This corner introduces various parts of Japan, under the slogan, “Beautiful Country-Japan,” under the auspices of Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO). Come to Japan again with your friends and family members.
Do you know JNTO ?
JNTO is staging the Visit Japan Campaign under theslogan, “Yokoso Japan!” You mighthave seen the campaign around the world.As the government’s tourist bureau, JNTO with itsoffices in thirteen nations in the world promotes abroad the image of Japan as a good tourist spot in an effort to increase the number of sightseers to the country. Its 
homepage is packed with useful tourist information in Japan.
JNTO (Japan National Tourist Organization)
Japanese glass manufacturing is said to have begun in 16th century Nagasaki from technology introduced from Portugal and the Netherlands. Vidro (blown glass), also known as “Popin” or “Poppin”, is a glass toy that makes a sound when the long, tubular neck is placed in the mouth and blown. At “Rurian” you can experience making a Vidro single-flower vase and tumbler with your choice of color and design from the samples.
“Hashima” is a submarine coal island located 19 kilometers away from Nagasaki Port, where 5,300 people used to live at its peak. On this island Japan's first reinforced concrete high-rise housing, schools, hospitals, movie theaters, etc. were built and. it is called "Battleship Island" because the appearance of the island resembles the Japanese battleship "Tosa". It has been almost 40 years since the mines were closed and the island became deserted. In 2009 it was published in the World Heritage Tentative List as a “Modern Industrial Heritage Site in Kyushu and Yamaguchi”.
Nagasaki “Kokusai Koryu Juku (International exchange school)" has operated one of the “Higashiyamate Western-style Houses”, a Nagasaki City’s Designated Cultural Property, as a base for international exchange leased from the city since June 1997. They are engaged in a wide range of activities such as charity and the World Foods Restaurant where you can taste cuisine from all around the world. We’re sure you will enjoy hearing about the appeal of Nagasaki from the eyes of foreign chefs at the World Foods Restaurant (open on weekends and public holidays).
When you speak of Nagasaki, Chanpon springs to mind, however this time we introduce you to “Toruko Rice”. Toruko Rice is a hearty dish served with pork cutlet, pilaf and spaghetti and it can be enjoyed cafés and restaurants in Nagasaki. The dish and its flavor slightly vary from store to store, so why don’t you compare different tastes and try to find your favorite store!
“Diamond Fuji” refers to the phenomenon at the moment of sunset or sunrise during which the sun hitting Mt. Fuji makes it glitter like a diamond. Mt. Fuji can’t be climbed during the winter, but it still provides enjoyment by showing us such scenery. “Diamond Fuji” is a gift from Mt. Fuji that can only be viewed in the season of clear air from autumn to winter.
Kofu Tori Motsuni made by the Group for Bringing Luck to Everyone won the grand prize in the 2010 B-1 Grand Prix (a competition to decide the best “B-grade” local cuisine in Japan). This unique dish from Kofu consists of chicken giblets and unlaid chicken eggs that have been flavored with a sweet, rich sauce. Why not use the “Kofu Tori Motsuni Map” to stroll about and enjoy sampling this dish? 
The Hina Decorations and Peach Blossom Festival is held every year from February to April. Hina dolls from the Edo to Showa periods are displayed inside the Kanzo Residence (an Important Cultural Property) in front of Enzan Station. This festival allows you to celebrate the arrival of spring while viewing the many hina dolls and peach blossoms. You can also see “tsurushi-bina” hanging decorations that are unique to the Enzan area.
At the Hottarakashi Hot Springs, you can enjoy bathing in hot springs while viewing the sun rising from behind Mt. Fuji. Nothing is more wonderful than taking an early morning bath in the rotenburo (open-air bath).This hot spring is also particularly proud of the feeling of freedom it provides and its views overlooking the Kofu Basin. Once the sun goes down, you can enjoy viewing the sky and night scenery that was chosen as one of the New Three Best Night Scenes in Japan.
Koshu Inden
This month, lucky readers will win either stickers featuring Hishimaru Takeda (the mascot of the Yamanashi Tourism Organization), environmentally friendly disposable chopsticks, or a Koshu Inden accessory. Which one might you receive? Make sure to enter your name, nationality, home address, email address and your thoughts on the newsletter in an email and send it to us to enter the drawing.
