The ultimate guide to Japan travel
Hotel Nikko Kumamoto is located right in the heart of Kumamoto. A bustling, energetic city on the island of Kyushu in Japan's south. For sightseeing, shopping and dining, the location couldn't be any better with West Japan's largest covered …
This hotel/resort is located on Yakushima - a world heritage listed island off the coast of Kagoshima. The stunning physical backdrop is the Kirishima-Yaku National Park, which incorporates the majority of the island. The lush sub-tropical …
Located on the banks of the Ureshino River in Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, the special theme of this onsen (as the name suggests) is tea. You can experience what it feels like to be a tea bag by taking a dip in an "Ocha-buro" - a …
Ryokan Mebaeso is located on the outskirts of the onsen village of Yufuin. The inn was originally established in 1971 and named for the mebae (sprouts) which covered the site. As is common in the ryokan industry, Mebaeso was completely rebuilt …
Located just three minutes walk from the main gate of the Huis Ten Bosch theme park, the Hotel Nikko is an ideal place to stay while checking out everything that the park has to offer. The rooms are large and spacious - which is more unusual …
Located deep in the mountains on a gorge in the Kurokawa river in Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Shinmeikan offers a unique rustic onsen setting. Shinmeikan is known in particular for its grotto pool which can be enjoyed by all …
Sankoen is located in the hills above the quaint onsen village of Yufuin in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu which is known throughout Japan for the abundance of its hot spring water. Located within the extensive 11,000sq meter garden of Sankoen are 10 …
Aso Farm Village is a mountain resort on the lower foothills of Mt. Aso - Japan's most active volcano. The unique resort accommodation consists of hundreds of concrete domes - like houses from a fairy tale village where rabbits wear waistcoats …
Beppu is a famously geothermal city on the island of Kyushu -- more onsen water gushes from the ground here than anywhere else in Japan. Not all that water in the Beppu hot springs is for bathing in though; the most spectacular of the hot pools, …
Suginoi Hotel Hon-kan is a hotel within the giant Suginoi complex in the splendiferously geothermal hills of Beppu in Oita Prefecture. How giant? Suginoi is the largest hotel resort in western Japan - perhaps only Tokyo Disney comes close in …
Located in the heart of the quaint onsen village of Yufuin in Oita, Hinoharu Ryokan offers guests the chance to soak in beautifully landscaped onsen hot pools in a peaceful, refined atmosphere. Established almost 100 years ago, the current …
The area of Yoshinogari Park was slated for development as an industrial zone for nearby Saga city, but when early excavation revealed historical artifacts, it was quickly realized that a major Yayoi period settlement had been uncovered. Some …
If you're coming from Tokyo, Kansai or South Korea, Oita Airport is your best bet for getting to Oita Prefecture's famous onsen areas of Beppu and Yufuin cheaply and quickly. As is often the case in Japan, the airport has been put in a slightly …
As part of their Robot Kingdom attraction, Nagasaki theme park Huis Ten Bosch is set to open "Hen na resutoranto ROBOT" (weird restaurant robot)—an eatery staffed by real robots and IBM's well known AI computer "Watson". The robots undertake a …
One of the functions of festivals around the world is to give participants a release from the restraints of their daily existence. In the Edo period, matsuri were renowned as rather debauched affairs in which revelers held little back. So, in …
The Kyoto City Official Tourist Guide has produced an etiquette guide for foreign tourists featuring an array of unfriendly locals with tips on how not to annoy them. Among the tips are to remove hats and sunglasses when visiting shrines and …
A new hotel opens today in the Huis Ten Bosch amusement park in Nagasaki that will be staffed by animatronic robots. The name of the hotel is "Henn-na Hotel" (変なホテル) which translates as "Strange Hotel". The choice of robots as staff shows that …
For the second year running, Kyoto has been named as the world's top travel destination by Travel + Leisure Magazine. Although the magazine targets travelers at the other end of the spectrum from Japan Cheapo, their readers do get around so …
How can you fault a chain of restaurants with the slogan "umai, yasui, hayai" (delicious, cheap, fast)? Well, you can if they don't deliver, but Kagoshima Ohsho luckily does. If you're an aficionado of gyoza (grilled dumplings) you may be …
This article originally appeared on Tokyo Cheapo The Seishun 18 ticket (青春１８切符) is a special discount ticket sold by national rail operator JR twice a year - in summer and again in winter. The ticket allows a maximum of 5 non-consecutive days …
