TOHOKU

Family and nature both feature prominently in this stirring glimpse of a day spent far away from the bright lights of Tokyo.

The Ishinomaki Stone Memorial pays homage to the lives lost in the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011.

Looking for a unique souvenir from Japan that isn’t food? Tsugaru-nuri, a type of lacquerware local to Aomori Prefecture, may be the elegant souvenir you’ve been waiting for.

The catastrophic event that took place on March 11, 2011 left a scar in the hearts of many. These haunting photographs of former residents returning to the Fukushima Exclusion Zone remind us all of what was taken and forever lost.

Check out one of the Three Famous Cherry Blossom Spots of Michinoku, including the centuries-old weeping cherry blossoms of Kakunodate's samurai district.

The only thing more jaw-dropping than their beauty is just how long these cherry trees have been around!

Since northern Japan gets its cherry blossoms later than the rest of the country, even if you've missed the first round of 'sakura' to the south, you can often catch late blooms in Tohoku and Hokkaido as late as the end of April or even early May.

Japanese culture is deeply tied to nature, and there's no better time to appreciate the Japanese wilderness than cherry blossom season.