Kobe is one of the most pleasing cities in Japan for local and international visitors alike. It offers a distinctive laid-back cosmopolitan lifestyle that is the dream of hard-workers as well as those who embrace hedonism in their lives. Hey, lackluster young generation living in the comfort zone of wealth, get your ass ready to soak in the fantastic life here. I’m just kidding. As I said, this city is for everyone, for those with an undying enthusiasm for travel and life.

However, there was a nightmare struck Kobe in January 1995 when it was completely devastated by Kobe earthquake (The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake). More than 6000 people’s lives were taken away and tens of thousands of buildings were utterly obliterated by the natural disaster. Nevertheless, the ganbaru spirit you see in the people of Hiroshima and Okinawa Island has lit up the city again after a decade; the city is entirely rebuilt and tourists could hardly see the signs of the holocaust.

Geographically, Kobe is Japan’s sixth-largest city with a population of approximately 1.5 million. It serves as the capital city of Hyogo Prefecture as well as a prominent port city in Japan. The metropolitan areas of the cities of Kobe, Kyoto and Osaka forms Keihanshin (京阪神) metropolitan region.

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Miyajima is well-known as a sacred island wherein people and gods dwell together harmoniously. Since ancient times, the people living there worshipped the island itself as a god. Like any old folk tale, this belief was passed down from generation to generation until today. The inhabitants have been the guardian angels of Itsukushima Shrine, the island’s one-of-a-kind culture and holy nature as well as other shrines and temples. It is their efforts that make Miyajima island a world cultural heritage site which has thousands of Japanese and international visitors travel a thousand miles just to get their feet there.

Miyajima (literally ‘Shrine Island’) is in fact the popular nickname whereas Itsukushima is the island’s real name. If you have somehow invented a time machine and traversed through time to the past, you would see no women in this holy island and old people were sent elsewhere to die in order to maintain its ritual sanctity. Though you no longer stand a chance to see this super-great-great-grandma culture, you would pretty much be able to appreciate the typically Japanese Edo-era façade as drastic measures are taken to preserve the historically rich assets.

Geographically, this island falls in the Inland Sea of Japan, near Hiroshima. It is mountainous and sparsely populated. However, it is the home for the popular ‘floating’ torii (Shinto shrine gate), one of the most snapshot tourist destinations in Japan. Miyajima, sand bar Amanohashidate (Kyoto) and Matsushima Bay (Miyagi) are classified as the three most scenic views, or in Japanese ‘sankei’, of Japan. All in all, the many bounties of nature in Miyajima make it a superstar tourist attraction that you must travel to.

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Okinawa Island (沖縄本島 Okinawa-honto) is by far the largest and most densely inhabited island in Okinawa Prefecture. Flipping through Japanese history book few pages before the ending period of WWII where Hiroshima and Nagasaki were attacked by atomic bomb, you will see the allied bombing that obliterated the oldest heritage of Okinawan.

This island was once prosperous under the rule of the powerful Ryukyu Empire. There had been apparent cultural differences with mainland Japan which could be perceived from its architecture, until nearly all traces were utterly demolished during WWII. Fortunately, bombing attack was not deadly enough to obliterate other remnants of Okinawan culture. After the end of the war, the embers had rather turned into furious blaze in the heart of its people and Okinawa Island was developed into the busiest and most urbanized island in the prefecture. Today, travelers have the chance to experience the one-of-a-kind culinary, artistic and musical tradition.

Geographically, Okinawa main island could be divided into southern part (Nanbu), middle part (Chubu) and northern part (Hokubu) with Naha, well-known as the prefectural capital and largest city that functions as the regional transportation hub, Nago, the former Expo site renowned for its aquarium, and Okinawa City, the second most populous city after Naha, being the three main cities.

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Kamakura is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Japan due to the numerous shrines, temples and historical monuments as well as the beautiful beaches which are simply enchanting. However, behind the small and pleasant façade of Kamakura lies the richest Japanese history.

This significant historical town is where the first shogunate was established in 1192 until 1333. The defeat to the Taira clan in a domestic battle had the 3^rd son of Minamoto Yoshitomo, the leader of Minamoto clan, fled to Izu peninsula (adjacent to Kamakura). When he grew older, he started to garner forces against the Taira and set up his an ideal fortress in Kamakura which was bordered by sea and hills. The strategic situation around his base helped him vanquished the enemy in 1185 and was appointed shogun in 1192. It then became the de facto capital of Japan until the decline of Kamakura shogunate that it lost its position to other cities. Kamakura Period lasted over a century.

Geographically, Kamakura is a coastal town located in Kanagawa prefecture, to the south of Tokyo, Japan. The Institute for Research on World-Systems states that Kamakura was the largest city in Japan, eclipsing Kyoto by 1200 AD, and was the 4^th largest city in the world in 1250 AD. Today, the population is approximately 180,000.

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“Don’t say ‘magnificent’ until you’ve seen Nikko” is the catchiest sentence in most of today’s tourist literature. It is the translation of a popular Japanese saying proclaims Nikko wo minakereba “kekko” to iu na which eulogizes the everlasting magnificence of the city.

Nikko literally means sunlight, an endearing complement to the name of Japan (Nihon) which literally means sun’s origin. This city with a population of nearly 100,000 has been the heart of Shinto and Buddhist mountain worship for many centuries while picturesque, mountainous scenery, lakes, hot springs (onsen), waterfalls, hiking trails and wild monkeys are the highlights of Nikko National Park that you do not want to miss.

Geographically, Nikko is located to the north of Tokyo, in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture. Though it is much closer to Tokyo, the 200-2000 m elevation of Nikko makes the weather rather close to that of Hokkaido. It usually gets cooler when one ascends the mountain. The temperature is only about 22°C in warmest months while it could reach down to -8°C in the coldest months. The average temperature is around 7°C.

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