Tulips and Sakura・Fragrant Green Tea・Unagi (Eel!) and Gyoza ~ in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka

Unless your Japanese travel plans revolve solely around central Tokyo, it's quite possible you've heard the name Shizuoka when talking about Mount Fuji. But Shizuoka is a whole Japanese prefecture, and it has much more to offer than just half of Japan's famous mountain. This spring, the Japankuru team went to explore and learn more about Hamamatsu, a city in Shizuoka. The first thing we learned? Thanks to the city's status as a stop on the shinkansen line that connects Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kyoto, it's extremely easy to get to! But more importantly, the city has a unique history closely linked to industry and manufacturing, and more recent status as a lakeside resort on the shores of Lake Hamanako (浜名湖, also called Lake Hamana). Hamamatsu is the birthplace of Honda and Yamaha, Lake Hamanako produces some of Japan's best eel and pufferfish, and in the fields of Shizuoka grows world-renowned green tea. Plus, more recently, the city has become a hotspot for beautiful flowers! So read on to find out just why you're going to want to add Hamamatsu to your next Japanese itinerary!

Feeling the Fresh Air, Seeing the Fall Leaves, and Admiring the Spectacular Autumn Cherry Blossoms of Toyota City, Aichi

For a few glorious weeks every fall, the city of Toyota in Aichi prefecture turns into an autumn wonderland. Leaves turn into a mosaic of reds and yellows, and pale pink petals float down from the unique fall-blooming sakura trees, carried on crisp, fresh breezes. While the name Toyota is likely to bring thoughts of vehicles to the minds of many, the city is a great destination for travelers looking for a lot more than automobile museums! Highly recommended for travelers heading to Japan in the fall, the city's views of extremely rare autumn cherry blossoms, and the colorful foliage of Korankei Gorge, are things to behold.

JAPANKURU Recommends: The Gorgeous Scenery of Toyama's Kurobe Gorge

A Japanese Natural Treasure, Kurobe Gorge

The city of Kurobe (黒部市) is known around Japan, and overseas, for its "Snow Corridor", where a narrow road is carved out of high walls of piled snow, making for an impressive sight. Travelers who go straight to the Corridor and then leave the area are missing out on some of Japan's most beautiful scenery.

Toyama Prefecture (富山県), where you'll find Kurobe, is in Japan's central Chubu region, which is right in the middle of the main island, and butting up against the Sea of Japan in the west. With Toyama Bay never far away, the prefecture is never lacking in fresh seafood and aquatic delicacies. Move towards the mountains, and whisps of hot steam come curling through the peaks and crags, just a sign of the amazing hot springs in the Unazuki Onsen (宇奈月温泉, onsen = hot spring!) part of Kurobe. Thanks to all this geological variation, rivers carve deep valleys into the area, and the region around Kurobe Gorge is a great place to explore this natural resource (and perhaps try canyoning?) Take a ride on the local Torokko Train, from the Kurobe Gorge Railway, and peaking out from the mountainside, the views of Kurobe will take your breath away.

:::SPECIAL::: # 2016 World's Top 10 Airports! 3 international airports in Japan are ranked in!! Which ones? Narita? Haneda? Centrair? Kansai? New Chitose?

:::SPECIAL::: # Good news for foreign visitors to Japan! New immigration system that will cut the waiting times at international airports in Japan!!