Osaka Sun Child (サン•チャイルド) March 11, 2012 marked the one year anniversary of the Tohoku Earthquake and became the opening date for the statue ‘Sun Child’ or ‘Taiyo no Ko’ in Japanese.
Hokkaido Niseko, Hokkaido (北海道ニセコ町) A ski town 2 hours south west of Hokkaido's largest city, Sapporo.
Hokkaido Sapporo City (札幌市) & The Sapporo Beer Museum (サッポロビール博物館) A very brief winter stopover in Japan's largest northern city, visiting the museum for one of the country's most iconic, international beer exports.
Osaka Shiba Ryotaro Memorial Museum (司馬遼太郎記念館) Architect Tadao Ando designed a museum dedicated to Shiba Ryotaro, a post WW2 author known for his novels based on historical events.
Kobe Oji Zoo, Kobe (神戸市立王子動物園) A zoo in Kobe with all the big ticket animals including a giant panda, a red panda, sloths, and a polar bear.
Kagawa Shodoshima (小豆島) The first place in Japan to successfully grow olives and the origin of the stone used to build Osaka Castle; Shodoshima is an island in the Seto Inland Sea with some great scenery and a really large Buddha.
Mie Forty-Eight Waterfalls of Akame (赤目四十八滝) Walk An unexpectedly amazing walk starting from Akameguchi Station in Mie, through a salamander museum, along a river through a valley and into a forest.
Osaka Osaka Skyline (大阪市スカイライン) A brilliant city that gets overshadowed by Japan's capital. The skyline from the Breeze Breeze Building in Umeda lets you take it all in.
Kyoto Tadao Ando Designed Oyamazaki Museum An entrepreneur's Tudor style home from the 1920s received an addition in 1995 by architect Tadao Ando for the Oyamazaki Museum.
Hiroshima Miyajima (厳島) / Itsukushima (厳島) Ikutsushima, more commonly known as Miyajima—which translates to Shrine Island—is most famous for its Torii gate in the sea.
Osaka Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (海遊館) & Osaka Culturarium at Tempozan (大阪文化館・天保山) The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (海遊館), designed by Peter Chermayeff and the Culturarium (大阪文化館・天保山) by Tadao Ando sit beside each other overlooking the bay; a short stroll from Osakako station.
Taiwan Taipei, Taiwan (台湾台北) A weekend in Taiwan's capital, sampling delicious foods in the night markets and spending time in the tea mountains.
North Korea North Korea (北朝鮮) A 5-day Chinese tour of North Korea entering via train from Dandong, visiting many monuments and the Northern side of the Demilitarised Zone.
