Fushimi-Inari is right outside of Kyoto, and has thousands of torii gates

A view from the top of Tokyo Tower on a clear day.

Visitors leave colorful origami cranes at the A-bomb memorials in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to pay respects for the victims and as a symbol of peace.

Kakunodate is one of my favorite small villages in Japan. It’s located in Northern Honshu, which is called Tohoku. The people there are charming and the village is very picturesque.

The world famous Shinjuku section of Tokyo at night.

Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto is one of Japan’s most famous temples.

Shionoe is a small village located in the mountains of Shikoku, Japan’s least visited island.

Here I am with the world famous Shinkansen (bullet train) at Tokyo station!

The famous “floating” Torii off Miyajima (near Hiroshima)

An endless highway in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost (and most rural) island.

Nikko is town north of Tokyo that is home to many temples and shrines. It makes for a great excursion from Tokyo!

During the spring, the entire country catches “sakura (cherry blossom) fever!” I took this photo mid afternoon on a weekday at a park in Kanazawa. Offices close so that workers can go view the little pink flowers!

Sakura (cherry blossom) in full bloom. Perhaps one of the most famous symbols of Japan.