Top 10 Local Train Rides
Sit back, relax, and let us take you on a journey through the most scenic train rides Japan has to offer.
Onsen Trivia: Highest, Hottest & Healthiest
Oita has the most hot spring sources, but Hokkaido has the most spas—and the highest onsen is in Toyama.
Life Ramen in Nagaoka, Niigata
Ramen Adventures rolls out some wheels to get to finely balanced tonkotsu gyokai ramen.
15 Years & 800 Pieces of Art
For 50 days every three years, visitors to the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale get to traverse 200 villages to explore what is effectively the largest art gallery in the world.
All Aboard the Fireworks Train!
Dubbed "Genbi," this unique bullet train will be going into service on the Joetsu Shinkansen Line in Spring 2016.
Fresh Accumulation at Japan's Top Snow Site
SnowJapan is greeting the 2015/2016 season with a sprawling travel section upgrade.
Japan's 8 Prefectures with the Most Snow
Find the top eight places to visit for snow!
No Wolf Can Blow these Straw Monsters Down!
Niigata has a rather surprising tourist attraction thanks to the leftover straw from farmers—and the creative mind of Amy Goda.
Japan's 4 Scariest Themed Restaurants
While Halloween may be the perfect time to visit, these four frightening themed restaurants are ready to meet your horror needs all year around.
City Hall Gets More Visitors than Theme Parks
Aore City Hall was envisioned as a place where people would want to congregate. And it worked.
8 Incredible Snow Scenes in Japan
Here's a selection of places that are beautiful in the warm weather, but in the winter, that beauty is multiplied!
A 'Tarai' Boat Experience on Sado Island
Sado is a large island off Niigata located in the Sea of Japan. There are an express vessel and a regular ferry that leave from Niigata, taking about an hour by express and 2.5 hours by regular ferry.
Order McDonald's Largest Chicken Nugget Bucket
Hop on the train to Niigata to get your hands on this monstrous 48-piece bucket.
Niigata Lantern Festival
No need to venture all the way to Thailand to view this lantern festival. Just hop on the bullet train to Niigata!
9 Best Backcountry Ski Spots in Japan
Ski & Snowboard Tohoku Resorts
When you get tired of the pistes, there's always plenty of powder off the back—or further up! From Nagano to Hokkaido, here are the nine best backcountry ski spots in the country.
Niigata Ski & Snowboard Guide
Some of the best powder in Japan is only a day trip from Tokyo!
6 Foreigners Making Waves in the Countryside
Japanese Countryside Deeper Japan
Most of the subjects of this story didn't see themselves where they are now—but all of them found something incredible in the Japanese countryside, leading each to develop a unique and indelible bond to the local community.
6 Great Innovations from Japan's Countryside
From urban planning and fish farming to food recycling and the re-invigoration of traditional techniques, a number of great ideas have come out of Japan's smaller towns and cities.
There's No Vegetable Like Snow Vegetables!
Giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "frozen vegetables," farmers in these prefectures have decided to harvest their crops a little differently.
