Shimane Prefecture — located in the southwest of Japan’s main island near Hiroshima Prefecture — is an off-the-beaten-path destination known for traditional tea culture, sword making and one of ...

Envisage a constellation of flares lighting up the inky blue skies over the Sea of Japan to the sonorous chants of prayers, welcoming eight million Shinto deities from across the Japanese archipelago ...

It was the summer of 2018, and I had a plan. My girlfriend and I would travel together to Wakayama Prefecture, where I would propose to her at the base of Nachi Waterfall, Japan’s biggest and the ...

IZUMO, Shimane -- Shinto priests at west Japan's Izumo Taisha Shrine, where numerous gods from across the country are said to gather, held a ritual to welcome them at Inasa Beach about 1 kilometer ...

Okinoshima Island and Related Sites in the Munakata Region were inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2017. The value of this shrine complex lies in its ancient religious practices that have been ...

MISHIMA, Shizuoka -- Visitors who arrive at central Japan's Mishima Taisha shrine for their first worship visit of the new year will be welcomed by a dreamy scene, as the site will be covered by a sea ...

NARA--Inspired by “Bambi” and concerned about the pandemic, the creator of the beloved “Pikachu” character has illustrated a wooden “ema” prayer tablet with mythical creatures dedicated to the Kasuga ...

Just 100 kilometres south-west of Tokyo, rising between Yamanashi and Shizuoka prefectures, Mount Fuji is Japan’s highest ...