Off the Beaten Path Japan

Daimon-zaka(Higashimuro District, Wakayama)【Kodo（古道）】is a Japanese word meaning an “ancient trail.” It refers to paths that people have used...

Kumano Nachi Taisha(Higashimuro District, Wakayama)【Karasu (烏)】 means “crow” in Japanese, lives throughout Japan—from forests to urban areas...

Nachi Waterfall(Higashimuro District, Wakayama)【Taki (滝)】 means “waterfall” in Japanese. Water springs from the mountains, rushes over a cli...

Kumano Hayatama Taisha(Shingu City, Wakayama)【Kii-hanto (紀伊半島)】 is the Kii Peninsula, the largest peninsula in Japan, extending southward in...

Kamikura Shrine(Shingu City, Wakayama)【Iwa (岩)】 refers to large rocks formed by natural forces, volcanic activity, crustal movements, and lo...

The Tokugawa Art Museum(Nagoya City, Aichi)【 Gosanke（御三家）】 or the “Three Great Tokugawa Houses,” refers to the three branches of the Tokugaw...

Ashikaga Orihime Temple(Ashikaga City, Tochigi)【 Orimono（織物）】 means textiles made by interweaving vertical warp threads and horizontal weft ...

Bannaji Temple(Ashikaga City, Tochigi)【Kamon（家紋）】 are traditional Japanese family crests that signify lineage and social status. For histori...

Ashikaga School(Ashikaga City, Tochigi)【Ekikyō (易経)】 is the Japanese name for the I Ching (Yijing), an ancient Chinese text originally creat...

Kōdōkan(Mito City, Ibaraki)【Gakkō（学校）】 means “school” in Japanese. It is a place where students learn reading, writing, and academic subject...

Kairakuen Garden(Mito City, Ibaraki)【Bai-en（梅園）】 is a garden or orchard where many plum trees are planted. Plum blossoms have long been cher...

Nikkon Museum(Shinagawa City, Tokyo)【Kougaku（光学）】is the Japanese term for optics, the science and technology of understanding and using ligh...