Hamamatsu, Shizuoka belongs to UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the Field of Music since it’s the birthplace of musical instrument manufacturers like Yamaha and Kawai.

Want to go to Heaven? Maybe I can get a peek of what heaven is like when I visit the 18-kilometre-long Shiretoko Shari that stretches all the way into the horizon. I will remember to find out the sunset timing so that I can witness the glorious sun taking its leave after its long day of PoW!

The renowned umami characteristic of Japanese foods may be due to local farmers feeding their livestock aromatic fruits. For example, a mikkabi beef producer in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka supplements his cattle feed with the ground peels from a local variety of mandarin oranges called Aoshima mikan. Another innovation in Hamamatsu City is how Unagiimo grows sweet potatoes using leftover unagi, thus cultivating sweeter and more nutritious sweet potatoes!

Hailed as one of Japan’s top 3 castles, Kumamoto Castle suffered an earthquake in 2016. It’s now undergoing restoration efforts and will soon dazzle travellers with its unique stone walls called Mushakaeshi. Himeji Castle is another castle with mushakaeshi, which literally translates to “repelling samurais away”.

Mount Aso in Kumamoto is home to the world’s biggest caldera. Although it’s an active volcano, 50,000 people reside in it.

Kumamoto is also home to 3,333 stone steps in Misato Town, incidentally Japan’s longest stone staircase.

Oita boasts the largest number of onsens & highest annual yield of hot spring water. Its appeals include Yufuin City and Beppu City, which draw hordes of visitors to immerse in their rejuvenating hot spring waters.

Mangoes may cost a pittance in India and other Asian countries, but they are considered a luxury item in Japan. Miyazaki has created a niche for itself by producing luxury mangoes called Taiyo no Tamago (Egg of the Sun). One single mango is said to cost as much as $50.

Tochigi is Japan’s top producer of strawberries.

Niigata is Japan’s top producer of rice.

Kanazawa in Ishikawa is Japan’s top producer of gold foil. This gold foil is used for Kinkaku-ji Temple and Tokyo Skytree in Kyoto and Tokyo respectively.

Konsen Plateau in Hokkaido produces the most amount of milk as it has carved a niche for dairy farming.

Shizuoka produces more than 45% of all green tea in Japan. Asahina, a mountainous area near Shizuoka City also grows large, sweet bamboo shoots that are used to great effect by a popular ramen joint called Menya Musashi in Tokyo.

Wakayama is Japan’s top producer of satsumas (mandarin oranges) and seedless persimmons. Their juicy persimmons have a sugar content of at least 14%! It also boasts the largest yield of sansho (Japanese pepper) in Japan.

We can watch wild whales flex their freedom in the Ogasawara Islands, Tokyo. Yes, the Ogasawara Islands is part of the bustling metropolis of Tokyo.

Kagurazaka is the path less taken you should take while travelling in Tokyo. For one, it still comprises geisha houses that were in vogue during the Edo era (although they have been transformed into upscale kaisei restaurants). For another, due to the availability of two French schools, many French expatriates live here, thus giving rise to French eateries. It is not known as ‘Little Paris* for nothing!

Strategically located near Shibuya Station, Shibuya Nonbei Yokocho lets you escape the overly stimulating neon lights of Tokyo’s glitzy shopping malls and skyscrapers and seek refuge inside cosy bars that decorate the back alley with nostalgia aplenty. Eat, drink and be merry!

Yokohama locals spend the most money on Shochu, a distilled liquor in the whole of Japan.

Kobe is a steeply sloping city. Just how steep? Imagine slopes with inclination of 20% to even 50%! It is also known as the city of jazz.

Located in Kobe, Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is the longest suspension bridge with a centre span of 3911 metres. It connects Kobe and Awaji Island.

Niigata is known for its Le Leclier pears. If you are wondering why the French name, it’s because these pear trees were first brought over from France in the Meiji era around 1900s. This also means that Niigata has a similar climate with France.

One set of Wakasa-nuri-bashi chopsticks from Fukui prefecture takes one whole year to produce as it involves as many as twenty stages in a painstaking process powered by highly skilled human labour.

Another great example of PoW. The Fukui Agricultural Experiment Station takes about 14 or 15 years just to create one variant of Koshihikari rice, arguably Japan’s best-known rice.

Copper is used for the grills for takoyaki because it conducts heat five times better than iron.

22 Dec is where daylight is the shortest in Japan. Japanese people typically take their bath with yuzus because they believe that this zesty citrus fruit will help protect them against colds and flus. I say it’s a lovely custom!

Did you know that World Kindness Day is celebrated annually on November 13? It was initiated by the World Kindness Movement, an organisation formed at a Tokyo Conference in 1997, when Japan brought together kindness organisations from various nations.

Sento baths in public bathhouses in Japan seem to be falling out of flavour, but saunas are surging, with more than 12,000 facilities listed on a website called Sauna Ikitai.

Environmentally conscious people may want to support the efforts of this company called Marushige Seika. They produce a revolutionary line of edible dishes that come in sweet potato, shrimp crackers, onion, and corn flavours. If you are wondering how the company makes such sturdy crockery, they use potato starch that becomes hard and resistant to moisture under intense pressure.

Love your bonito flakes on top of your okonomiyaki? Then head over to Kochi Prefecture to tuck into katsuo (bonito) sashimi. Its slightly smoked flavour contrasts nicely against the soya sauce and citrus dressing, satisfying your taste buds 💯.

Japan is a master at wooden architecture. For instance, situated in Odate, Akita, Nipro Hachiko Dome (Odate Jukai Dome) is made from 25,000 Akita cypress trees which are covered with a special double Teflon-coated membrane. Likewise, Kintaikyo is Japan’s largest wooden bridge, flexing five bold arches anchored onto massive stone pillars.