Travel

Given its size compared to the United States, you might think there isn’t much to road trips around the Japanese archipelago. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

As the nighttime lights of Shanghai winked to life late on a damp Saturday afternoon, the tour guide said she had one last stop in mind: the marriage market in People’s Park.
“I just hope we’re not too late,” said Janny Chyn as we hailed a taxi and headed for the huge park in central Shanghai.

Oshika-hanto is a remote peninsula in Miyagi Prefecture, and technically considered part of Ishinomaki-shi, although the locals consider themselves to be quite separate. Pronounced “Ojika” by anyone from other parts of Japan, Oshika consists of several tiny fishing villages, most of which were destroyed in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

When people go to Miyazaki's Udo Jingu, most tend to go the main shrine. But if you veer off to the left before you get to the main shrine, there are a number of smaller shrines to view and forest paths you can take on your own adventure. One of them leads to a great little cave shrine where uncrowded, spiritual bliss awaits.

Kagoshima Prefecture is dominated in myth and appearance by Sakurajima; the collective name for the island located about 5 km from the city that hosts one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Luckily, as volcano logic goes, the ones that erupt regularly pose less of a threat than the “dormant” ones.

Millions of tourists flock to Hawaii each year, packing the beaches and attractions at hot spots such as Oahu’s Waikiki and Maui’s Kaanapali.