Travel

Located in the northern part of mainland of Japan and facing the Sea of Japan, Akita City is a four-hour drive from Misawa Air Base. The city is surrounded by rice fields and mountains and is known as one of the nation’s most important granary regions.

Surrounded by beautiful mountains and hot springs, Atsugi is an attractive city full of history and rich tradition. Located at the west end of the Kanto Plain, Atsugi is a fairly accessible city via the Tomei Expressway.

The Land of the Rising Sun is home to numerous Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples.
It may be surprising to know these outnumber the 56,936 convenience stores, which seem to be everywhere you turn. In total, Japan boasts a whopping 81,000 shrines and 77,000 temples, according to the National Agency for Cultural Affairs.

Japan is home to many tourist attractions - both natural and cultural - and as of 2018, 22 are registered as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

A sacred site for both Shinto and Buddhists since the 8th century, Nikko is home to a number of UNESCO World Heritage temples and shrines and gorgeous nature.

You may have seen these wooden plaques when visiting Shinto shrines around japan. These are decorated with drawings of the year’s zodiac sign or the temple’s symbol along with special Kanji characters.
These are called ema, which also means horse in Japanese. Ema are used to write prayers and ask for good luck in certain endeavors.