Best Visiting Spot List

Narita Airport serves as the main gateway of Japan opening to the world with the airline network connecting more than 100 domestic and foreign cities.

Sun Meadows Kiyosato Ski Resort

Famous for its national treasure, a statue of Miroku Bosatsu

Nikkotei Oyu is a time-honored inn, which is popular among one-day tourists to enjoy hot spring bathing. There is an open-air bath surrounded by bamboo trees, which is large enough to accommodate some 20 people. There is also a room for up to five people, which is recommended for a family.

Zushi Beach is a beach facing Sagami Bay that is popular among many people, young and old, and is full of bathers in the summer.

This is Japan's major video community site Niconico Douga's showroom. Niconico allows individual users to host live broadcasts, and they also provide various anime and gaming shows catering to die-hard fans streamed live over the internet. The Niconico main office's studio is the one responsible for these live broadcasts. Aside from being able to watch public live broadcasts of some of the programs, they also have cafes and event spaces with electricity and Wi-Fi, as well as shops which sell original merchandise. Try to get a peek at their internet broadcasting office.

Kyu Asakura House, or the former residence of the Asakura family, is a Taisho-roman style house, which stands in the middle of the metropolis. (Taisho-roman is the cultural style of the Taisho period from1912 to 1926.) You will also enjoy the seasonal view in the garden, which features azaleas and maples.

This museum exhibits the history of Japanese advertisements from the Edo period to the present. In addition to the poster exhibits, they also have a TV commercial and AV area, so you will certainly be able to feel the thrill of experiencing Japan's past through its advertising. They have also established a library with a collection of advertisements and marketing-related materials.

This is the home theater of the Takarazuka Revue, which enthralls its audiences with fantastic stage performances. These spectacular theatrical plays and shows are conducted in turn by one of the five troupes: Flower, Moon, Snow, Star, and Cosmos; each troupe has a top star called otoko yaku (a male role). The plays performed range widely from original plays to overseas musicals to revues. This grand theater is exclusive to the Takarazuka Revue and comes with a history stretching back over 100 years. The live orchestra accompanying performances is one of the big attractions of these shows in the grand theater.

During the Nara Period, the guardian deity of the hiike (pond where ice used in the Imperial court was made) and the himuro (storeroom for ice), which were built in the Kasugano field beside Yoshiki-gawa River, was enshrined in the shrine. It was later moved to the current location. On May 1 every year, a festival called Kenpyosai takes place in which workers at companies that make and sell ice pray for success in business. The current shrine pavilion is said to have been reconstructed in the Edo Period. Also, the weeping cherry trees in the shrine grounds are very beautiful.

Beautiful lacquerware with black and vermillion is a traditional craft which represents Japan. ”Kuroeya” which has been operating in Nihonbashi since 1689 is a shop famous for lacquerware. The shop displays lacquerware from all over Japan, as well as their own original products. Apart from the standard bowls and chopsticks, there are spoons, forks and wine glasses that will match a western table setting too. There are also hand-mirrors and accessories that would be great as a gift to yourself or someone else.

Located just north of Hokke-do in the Todai-ji Temple complex, Nigatsu-do is known as a place where Shuni-e (Omizu-tori or Sacred Water-drawing Festival) takes place every March. Nigatsu-do was named so since Shuni-e was held in February (nigatsu in Japanese) in the old calendar. Fire destroyed it in 1667, but two years later the current building was reconstructed exactly as it was before the fire. The building's design features a cascading style of architecture, and provides a commanding view of the roof of the Great Buddha Hall and Nara city. The principal image is the Juichimen Kannon, which is never shown to the public.

If you come to Shibamata, the Tora-san Museum is an absolute must-visit. As explained earlier, it is all about the film series Otoko wa Tsurai yo that revolves around the wandering salesman Tora-san and his sheer eternal story of his unsuccessful love life. Running between 1969 and 1995, it holds the world record for the world’s longest-running movie series starring a single actor. As such, Otoko wa Tsurai yo and its endearing main protagonist, played by Kiyoshi Atsumi, has a large fandom not only in Japan. The museum itself was opened in 1997. Even if you have never heard of this show up until now, the Tora-san Museum is well-worth the visit. The dumpling store and print shop of the series have been faithfully recreated, offering not only a nostalgic paradise for fans of Otoko wa Tsurai yo but also a very authentic glimpse into Tokyo’s 60s and 70s. Other parts of the museum take you even further back: beautiful dioramas show how Shibamata has looked back in the 1930s when Tora-san was a child. There even is a life-sized wagon of a man-powered tramway as it was used decades ago! For fans of Otoko wa Tsurai yo, we highly recommend also visiting the Yoji Yamada Museum, dedicated to the director of the series and many other movie masterpieces – it’s right next to the Tora-san Museum.

This attraction features a half-size replica of a Viking ship and exhibits related to the children's book author Hans Christian Andersen. Delightful goods made in Denmark are also for sale.

Kannonzaki is a cape protruding into the Tokyo Bay. The cape area is a park with a Western-style lighthouse, a nature museum, and an art museum. You can definitely spend an entire day here.