In my final article for Japan Airlines, I take a look at why the island of Shikoku ought to be your destination of choice going into the new year… 📲 Read More: jal.co.jp/ar/en/guide-to-jap…

Apparently, the market share of international travelers at Wakayama's famed Mt. Koya has now topped 50%. If you're going to do a temple lodging here, be sure to pick one of the more obscure ones! Overnight on Mt. Koya Spending a Night on This Sacred Peak donnykimball.com/koya-7c9198…

There are A LOT of amazing places in Japan to see the fall foliage but few places can hold a candle to Akita Prefecture's Kakunodate. Home to a perfectly preserved samurai district, this small town in northern Japan is truly enchanting during the months of autumn.

As the summer starts to come to a close here in Japan, the season of autumn is heralded first and foremost by the blossoming of the hauntingly beautiful Higanbana. Known in English as the “Red Spider Lily,” these enchanting flowers are deeply symbolic in many East Asian cultures. Highly poisonous, the Higanbana have been used to convey the concept of death in Japan for centuries. In Buddhism, the Higanbana is said to appear along the path when you are meeting someone for the final time. Even today, the idea of the Higanbana continues to be used in popular culture (as any fan of anime likely already knows). These days, you’ll often find these crimson lilies in and around cemeteries as well as in crop fields. Apparently, their noxious nature is quite effective at warding off all sorts of rodents. Should you find yourself in Japan during the month of September, definitely keep your eyes out for these amazing flowers. While the best place to see the Higanbana is most definitely Saitama’s Kinchakuda Manjushage Park, there are a number of other locales all over Japan to behold their deadly beauty too. For example, the spot shown here can be found in the mountainous core of Hiroshima Prefecture.