Nara Park is a wide expanse at the foot of Mt. Wakakusa in the city of Nara. There are many World Heritage sites within such as Todai Temple, Kasuga Grand Shrine and Kofuku Temple that attract crowds of tourists regardless of the season. The park is also home to about 1,200 deer who you can feed with shika senbei, a kind of rice cracker for the deer.
One of the World Heritage sites at Nara Park is Todai Temple. It was established in 741 by imperial decree from Emperor Shomu, who advanced the building of a country with Buddhist teachings at its heart. They say that the famous giant statue of Buddha took three years to build. It stands 14.98 meters high and its hands are 1.48 meters wide. Todai Temple has many national architectural treasures. The Daibutsuden is not the only must-see site: there are also the Nandaimon, the Nigatsu-do, the Hokke-do (Sangatsu-do) and more.
Nara is famed for its kaki, (Japanese persimmon) and the kaki-no-ha sushi made using its leaves has been eaten for a long time. In Nara Prefecture, which has no coastline, kaki leaves are used to kill germs and make this familiar preserved food. There are stores where you can wrap sushi with kaki leaves yourself and take it as a souvenir.
When summer and the colorful flowers that bloom then come to an end, the time for autumn leaves with shades like blazing flames follows. Hachimantai is a treasure trove of wetland and alpine vegetation, and the views from the peaks of Mt. Iwate and Mt. Akita Komagadake are so very beautiful.
Kiritanpo, an Akita specialty, is made by grinding hard, freshly cooked rice with a mortar until the sticky insides are mashed out, wrapped around cedar skewer like chikuwa, then roasted next to the base of the flames in a fireplace. It is said that the word “tanpo” in kiritanpo comes from a cover for the cutting edge of a spear because the rice wrapped around the skewer looks similar in shape. Meanwhile “kiri” comes from the Japanese phrase “kitte ireru,” meaning “cut and put in” and which you do when you put it in the pot (called a “nabe”). The combination of the two thus creates the word “kiritanpo.”
The Akita Nairiku Line is a railway that runs 94.2 km from Kakunodate to Takanosu. The trip takes about three hours. There is a lot of nature along the line. In autumn you can see a plethora of nostalgic scenery of fall leaves from the train.
Namahage visit each household once a year as a visiting deity to search out bad children, drive away misfortune, and to bring about plentiful harvests, good catches of fish and joy. They parade about chanting, “Namakemono wa inega. Nakuko wa inega” in the local dialect, which means, “Are there any lazy people? Are there any crying children?” It is a folk event that passes on an old tradition.
Magewappa were originally made by farmers and lumberjacks and used as containers for bentos and other uses in people’s daily lives. They are even known outside Japan for the brilliant, elegant texture made by using the beauty of quality, natural Akita cedar grains and for being an excellent product.
Ten readers will get a free set of original goods from Akita Prefecture (the topic of this newsletter) that includes a picture postcard, mobile phone strap, a sightseeing guide and more. To apply, make sure to write your name, home address, email address and your thoughts about the newsletter in an email and send it to us.
Shuri Castle built during the era of the Ryuku Kingdom is known as a castle symbolizing the history of Okinawa. It stands on top of a small hill and is surrounded by curved walls. Once considered the center of culture and arts, entertainers and musicians actively conducted performances in the castle and around the area. Many art and craftwork experts also were active back in those days. In December 2000, Shuri Castle was registered as a World Heritage Site. 
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is where you will find tropical fish beautifully adorning the coral reefs. It is also the world’s first aquarium to breed “whale sharks,” the largest fish on this planet (8.4 meters long), as well as the world’s largest "rays.” Even on land, visitors can still take a tour of the Okinawan sea through such features as the sunny “Coral Sea,” the “Kuroshio Sea” with the world’s largest acrylic panel attached (8.2 meters high, 22.5 meters wide, and 60 centimeters thick), and the “Deep Sea” where light-emitting organisms are bred. 
Hakone has long been famed for its hot spring resorts and has received visitors from abroad such as Charlie Chaplin and John Lennon.
Lake Ashino is a tourist area with plenty of resorts and famous sightseeing spots on the lakeshore, and it is known for its picturesque scenery with a view of Mt. Fuji. Many fishing competitions are held here because it is also well known as a place to catch rainbow trout and black bass.
At the historic village of Gokayama, which is one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, you can see gassho-zukuri ("prayer-hands construction") houses to catch a glimpse of the traditional Japanese lifestyle from the thatched roofs that resemble two hands joined in prayer. 
