The coolest things to do in Japan: From sleeping in samurai castles to sake baths Tamara Hinson. Published January 9, 2023 12:01am ... Crash out in a castle with samurai troops .

W hile traveling through Japan in May, I stumbled upon the annual Himeji Castle Festival. One of the city’s significant ...

Adjoining the castle, the Kenroku-en garden is home to plum, cherry, and Japanese maple trees and is considered one of Japan’s finest gardens. Kanazawa Tourism Cherry blossoms in Kenroku-en garden.

Explore 9 stunning castles in Japan, from Himeji to Hirosaki—rich in samurai history, architecture, and scenic beauty. A must-visit for culture lovers.

The castle, Japan’s mightiest fortress, could fight off intense military force, but it couldn’t withstand the determined ruses of an old samurai. Hideyori and his family committed ritual suicide.

The samurai were a preeminent class defending Japan for centuries. But as the Tokugawa shogunate ushered in an era of stability, the need for them faded, forcing these warriors to find a new way ...

The castle’s current form has functioned as a museum since 1997 and is of certain historic interest if you can ignore the crowds of tourists usually queueing at its base, but Japan’s 12 extant ...

Two swords once carried by samurai have been found during excavations in Ichijodani, one of medieval Japan’s largest cities. On the outskirts of Fukui, a city of a quarter of a million people in ...

In the 1870s, Japan was in the midst of a very tumultuous period. The Meiji Emperor was trying to modernise and westernise the country, while the samurai class was fighting to maintain their ...