Emily Wu's Reviews Page 2/3

Oharai Machi, Okage Yokocho

In front of the Inner Shrine of Ise Jingu Shrine, there's a street called Oharai Machi that bustles with numerous worshippers every year. From the Edo Period to early Meiji Period, many people called Onshi lived here and performed Shinto dance and music for their worshippers (Oharai), thus, the name Oharai Machi is believed to have come about.

• Mie
• Shopping Streets

Funaoka Castle Ruins Park

This large park was built on the "Funaoka Castle" ruins where Shibata Family used to live until the Meiji Revolution. It is famous nation-wide through NHK’s 1970 historical drama “Mominoki wa Nokotta” based on Shugoro Yamamoto’s book. The fir tree, which was used as the title of the drama, is still standing tall in the park.

• Miyagi
• Parks & Gardens

Yokohama Motomachi Shopping Street

It is a shopping street that developed from a collection of stores that served foreign customers at the time of the opening of the port of Yokohama, which dates back more than 150 years ago. The 600-meter-long main street with a sophisticated Western-style atmosphere is lined with a wide variety of highly-sensitive stores, including apparel, sundry, interior and accessory stores. There are also many sophisticated cafes and restaurants, so it is also attractive that you can enjoy shopping slowly while taking a break.

• Yokohama
• Shopping Streets

Okunitama-jinja Shrine

Okunitama Shrine, with a history stretching back about 1900 years, is where Okunitama-no-Okami, the deity protecting the Musashino area, is enshrined. Musashino was a vast area including modern-day Tokyo, Saitama, and parts of Kanagawa. Inside the shrine grounds are several smaller shrines, each one granting its own blessing. Among those, the shrine blessing love and marriage is especially well-known.

• Fuchu, Chofu, Tama
• Shrines & Temples

Sensoji Temple

This iconic destination in Asakusa sees as many as 30 million visitors each year. It stands as a well-loved mainstay in Tokyo, all while hosting a number of annual traditions like the first temple visit at New Years, Setsubun and more across the year.

• Asakusa, Tokyo Skytree
• Shrines & Temples

teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM.com

The art collective teamLab is known for creating immersive, interactive experiences using cutting-edge digital technology. At teamLab Planets TOKYO DMM.com, step into the sheer awe of art that blurs the line between observer and the art itself. The museum saw a major renovation in January 2025, expanding event space by about 1.5 times and adding an outdoor area.

• Tsukiji, Odaiba, Toyosu
• Museums

Rokko Garden Terrace

Rokko Garden Terrace, located 880 meters above sea level on Mt. Rokko, is an observation deck where visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the Osaka Plain and Akashi Strait, including the city of Kobe, as well as a "10 million dollar" night view.

• Kobe
• Tourist Attractions

Lake Toya Onsen

This hot spring was created by the eruptive activity of Mt. Yosomiyama during the Meiji Era. It boasts an abundance of hot spring water and has the largest number of hotels and inns in Hokkaido. It is now one of the most popular hot spring resorts in Hokkaido, attracting more than 3 million tourists a year.

• Lake Toya and Noboribetsu
• Famous Places

ROKKO Forest Sound Museum

The ROKKO Forest Sound Museum, located on top of Mt. Rokko, is a museum exhibiting a collection of antique music boxes, automatic organs, and karakuri dolls made in Europe and America from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Visitors can enjoy automatic performances of music based on seasonal themes in the popular program "Concerts without Performers.

• Kobe
• Museums

The Kyu-Shibuyagawa Yuho-Doro (Cat Street)

A promenade on a back street, one street off the main street, connects Shibuya and Harajuku. Part of the "Kyu-Shibuyagawa Yuho-Doro" starting near the Jingumae police box is known as "Cat Street," where many popular stores, especially among young people, are located. There are various theories about the origin of the street name, such as "because there are many cats" or "because it is as narrow as a cat's forehead” etc...

• Aoyama, Omotesando, Harajuku
• Famous Places