Kobe is best known for its famous beef, but the city has much more to offer. Its port history and 98 nationalities have created one of Japan's most diverse food cultures, with exceptional seafood, sushi, bread, bakeries, and sake. Historically important, Kobe was renamed in 1889 and was once known as Owada no Tomari. Set between Osaka and Kyoto on the Inland Sea, it appears in classic literature and is near Himeji Castle, one of Japan's most beautiful feudal castles.

Kochi is a small, friendly castle town dating to the early 17th century, home to one of only 12 Japanese castles that survived the feudal era. Though half the city was destroyed in a 1945 bombing, the original castle remained, a fine Edo-period example. A lively market nearby offers local and international food, including sugar tomato and rice omelette. Kochi is also known for scenic landscapes, varied hot springs, beaches, katsuo no tataki, and the Harimayabashi love legend.

Yakushima is a round subtropical island off southern Kyushu, in Kagoshima. One-fifth was designated a Natural World Heritage Site in 1993. It is famed for its cedar forests and Yakusugi, a term for cedars over 1,000 years old; the oldest may be over 7,000 years. With mountains near 2,000 m and heavy year-round rain, it offers rich flora from coral reef to alpine plants.

Discover Shimabara, a graceful castle town on Kyushu's eastern coast, where samurai streets, quiet gardens and the waters of Shimabara Castle hint at Japan's feudal past. Framed by sea and mountain, it's also a place to savour steaming local cuisine and the soothing atmosphere of nearby hot springs.

Busan, South Korea's second city, is a lively port framed by mountains and sea. Highlights include cliffside Haedong Yonggung Temple, lantern-lit Beomeosa, and the colorful, art-filled Gamcheon Culture Village. Feast on bibimbap and seafood, then unwind on Haeundae or Gwangalli beach, with city skyscrapers, sand festivals, and the glowing Gwangan Bridge completing Busan's quirky urban-coastal charm.

Busan, South Korea's second city, is a lively port framed by mountains and sea. Highlights include cliffside Haedong Yonggung Temple, lantern-lit Beomeosa, and the colorful, art-filled Gamcheon Culture Village. Feast on bibimbap and seafood, then unwind on Haeundae or Gwangalli beach, with city skyscrapers, sand festivals, and the glowing Gwangan Bridge completing Busan's quirky urban-coastal charm.

Sakaiminato is a small city almost surrounded by water: the Sea of Japan, Sakai Channel, and Lake Nakaumi. Across the lake, Matsue and Yasugi offer notable sights. Matsue, the "Town of Water," is beside Lakes Shinji and Nakaumi and has one of Japan's few remaining wooden castles; castle tours and boat rides on the Horikawa River and moat are popular. Yasugi's Adachi Museum of Art is famous for contemporary Japanese paintings and a 165,000-square-meter garden, often named Japan's best.

The Oki Islands are an archipelago in the Sea of Japan, with four inhabited islands-Nishinoshima, Nakanoshima, Chiburijima, and Dogo-and over 180 uninhabited ones. People have lived here for 30,000 years, and obsidian was mined and traded in the Stone Age. With dramatic volcanic landscapes, mysterious ecosystems, and nature-shaped rocks, the islands offer a glimpse into the Sea of Japan's formation. Oki Islands Geopark joined the Global Geoparks Network in 2013.

Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture, once rivaled Kyoto and Edo for cultural wealth. Spared in World War II, it preserves old districts well. Its best-known site is Kenrokuen, beside Kanazawa Castle, one of Japan's Three Great Gardens, with a pond, hills, historic tea house, and Japan's oldest natural-pressure fountain. Nearby Higashi Chaya Gai is a major geisha district and National Cultural Asset. The city is also known for lacquerware, Kutani pottery, gold leaf, and silk kimonos.

Sado, Japan's sixth-largest island, relies mainly on fishing and agriculture. Tori Forest Park was chosen for the reintroduction of Crested Ibises, once reduced to about 12 birds worldwide in 1981. Japan and China bred the last five wild Japanese ibises in captivity on Sado, and the birds successfully nested in the wild again in 2012. Another attraction is Sado Gold Mine, where visitors can explore deep tunnels and see how gold was mined for nearly 400 years.

Noshiro is a gateway to Lake Tawada and nearby nature reserves on Akita Prefecture's Sea of Japan coast. The city of about 55,000 also provides access to Shirakami-Sanchi, a UNESCO World Heritage wilderness of Japanese beech forests. The Yoneshiro River meets the sea here, and Mount Yakeyama is the area's highest point at nearly 1,000 meters. Following the river north leads to Lake Tawada and Oirase Gorge.

Aomori, on Honshu's northern edge, is one of Japan's most enchanting destinations: dark, forested peaks, cherry-blossom castles, soaring temples, and dramatic scenery. It's best known for Nebuta Matsuri, a summer fire festival of huge illuminated floats, lanterns, and pounding drums. See Hirosaki Castle in spring, Sannai-Maruyama's Jomon history, and UNESCO-listed Shirakami Sanchi, a beech-forest wilderness of waterfalls and black bears.

Otaru is a small harbor city west of Sapporo. Famous for its many hills and a nearby ski resort the town has been an important trade and herring fishing center. A wide canal that led from the port to the old town's warehouses has been maintained for touristic purposes and the old stone or brick-built warehouses have been beautifully converted to restaurants and boutiques.