Activities Mount Yoshino Sakura Festival 2026 Late Mar - Late Apr Nara's Mount Yoshino is often regarded as one of the country's top sakura spots. An annual festival and illumination event..
Food Visiting Mikan Orchards in Arida Alena Eckelmann Mikan (satsuma mandarin) orchards in Arida City, Wakayama Prefecture, date back to the beginning of the Edo Period (1600) and they..
Activities Plum Blossoms at Tsukigase Plum Grove 2026 Early Feb - Late Mar One of Nara's best plum blossom spots is the Tsukigase Plum Grove, where over 10,000 plum trees burst into bloom in shades of..
Activities Cycling Courses in Wakayama Featured Wakayama Prefecture's sacred heartland stretches across the Kii Peninsula in the southern Kansai region. Known for its sacred..
Activities A Journey From Kyoto to Wakayama Featured For more than 1,000 years (794 to 1868) Kyoto was the capital of Japan. From the central Kansai area of Japan, the Imperial Court..
Activities Cosmos at Hannyaji Temple 2025 Mid Oct - Mid Nov Nara's Hannyaji Temple is often referred to as the "Cosmos Temple" for good reason - there are approximately 150,000 cosmos..
Culture Raku Museum in Kyoto Elena Lisina The Raku Museum is dedicated to a unique style of ceramics with a 450-year history. The appearance of the 'raku' style is..
Beauty & Spa Spa Kacho Mai Shoji The Westin Miyako Kyoto hotel in Kyoto offers some of the city's most relaxing spa and well-being experiences. Spa Kacho has..