Tokyo Station: Marunouchi Station Building
The construction of Japan’s front gate, Tokyo Station, began in March, 1908 and it was opened in December, 1914. Kingo Tatsuno, the pioneer of modern architecture in Japan, designed it. The steel-framed, brick Marunouchi Station building was burned on the roof and interior in the 1945 air raid.
The exterior looks really classic, but inside it's super modern and high-tech. I love the contrast!
Tanabe Ogigahama Beach (Ogigahama Park)
Just as the name Ogigahama suggests, the beach is in the pretty shape of an open fan. Every summer, the only swimming beach in Tanabe City opens and many visitors set up their parasols under the blue sky here.
The water is super clear and there are lots of visitors. There's even a free beach house you can use. The sunset makes it even more beautiful.
Hakone-Yumoto Onsen Hot Spring Village
Hakone-Yumoto Onsen Hot Spring Village is known as one of the seven hot springs in Hakone and the largest hot spring resort in Hakone.
It only takes about an hour by train from Tokyo, so it's super convenient for a day trip.
Kyoto Station Building
Kyoto station is attached to an enormous building which provides shops and restaurants, as well as a hotel and cultural center. The Cube Shopping Mall occupies the ground floor and two basement floors. In its spacious confines are shops offering a wide variety of unique souvenirs and specialty desserts from Kyoto, trendy fashion items, and interesting knickknacks.
This is Kyoto's main transportation hub. There are hotels and shopping malls, and you can catch buses to pretty much any sightseeing spot in Kyoto right outside the station.
Hakone Kowakien YUNESSUN
YUNESSUN is a hot springs theme park located in Hakone, the popular hot springs destination in Japan. The park is divided into two areas, the traditional hot springs baths at Mori no Yu and the Yunessun area for you to enjoy in your swimwear.
They don't provide towels, so you have to buy them separately. Except for Mori no Yu, the other areas are pretty average.
Lake Biwa
Lake Biwa, which belongs to the first-grade Yodo River system and is located in the center of Shiga Prefecture, occupies an area of about 670 k㎡, or about one-sixth of the prefecture's land area, and is the largest lake in Japan in terms of both area and water storage capacity, with 27.5 billion tons of water pouring in through rivers from the surrounding mountains of Ibuki, Suzuka, and Hira, all of which are over 1,000 meters high.
Lake Biwa is the largest lake in Japan. You really need to take a boat to see the whole thing.