Vicki L. Beyer

3 weeks ago | japantoday.com | Vicki L. Beyer

As spring moves to summer, Japan is always blessed with colorful flowers: cherry blossoms, azaleas, wisteria, roses and irises, each in their turn. Japan’s irises are best viewed in public parks or specialized iris gardens. Perhaps some of the most spectacular iris displays are to be found along the Hitachi Tone River that separates Chiba and Ibaraki Prefectures. This area is well known for its irises and celebrates the blooms with two annual festivals, beginning May 23 and May 24.

1 month ago | japantoday.com | Vicki L. Beyer

Kashiigu shrine in Fukuoka’s Higashi Ward is a picturesque complex of vermillion and white structures surrounded by lush greenery that lend a feeling of serenity and repose. Last year the shrine celebrated 1,300 years since its founding, but its history actually goes back much further, all the way to 200 AD. The main shrine building sits atop a flight of stone stairs and is surrounded by cloisters.

2 months ago | japantoday.com | Vicki L. Beyer

Kumamoto’s Tatsuda Nature Park is a little-known treasure; an off-the-beaten-track destination. It is a pleasant green space with well-groomed paths, yet the lack of crowds and its various remnants of the past leave visitors with a sense that they have entered a lost world. And, in a way, they have. The park was originally the grounds of Taishoji, a Buddhist temple established here in 1636 by Tadatoshi Hosokawa (1586-1641), the first Hosokawa feudal lord (daimyo) of Kumamoto Castle.

Feb 24, 2025 | japantoday.com | Vicki L. Beyer

Photos of a massive red shrine gate that appears to be floating in the sea is one of the most iconic images of Japan. The gate is the great torii of Itsukushima Shrine on the small island in the Seto Inland Sea known as Miyajima. World Heritage-listed Miyajima is indeed an iconic spot, said to be one of the top three most scenic places in all of Japan (the other two are Matsushima and Amanohashidate). It is popular with both overseas and domestic visitors.

Jan 23, 2025 | japantoday.com | Vicki L. Beyer

The city of Hiroshima is best known among overseas visitors as the site of the world’s first atomic bombing. The city’s association with nuclear weapons has been underscored by the recent Nobel Peace Prize win by Nihon Hidankyo, a grass roots movement of atomic bomb survivors. But there are many things to see and do in the city.