A JR Pass, which we can use to ride on both conventional rail lines and the Shinkansen trains operated by the JR, is one way to tour Japan. A JR East Pass (Tohoku region) can be used on JR lines, Shinkansen lines, and on the Narita Express that runs from Narita Airport into central Tokyo, and on the Tokyo Monorail that carries passengers from Haneda Airport. It is extremely easy to use. The first time, you just show your passport to the staff, then when you want to board a train later, you do not have to go to the station ticket counter; just show the pass as you enter at a manned ticket gate.

If you walk for about 10 minutes from JR Kichijoji Station, you reach Inokashira Park. This park is an old park that opened in Tokyo in 1917 and celebrated its centennial in 2017. A zoo is now located inside the park. In the spring and autumn, it is a popular site that both local residents and tourists visit to see the beauty of the many blossoming cherry trees or the red leaves of the trees. It is also the site of the Ghibli Museum, which is a museum featuring the adorable animations produced by Studio Ghibli. Inside the park, people stroll, sit, or enjoy the outdoors in a pleasant atmosphere. On your way back, you can visit the Sun Road Shopping Street near the station. It is the site of stores, restaurants, pharmacies, and shops selling local sweets, making it very popular among people who enjoy shopping. There are also shops handling western apparel and other fashion products.

This restaurant serves Japanese food. Its main dishes are meat and shabu-shabu. Its lunch menu is steak and side dishes. Japanese cuisine appears to be works of art that are also fun to look at. This is cuisine that is not only intended to be eaten, but can also be enjoyed visually. It tastes good and lets you enjoy the texture of each of its ingredients.

When you walk out of the Hachiko Exit of Shibuya Station, you immediately see the Hachiko commemorative statue. Many of the sightseers who pass this place stop and have a commemorative photograph taken of them with Hachiko.
A tourist information booth stands opposite Hachiko. It is an old green railway car that the Japanese people call the “Green Frog”. The Green Frog is now used as a tourist information booth. Another feature of the site you must not miss is the Shibuya Scramble Crossing used by people throughout the day. Many people cross it and the sight of them waiting for the signal to change is now world famous.
When you cross the road from JR Shibuya Station and enter the narrow street to the left of Starbucks, you are on Shibuya Center Street. Brand products from Europe, America, and Japan are concentrated on this street. This district is crowded with people almost every day. At night in particular, night clubs and pubs are open for business letting people enjoy Tokyo’s night life. You will see shops of various kinds as you walk on this street.
There is another fascinating place on another side of Shibuya Station. It is a department store called Shibuya Hikarie. It is more than just a department store. On the eighth floor, there is an art gallery and observation deck, both admission-free. The observation deck is open to the public and anyone can visit it without charge.

Shinjuku is famed as a shopping area. Many tourists do not know that there is also a large park in Shinjuku. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a park created during the Meiji Period (1867 – 2012). Formerly the site of the mansion of a regional feudal lord, it was eventually opened to the public. On days when the weather is good, large numbers of people enjoy it in their own way.

Omoide Yokocho, a row of small shops featuring a nostalgic atmosphere, is on the west side of Shinjuku Station. Small Japanese style bars called izakaya stand on both sides of this side street. The basic dishes on this street are easy-to-eat skewered food served with sake. Examples of this are skewered grilled beef, grilled port, grilled chicken, and grilled beef or pork entrails. These stores boast histories going back to the years immediately after the war.

Sushi served by Sushimamire is fresh and very good tasting. Its menu includes a variety of dishes; not only one-plate meals and sets. You can choose to sit at a table or the counter where you will experience a sense of privacy.

This hotel is extremely convenient. It is about a five-minute walk from the east exit of Shinjuku Station. It is probably the perfect place for people who love shopping to stay. As soon as you leave the hotel you will be impressed by the wide variety of shops you will see. The rooms are wide, actually wider than any business hotel I have ever stayed in.

In Japan, box lunches sold to railway passengers in stations are called ekiben (station box lunches). The attractive feature of station box-lunches is that each station has its own unique type. The interesting feature of station box-lunch shops in Tokyo Station is that they sell famous station box-lunches from various other regions. The types of box lunches sold in stations also vary according to the season of the year.

Riding the Shinkansen is one method of travel that tourists can select. It is particularly beneficial for a person with a JR East Pass. The seats are comfortable and wide and there are places where they can stow their luggage.

Geibikei Gorge has been selected as one of Japan’s leading 100 scenic sites. The river flowing through the gorge is about 1 meter deep, but its water is extremely clear. There are fascinating stories associated with every point that a boat passes as it travels through the gorge. The captain of the boat explains these to their passengers. You can take a boat tour through Geibikei Gorge in any season of the year. You can choose between boat tours with and without lunch included. Each boat tour is a two-way tour taking about 90 minutes to complete.

Another enjoyable experience near Geibikei Gorge is the paper-making experience. You make paper and decorate it with flowers or greenery. After you have decorated it to your heart’s content, it must dry for about one week. Leave your address with the shop and it will mail the paper to you after it has dried.

Chusonji Temple is a very important temple. After I started to climb up to see the Konjikido Golden Hall at Chusonji Temple, I reached a row of beautiful trees. The major attractions at this temple are Konjikido Golden Hall, Fusatsudo Hall, the Treasure House and the Chusonji Sutras.

It is a stringed instrument with 3 strings. When you listen to its performance, it can create such extremely delightful music that it is impossible to believe that it has only 3 strings or that it is played by a single person. I was astonished the first time I heard it played.

This lodging at Shidotaira Hot Spring in Hanamaki Onsen Town offers both western style rooms and ryokan type rooms. Inside the rooms, they seem beautiful, spacious and comfortable.

In the rooms where you sit and relax, the tatami create a Japanese mood. In particular, in this ryokan, there is a hot spring bath attached to every room, freeing you from the need to endure the embarrassment of using large public bath. Each room not only has its own bath, it offers a view of conifer forest outside the rooms and the ryokan is quiet, allowing you to constantly hear the gurgling of a brook.
The evening kaiseki meal and breakfast as well as eating in your room is a delightful one.

This farm is famed for its delicious milk, butter, and cheese. The farm fields are broad and the sheep-and-dog show is charming and delightful.
There is also a cosmos field nearby. With Mount Iwate visible in the background, it was extremely beautiful and vast.
There is a restaurant on the farm serving lunch sets accompanied by delicious milk.

There are many places to stroll in Morioka. It is also the location of historically interesting shrines and temples. The Demon’s Hand Prints” at Mitsuishi Shrine which I visited are giant stones traditionally said to near the handprints of giants. There is also a temple said to be historically extremely important.
In this temple, which is called Hoonji Temple, you will see images of arhats, which are Buddhist monks who have attained Nirvana, made of pine wood. You can see about 500 on display in the Fusatsudo. There is also a department store connected directly to Morioka Station, where you can enjoy shopping in the rows of stores and restaurants.
Do not forget to try out one of its famous station box-lunches.

This was a very exciting trip. I say this because it was a chance to visit many places in Tokyo that I had never heard of, even Omoide Yokocho which has existed since the post-war years.
The parks of Tokyo offered not only green space but many fascinating features and allowed me to learn just how large and beautiful they are. Not only that, it took me to places surrounded by beautiful natural settings in Iwate. I am eager to share all that I learned through my experience of this trip with other people who also want to come to the cities and rural areas of Japan.