While fierce heat continues day by day, the Japanese Meteorological Agency declared on July 20 the official end of tsuyu season in the Kanto, Yamanashi, Nagano and Tokai regions.

As the rainy season begins to settle over the mountains of Hakone each June, an ever-popular seasonal train event returns to the tracks.

In Japan, green tea is enjoyed in many forms, whether hot or cold or from loose leaves or tea bags. The art of brewing and serving tea is a delicate tradition that goes back to the 8th century.

Every year, thousands of hikers make the grueling trek for a view unlike any other atop Japan’s iconic Mt. Fuji.

How have sakura, or cherry blossoms, become the unofficial symbol of Japanese nature?