What is the country known for?

Besides being famous for its rich culture and traditions, delicacies etc, Japan is also well known for sightseeing and shopping etc. As some of these aspects have been mentioned in the previous posts, I will be focusing mainly on the must see attractions in Japan in this post. In addition to the attractions, Japan is also renowned to be a fashionable country and a place famous for sightseeing.

Mt.Fuji
Mt. Fuji (Fujisan) is a must see attraction because it is the Japan’s most famous and highest mountain with a height of 3776 meters. It is considered to be Japan’s famous icon and one of the world’s most beautiful mountains. Visitors will be able to enjoy the magnificent scenery it provides. For those who love mountain climbing, they will be able to climb up to the summit to watch the beautiful sunset. Do take note that the view of Mt.Fuji is often block by clouds, a clearer view of the mountains will during the colder seasons, early in the morning or in late evening.

Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Tower is a popular and famous icon in Tokyo, resembling the Eiffel tower in Paris. With a height of 333m, it is the tallest self-supporting steel tower in the world which has attracted many tourists. Completed in the year 1958, the Tokyo Tower is not only a tourist attraction, it is also a symbol for Japan’s rebirth as a major economic power, and serves as a television and radio broadcast antenna. An elevator will lead you up the tower where you will be able to see a breath-taking and panoramic view of Tokyo. Mt. Fuji will also be seen in a distance away if the weather conditions is good.


Akihabara
Another attraction in Tokyo that is not to be missed in Tokyo is the Akihabara which is the world’s biggest electrical equipment town. This area is also known as the Otaku town which is famous area to shop for many electronic gadgets, anime and manga.


Ginza
Ginza is Tokyo’s most well known high end shopping district which includes great dining and entertainment place. At the Ginza, numerous department stores, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, night clubs and cafes can be found. Kabuki-za, a theatre where visitors can enjoy the opera and musical performances is also located here.


Fashion
Japan's vibrant pop culture and its leading fashion trends is an eye opener for tourists. Fashionable youths can be found in many locations in Tokyo.

Harajuku is a place in Tokyo which is renowned to be the world’s major fashion trend setter among the youths. If you are keen to see the latest Japanese street fashion, you would not want to miss visiting Takeshita-dori. This is a narrow street where you will see many young people dress fashionably and you will be able to find a number of fashion boutiques.

If you are interested to see Harajuku’s youth culture, Yoyogi Park is the ideal place then. It is a place packed with Gothic Lolita. This is one of Tokyo’s most distinctive and extreme fashion style among the Japanese teenagers and young women. This youth fashion is Victorian-style and it gives an outlook of Victorian Porcelain dolls.

Another stylish area where you can find Harajuku fashion is the Omote-sando which is a place full of fashion boutiques with international fashion brands. Materialistic youths who love to enjoy luxuries will visit this place because the items sold here are of real brand names; there is no imitation copies sold there.

Shibuya is also a famous fashionable shopping district of Tokyo. You will also be able to find many fashionable boutiques here in the department stores and shopping malls.

Below is a documentary of the contemporary Japanese pop culture.


Cherry Blossom
The cherry blossom (Sakura) is Japan's unofficial national flower which symbolized ultimate beauty in literature from ancient times. In Japan, cherry blossom viewing (Hanami) is very popular. It is a traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers that is celebrated by the Japanese. Many tourists would travel to Japan to see the cherry trees in full bloom.

The Sakura blossoms only during the spring season when the climate is mild. Hence, it is advisable to travel to Japan during this season to visit the beautiful blossoms. There are more than a hundred of different varieties of cherry trees available in Japan. The month in which the cherry blossoms open differs in different regions of Japan. Cherry blossoms open in early January in southern Japan, Okinawa. While in the northern Japan, Hokkaido, the cherry blossoms open in late May. For major cities that are in the middle of Japan archipelago, they bloom at the start of April.

Famous sites of cherry blossom are always crowded with people. In order to secure a best spot to view the cherry blossoms, some people even stay overnight before their hanami party.

Here are some popular spots in Tokyo where you will be able to view the cherry blossoms:
1) Shinjuku Gyoen
2) Ueno Park
3) Chidorigafuchi
4) Sumida Park