The Studio Ghibli Museum is an ode to the legendary animation house's many films. Various productions stills, art pieces, and movies can be seen at the small museum an the outskirts of Tokyo.
Japan has amazing food quality whether traditional Japanese fare or foreign. The food tends to be healthy in its portion size and ingredients.
For many years Japan has been home to the most Michelin rated restaurants in the world. This one called Mikawa Zezankyo serves only tempura.
The chef is quite eccentric, even fixing an oversized bronzed cowboy hat as the exhaust fan for his fryer.
Tsuta is the world's first michelin-rated ramen restaurant and is located in the outskirts of Tokyo. The shoyu broth is made from a blend of three different soy sauces from different regions in japan.
Japan is home to many types of animal cafes. These "cafes" have live animals to play with and feed, in addition to serving you beverages and snacks. The Owl Cafe is home to a dozen owls of varying size, who will even perch on your hand or head.
Reinvention of classic and traditional architecture and culture is still relevant and heavily utilized in the present. For one coffee shop called Omotosando Koffee in Harajuku, the owner took over a traditional-style house and converted it into a small garden and coffee shop.
Presentation and courteousness is essential in Japan. This 3-star Michelin Fugu (blowfish) restaurant had private rooms and kimono wearing waitresses that bowed when leaving and entering the room.
Fugu, or blowfish, is deadly if improperly butchered with the liver being the most poisonous. This Fugu sashimi was very delicate and relatively mild in flavor. For someone who is eating Fugu, it is expected to feel slight tingling sensations and numbness as there are trace amounts of poison in its flesh.
Shinjuku offers a wide variety of entertainment, including the awe-inspiring Robot Restaurant. The neon lit taiko drums, bikini clad women, and loud music provide an unforgettable show.
The show is extremely ridiculous and over the top. Where else can you see a robot wearing a rainbow colored afro on roller skates?
Wandering the back alleys of Tokyo is a joy. The streets are lined with small Izakaya restaurants full of businessmen and serves beer, sake, and meat on skewers.
An hour outside Tokyo, the tallest mountain in Japan sits alone without any accompanying mountain range around it. It is snow capped many months of the year.
The journey to Mt. Fuji from Tokyo is occupied by many small villages and farms. The current rail system offers picturesque views of the Japanese countryside.
Near Mt. Fuji reside a large number of Ryokans, traditional-style inns that typically offer spa-like amenities. Kozantei Ubuya offers private hot tub rooms where you can view Mt. Fuji.
A short ferry ride from Hiroshima, Miyajima Island is a small island home to Itsukushima shrine, several temples, and inns.
Located at the Itsukushima Shrine, the Torii gate becomes submerged in water, where it gets its nickname the "Floating" Torii gate.
Home to many hikes as well, the island is largely inhabited by many raccoons and deer, both of which are not afraid of humans at all.
Many Ryokans will offer dinner and breakfast in addition to accommodations. The prefix meals usually have many "kaiseki" courses, featuring local specialities and ingredients.
The site of the first targeted nuclear weapon, Hiroshima is a beautiful city that has had a troubled past. The "Atomic Bomb Dome" was left untouched to show the devastation and remind future generations of the repurcussions of nuclear war.
Guttsuri-an is a small seafood spot located near the wharf offering fresh local seafood that you can grill over a small personal sand bbq pit.
The Golden Pavillion in Kyoto, formely a zen temple, is a reconstruction of the 14th century original which was burned by a schizophrenic monk in the 1950's.
Bamboo groves are plentiful around Kyoto's many temples and structures.
The Fushimi Inari Shrine is home to the countless torii gates that lead up to smaller shrines up the mountain.
The mixing of the ancient and new is highly present in Osaka as well.
The regional speciality of Osaka is Okonomoyaki. A savory pancake with vegetables and meat/seafood panfried at your table and topped with various toppings like mayo, okonomiyaki sauce, bonito flakes, and seaweed.
Food quality in general in Japan is uncompromisingly amazing. Kobe beef for instance is known worldwide as being some of the best beef in the world, being raised in strict conditions and being produced only in Kobe, Japan.