Japan
Castles of Japan Diary. During Japan's early history, there were hundreds of castles. Under Tokugawa Ieyasu's "one realm, one castle" policy, many were destroyed. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, most of the remaining castles were also torn down. This site lists all the castles and contains photos (where available) and the history of each. Japanese Only*. [hts]
Japan in 24 Days: or How I Got One Hell of a Sore Butt: An interesting ride from Tokyo to Hokkaido and back down to Kyushu on a 250cc motorcycle. It starts off with an interactive map and includes photos and a daily statistics on mileage and costs. [hts]
http://www.chachich.com/jpnbike/
Japanese Historical Maps.The Japanese Historical Map Collection at the University of California, Berkeley, contains about 2,300 early maps of Japan and the World. A special viewing software download may be necessary to download from the site. [hts]
http://www.davidrumsey.com/japan/
Northern Japan
Hokkaido and Tohoku
Ainu Museum, Shiraoi, Hokkaido. The online museum of the the Ainu Museum located at Poroto Kotan in Shiraoi City, containing information about many aspects of the Ainu People and their way of life. English, Chinese, and Japanese*. [hts]
http://www.ainu-museum.or.jp/
Fukushima Prefecture: Tourism site of Fukushima but you can explore each area fro m the coast to the mountains by following links on a map. [hts]
Rebun Town - The official Rebun Island web site, with many photos and a map of the island. Japanese Only. [hts]
Towadako - Lake Towada - Views, vegetation, and things to do around Lake Towada, including a Live Camera, in Aomori Prefecture, Tohoku. Japanese Only. [hts]
Western Honshu
Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, and Chugoku
Virutal Tour of Asuka Historical Museum - Asuka, located south of Nara, some 1 300 and more years ago, was home to Japan's ruling dynasty and was thus, for more than a century,the capital of the country. [hts]
A Contemplative Companion to Fujino Township - An expat put these pages together to show the area that he lives in Kanagawa Prefecture, to the west of Tokyo. Click on the stone post to start, and then click on the photos for enlargements, explanations, and more photos. [hts]
http://www2.gol.com/users/nhavens/index.html
Hieizan Enryakuji. Information and photos of Enryaku Temple on the summit of Mt. Hiei in northeastern Kyoto. English and Japanese
*. [hts]
http://www.hieizan.or.jp/
Himeji Castle. Take a virtual tour of the castle known as the "White Heron," a UNESCO World Heritage site. English and Japanese
*. [hts]
http://www.himeji-castle.gr.jp/
Peace Park, Hiroshima. Take a photographic tour of Peace Park, the hypocenter of the atomic bomb explosion. Go to the site's home page for further information and exhibits. [hts]
http://www.csi.ad.jp/ABOMB/pp.html
Kawasaki - Events, museums, and sights around this city on the west side of Tokyo.
Shokawa Gokayama World Heritage Site: Traditional houses in the Gassho Style that haven't been torn down as elsewhere in Japan. Photos with links to Japanese. [hts]
http://www.vill.taira.toyama.jp/spot/heritage_e.html
Shikoku
88 Temples of Shikoku. Map and photos of the famous pilgramage around Shikoku. [hts]
http://thetempleguy.com/akimeguri/shikoku/gallery/gallery.htm
Kompira Shrine, Shikoku. Photos of the mountainside shrine to mariners, in Kagawa Prefecture of Shikoku. [hts]
http://www.timwerx.net/albums/kompira/
Kyushu
Kumamoto Prefectural Travel Guide. A site that contains information about sightseeing, products, events, transportation and accommodation that can be driven by selecting area maps within the prefecture. [hts]
http://cyber.pref.kumamoto.jp/default-e.asp
Minamata Disease Museum: History and explanations about the disease. "English" is in the upper right. Also Japanese, French, and Korean. [hts]
Unzen Volcano Internet Museum. Information about the Shimabara Catastrophic eruption that killed two of the world's foremost volcanologists along with 41 others. Maps, photos, and diagrams. English and Japanese
*. [hts]
http://133.5.170.64/Museum/Museum-e/Museum-e.html
Yakushima. Climate, topography, and photos of spectacular waterfalls on this island just south of Kyushu. Japanese Only- Photographs on the second link. [hts]
http://www.yakushima.or.jp/
http://www.yakushima.or.jp/photogyarari/photogyarari.htm
Yakushima: Listing of Yakushima as a World Heritage Site. [hts]
http://whc.unesco.org/sites/662.htm
Yakushima: David Barber's trip to Yakushima with many photos. [hts]
http://www.davidbarber.org/japan/aprilmay2001/yakushima/index.html
