The Japanese government has rolled out a new logo and slogan designed to encourage more tourists to come and experience, "Japan. Endless Discovery." But what places should you visit once you're here? Everyone knows about great tourist destinations like Kyoto, Nara or the Ghibli Museum, but as long as you're in Japan, why not find some of the more out-of-the-way tourist spots to explore? Like a town in Chiba Prefecture that brands itself Japan's version of England's Dover Cliffs, for some reason. Or if you like bizarre museums, check out the Tobacco and Salt Museum, which tells you the history of, well, tobacco and salt in Japan. You could visit the "koto-playing sand" at Kotobikihama Beach, which sings as you walk on it, or find a "Melody Road" that plays music as your car drives over lines dug into the road surface. There's even a desert of sorts, the Tottori Sand Dune, a 16 km stretch of sand which looks like it could have come straight out of Tunisia -- the local tourist board has even imported a camel for you to ride. Or you could visit Gunkan-jima near Nagasaki, the eerily beautiful "Battleship Island" that was a miniature city housing coal miners and their families from 1887 to 1974. When the mines became unprofitable, everyone left overnight, leaving one of the most striking examples of haikyo (modern ruins) in the world.
What are some other unique places to visit in Japan? Post answers in the comments.
What are some other unique places to visit in Japan? Post answers in the comments.
Did you know there was a desert in Japan?
5 comments:
The volcanic landscape of Mt. Osore ("Mt. Fear") in Aomori was also pretty cool. It was like being on Vulcan.
I did the Gunkanjima tour just last week. Very cool! Details here (sorry, Japanese only):
http://gunkan-jima.com/
Awesome, thanks! How was the island? It's actually covered on TV quite often so much that it seems well known to everyone. Be neat to spend the night there...
My favorite place was Hachijojima. It was quiet, it was beautiful and I had forgotten that we are able to see that many stars in the sky...I'd go back anytime! I loved it! (Izu Island, very small, very quaint) Camping near the beach, awesome folks on the island...amazing!
Sadly, you can't spend the night on Gunkanjima. In fact, you can only look admire the ruins from one end of the island, because anything more would be too dangerous. I was on vacation from Seattle, so I'm new to the whole 廃虚 (haikyo) thing.
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