The Shimanami Kaido is best known as a bicycling route, Shima Rider, however, rents scooters and motorcycles to travelers who want the Seto Inland Sea scenery and the local food stops without the effort of cycling.
Shibuya, one of Tokyo’s culture centers, has a new place to stay. VADE HOTEL SHIBUYA, an apartment-style hotel opened recently in Maruyamacho, with room to settle and the neighborhood just outside the door.
A father and son ride along the Arakawa River, from Tokyo’s eastern edge to riverside parks, lakes, farms and a much-loved gelato stop.
An unplanned trip to Kozushima, thrown off course by storms and cancelled flights. Clear-water swims, 38,000-year-old obsidian voyages, aged sushi, and a hunt for dark skies foiled by a full moon — traveling to the Izu island with a toddler in tow.
The Tokyo City Pass was renewed last September. It now starts with a Base Pass, and travelers can add the attractions they want.
For anyone interested in sake, Saijo should be high on the list of places to visit in Japan. Less than an hour from Hiroshima Station, it is one of the country’s most compact sake destinations.
Tokyo Islands Explorer, a multilingual booking platform for the Izu Islands, launched on July 9, 2026. The site combines accommodation, transportation, and island activities into a single booking.
In Iinan, Shimane Prefecture, artisans hand-craft the giant sacred rope for Izumo Taisha Shrine’s main hall. It is one of Japan’s largest shimenawa, remade roughly every seven years by a community that has done this work for generations.
