Editors recall their favorite AFAR stories and how the tales inspired them to visit the most popular destinations in the world.
Source: Where Everyone Wants to Travel in 2021, According to Google
Looking forward: The most beautiful places in Japan to dream about; Kasey Furutani; Time Out
Venture beyond Tokyo – add these breathtaking temples, landmarks and hiking trails to your Japan bucket list…
Source: Looking forward: The most beautiful places in Japan to dream about
March to a different drum for that special experience; Stephen Scourfield; The West
Travel Editor STEPHEN SCOURFIELD suggests new destinations and approaches…
Source: March to a different drum for that special experience
Interview with Author Joanne Socha; Passion Passport
In this interview with Joanne Socha, the author talks about the importance of mindful travel and why everyone should adopt it.
Source: Interview with Author Joanne Socha – Passion Passport
Tour Inspires: Top 5 Places to See in Japan; Maxim Kraft; Medium.com
Hello everyone! Maxim is one of the co-founders behind Tour, a mobile trip planning app for iOS (and Android soon). This is…
Japan’s secluded world of temples; Rob Goss; BBC
Surrounded by eight peaks and suspended high in the mountains, Koya-san’s 117 temples evoke a spiritual experience like none other…
Top Things to Do in Mie Prefecture: A Guide to Traveling in Central Japan; Mason Dayot; Gaijin Pot
Watch GaijinPot explore the outdoor activities, unique spiritual experiences, and Unesco sites of Mie in their latest travel video.
Source: Top Things to Do in Mie Prefecture: A Guide to Traveling in Central Japan
Everything you need to know about hiking the Kumano Kodo in Japan; Sherry; Otts World
Answers to the most frequently asked questions about hiking the Kumano Kodo in Japan. Understand the different routes, what gear you need, and more!
Source: Everything you need to know about hiking the Kumano Kodo in Japan
2 Vietnamese Buddhist temples are among the most beautiful in the world; Xaluan
National Geographic voted 10 most beautiful temples in the world. In particular, 2 famous destinations of Vietnam are named in this list.
Source: 2 Vietnamese Buddhist temples are among the most beautiful in the world. Travel
Kansai Guide: Walk amidst the gods and nature on the old Kumano Kodo, a World Heritage Site; LIVE JAPAN
Kumano Kodo [Old Road] is one of the Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range and is also registered as a World Heritage Site. Popular as a power spot, the writer walked this road so rich in history and natural beauty with a storyteller guide.
25 Ultimate Things to Do in Japan; Celia Polkinghorne; Fodor’s
From soaking in onsens in Hokkaido to visiting the deer in Nara, there’s so much more to do in Japan than eating sushi in Tokyo. While the bright lights and fish markets lure travelers, the countryside is home to temples and shrines, mountain hikes, and culinary adventures. This is everything you need to do in Japan to fully experience the country.
Doing the ‘I turn’: Japan taps tourism to lure city dwellers to emptying villages; Rina Chandran; The Japan Times
Yoshifumi Yano was tiring of the high cost of living and long hours of work at a travel firm in the city of Osaka when he heard of a hotel for sale in a small…
Source: Doing the ‘I turn’: Japan taps tourism to lure city dwellers to emptying villages | The Japan Times
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range; Nick Kembel; Everything Everywhere
Visiting the Kii Mountain Range in Japan is easy—either day trip from Osaka or walk the sacred UNESCO sites along the pilgrimage route. Here’s how what you should know before you go.
Source: Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range
Hiking Solo Along the Kumano Kodo Iseji Route; Rebecca Quin; Savvy Tokyo
“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me.” — Cheryl Strayed
Stay on Koyasan, one of Japan’s most sacred sites, and lose your heart to the Yoshino cherry blossoms; Japan Monthly Web Magazine
Koyasan (Wakayama Prefecture), a sacred mountain-top Shingon Esoteric Buddhism site, has been attracting worshippers for the past 1,200 years. Along with the…
Fudarakusan-ji; Yonatan Friis; Atlas Obscura
A temple made famous by Japanese Buddhist monks who sacrificed themselves at sea.
Source: Fudarakusan-ji
12 Reasons to Hike the Kumano Kodo, Japan’s 1,000-Year-Old Pilgrimage Route; Fodor’s Travel
Located about a hundred kilometers south of Osaka, the Kumano Kodo is the perfect antidote to a few days in Japan’s megalopolises. The network of trails snakes across the Kii Peninsula past sites significant in Buddhism and Shintoism, through small towns, and over lushly forested mountain passes. The pilgrimage holds appeal for hikers with a wide range of abilities, religious affiliations, and priorities. Here’s how and why to hike the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage in Japan.
Source: 12 Reasons to Hike the Kumano Kodo, Japan’s 1,000-Year-Old Pilgrimage Route
Niutsushime Shrine & Jisonin Temple; Roisin Finnerty; Japan Travel
Mount Koya s spiritual realm extends further, come and discover the Niutsushime Shrine and Jisonin Temple, which play their own important roles in the story of this land.
Source: Niutsushime Shrine & Jisonin Temple – Japan Travel – Japan Tourism Guide and Travel Map
Visiting one of the most sacred places in Japan; Keith Austin; Traveller
People leave little knitted hats and scarves on the statues in the town’s splendidly eerie cemetery.
