a result, new accommodation facilities have been popping up, and one such option is the Ryukyu Hotel & Resort Nashiro Beach.
The resort is set to open on July 23rd, 2022, and the 11-story venue has over 400 guest rooms which all have balconies and water views. The modern interior was designed with both Okinawan and European elements in mind – for instance, the headboards in certain rooms are made using Miyako jofu, a type of textile made from the ramie plant found on Miyakojima.
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One of the highlights at Ryukyu Hotel & Resort Nashiro Beach is the number of on-site pools that guests can choose from. There are six in total, including an ocean pool, a kids pool, and an all-season pool which is heated year-round.
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In addit..

Uji, Japan is a famous city near Kyoto renowned for its beautiful scenery, the Uji River, and Uji Tea. It also has ties to The Tale of Genji, a classic in Japanese literature. Especially for green tea lovers, Uji is definitely worth visiting. Conveniently, Uji is just a 20-minute train ride away from JR Kyoto Station.
Here, we will introduce World Cultural Heritage sites, Uji tea shops, and temples where you can experience zazen and sutra copying. All of the places introduced here are well-equipped with measures against coronavirus so that you can feel at ease during your visit.
Top Photo: ©Byodoin
1.1. See the National Treasures of Byodoin Temple2.2. Experience Zazen and Sutra-copying at Zen Buddhist Temple Koshoji3.3. Enjoy Uji Tea, Meals, and Experiences at Fukujuen Uji Tea Factory4.4. Check Out Ujigami Shrine, the Oldest Existing Shrine in Japan!5.5. Enjoy Delicious Matcha Sweets at Nakamura Tokichi Honten1.1. See the National Treasures of Byodoin Temple
Phoenix Hall, as seen on th..

In the village of Kumano Hongu Taisha, one of the three major shrines of Kumano, is a hot spring district called Kumano Hongu Onsen Village. Many travelers past and present come here first to rest up from the long journey and cleanse their bodies before visiting the mountain shrine, and the village is undoubtedly designed to welcome such visitors warmly.
Kumano in Wakayama has been known as the “Land of Rejuvenation” since ancient times. Word has it that those who overcome difficulties while taking the difficult pilgrimage path in Kumano will see rejuvenation after having their souls cleansed.
This seemingly simple place of interest has been receiving more and more attention from foreign tourists in recent years, and our comprehensive guide to the charms and comforting power of Kumano Hongu Onsen Village will explain in detail why that is so!
Main image credit: Kumano Hongu Tourist Association
Getting to Kumano Hongu Onsen Village
The village is located in the eastern edge of Tanabe C..

Finally, a super hot spring facility that accepts people with tattoos…on one condition.
If you’ve been reading our site for a while, you may have noticed that our Japanese-language reporter Go Hatori has been keeping a secret up his sleeve, literally, as he has a tattoo on his upper right arm.
While he doesn’t mind letting his ink see the light of day when he’s travelling overseas, here in Japan, where tattoos are still commonly associated with the yakuza, Go prefers to keep his hidden.
Despite not having any links to organised, or unorganised, crime, Go has made his peace with the decision to keep his tattoo concealed in Japan, but the one time it poses a problem for him is when he wants to visit a public bathing facility. Lots of these places don’t allow people with tattoos to use their facilities, given that it makes other bathers feel uneasy about having a possible gang member in their midst, so Go has been on a mission to find and rate the public baths that do allow people with t..