Shimonoseki boasts the largest sales volume of “fugu”, a fish also known as pufferfish, in Japan. There’s nothing like the taste of fugu in season on a cold winter’s day. There is also a viewing platform not far from Shimonoseki station in 
Hagi is an old castle town that looks out onto the Sea of Japan. Even today the ruins of the castle and old samurai homes still remain, and Shoka Sonjuku, a school where many of Japan’s history makers during the Meiji Era were educated, is preserved here. Every summer, the Mantoe Festival is held at temples in the city, and over six hundred stone lanterns are lit, creating an ethereal atmosphere.
Akiyoshi-dai is Japan's largest limestone karst plateau. The countless white rocks sticking out of the wide grassland area looks just like a flock of sheep playing. Underneath the earth lies one of Japan's largest limestone caves, Akiyoshi-do.
Iwakuni is home to one of the three finest bridges in Japan, a beautiful arched bridge called Kintai-kyo. It has over 300 years of history, and if you walk along the dry riverbed under the bridge and look up, you can see how the bridge was made, by joining pieces of wood together, a marvel of craftsmanship.
One look at Lake Biwa would convince visitors why the largest lake in Japan was historically called “the ocean.” Shiga Prefecture was once known as Omi Province,
meaning a land with a lake close to the capital (at that time, Nara).
A trip from the capital city of Otsu up Mt. Hiei by cable car presents a panoramic view of Lake Biwa. Enryaku Temple, a world heritage site atop Mt. Hiei, gives visitors introductory lessons (by appointment only) in zazen (seated meditation) and shakyo (hand-copying a sutra).
Hikone houses a national treasure built in the 17th century: the Hikone Castle. Visitors are welcome to pretend to be a feudal lord and take in the grand view of Lake Biwa below, or stroll through the castle’s vast garden.
Koka was once home to a school of ninja. They trained in the art of Ninjutu here and played an active role during the feudal period. Several ninja mansions remain, embedded with various tricks that aided the practice of ninjutsu, and some facilities even rent ninja outfits for visitors interested in this aspect of Japanese history.
How about becoming a ninja for the day!
This month we introduce Hokkaido, a vast northern land rich with nature. 
Visitors to Furano, which has even been the setting for television dramas, can enjoy beautiful fields of lavender in the summer, and skiing in the winter. Asahikawa is home to the Asahiyama Zoo, which was introduced in a previous edition of this eNews.
Along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk in the winter, drift ice that covers the entire surface of the sea can be viewed from a sightseeing icebreaker. It is not easy for humans to enter the World Natural Heritage site Shiretoko, with its rough landscape and severe winter climate, and the region has become a habitat for rare plants and animals.
“It might become possible to grow Iyokan in Tokyo if global warming continues,” my family and I mused the other day. Iyokan is a type of citrus that was named after Iyo, the former name of Ehime prefecture. 
Allured by its long history, tourists from not just Japan but from all over the world come to visit the Dogo Hot Springs. Dating back 3,000 years, these hot springs are mentioned in the Manyoshu, the oldest existing anthology of poetry in Japan. 
The Shimanami Kaido, which links six islands that lay between the cities of Imabari, Ehime, and Onomichi, Hiroshima, covers a total distance of approximately 70 kilometers. It offers an ideal route for sightseeing and walking. Tired travelers can take a refreshing break in the shade of a tall Japanese cinnamon tree at Oyamazumi Shrine.
Yamagata Prefecture is the stage for the film Departures (Okuribito), which recently won the Academy Award for best foreign language film. The film was highly rated for its humorous depiction of death, a serious theme, capturing the simple appearance of the local folks and Yamagata’s beautiful nature. 
Cherry is Yamagata prefecture’s specialty. Yamagata’s cherries are characterized by its beautiful red hue and refreshing acidity. The prefecture produces over 70% of the cherries in Japan. 
The city of Yonezawa, located in southern Yamagata prefecture, developed as a castle town. A festival is held in May there reproducing battles in the Warring States Period. Men dressed as ancient warlords are mounted on horses, which is a sight to behold. 
Himeji Castle often appears as a fortress in historical samurai TV programs and movies. The castle’s aesthetic appearance is often likened to a white heron spreading its wings. The majestic beauty of its white plastered walls and soaring main tower is overwhelming. 
