The northern part of the Chubu Region along the Sea of Japan coast (Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama) is also known as Hokuriku Region, while the southern part (Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu) is also known as Tokai Region and the prefectures of Yamanashi, Nagano and Niigata as the Koshinetsu Region.
With over two million inhabitants, Nagoya is Japan's fourth most populated city. It is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and the principal city of the Nobi plain, one of Honshu's three large plains and metropolitan and industrial centers.
Nagoya developed as the castle town of the Owari, one of the three branches of the ruling Tokugawa family during the Edo Period. Much of the city, including most of its historic buildings, were destroyed in the air raids of 1945. The Toyota Motor Corporation maintains its headquarters just outside of Nagoya.
Nagoya Castle was built in the beginning of the Edo Period for one of the three Tokugawa family branches, the Owari. Consequently, Nagoya developed into an important castle town and ultimately Japan's fourth largest city.
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The castle was almost completely destroyed in the air raids of 1945. The current ferro-concrete reconstruction dates from 1959. The interior of the castle is now a modern museum displaying the castle's history. The castle park becomes a popular hanami spot during the cherry blossom season.
Mount Fuji (Fujisan) is with 3776 meters Japan's highest mountain. It is not surprising that the nearly perfectly shaped volcano has been worshipped as a sacred mountain and experienced big popularity among artists and common people.
Mount Fuji is a dormant volcano, which most recently erupted in 1708. It stands on the border between Yamanashi and Shizuoka Prefectures and can be seen from Tokyo and Yokohama on clear days.
The easiest way to view Mount Fuji is from the train on a trip along the Tokaido Line between Tokyo and Osaka. If you take the shinkansen from Tokyo in direction of Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka, the best view of Mount Fuji can be enjoyed from around Shin-Fuji Station on the right hand side of the train, about 40 to 45 minutes after leaving Tokyo.
The Fuji Five Lake region (Fujigoko) is located at the foot of Mount Fuji at an altitude of roughly 1000 meters above sea level in mountainous Yamanashi Prefecture. It is one of the best places to view Mount Fuji from a close distance and a convenient base for climbing the mountain.
Hiking, camping and fishing are among the popular outdoor activities to be enjoyed in the area. Another attraction is Fujikyu Highlands, an amusement park, featuring Fujiyama, one of the world's highest roller coasters.
The principal city in the region is Fuji-Yoshida. Lake Kawaguchi (Kawaguchiko), the most easily accessible of the five lakes, is located just next to Fuji-Yoshida in neighboring Fuji-Kawaguchiko Town.
The other four lakes are named Yamanaka, Sai, Shoji and Motosu. The latter three are less developed than Lake Kawaguchi, but more difficult to access.
Matsumoto is the second largest city in Nagano Prefecture. It is most famous for Matsumotojo, one of Japan's most beautiful original castles. The city is also a good base for trips into the Japanese Alps, e.g. to Kamikochi.
Kamikochi is a popular resort in the Japanese Alps of Nagano Prefecture, offering some of Japan's most spectacular mountain scenery. It is open from mid/late April until November 15, and shuts down during winter. In 2009, Kamikochi is open from April 23 to November 15.
Kamikochi is a roughly 15 kilometer long plateau in the Azusa River Valley, about 1500 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by tall mountains, including Nishihotakadake (2909 m), Okuhotakadake (3190 m), Maehotakadake (3090 m) and the active volcano Yakedake (2455 m).
Part of the Chubu Sangaku National Park, Kamikochi has only been moderately developed with half a dozen hotels, a few souvenir shops, mountain huts and hiking trails. Private cars are banned from Kamikochi, and access is only possible by bus or taxi.
Sado Island lies just off the coast of Niigata Prefecture, and is one of Japan's largest islands. This remote place has long been a destination for political exiles, many of whom ended up working in Sado's prosperous gold mine.
The three most prominent figures sent into exile to Sado were the former Emperor Juntoku, the Buddhist monk Nichiren and the founder of Noh, Zeami Motokiyo. While the island is no longer a place of exile, traces of the culture and religion that these figures brought with them remain today.
Sado's biggest attraction is the Earth Celebration, an annual international music festival hosted by Sado's own, world renowned Kodo taiko group. The island is also home to the endangered Toki or Japanese Ibis, extinct in the wild but planned to be reintroduced thanks to a successful breeding program.
The Shirakawa-go and neighboring Gokayama regions line the Shogawa River Valley in the remote mountains that span from Gifu to Toyama Prefectures. Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995, they are famous for their traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old.
Gassho-zukuri means "constructed like hands in prayer", as the farmhouses' steep thatched roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together in prayer. The architectural style developed over many generations and is designed to withstand the large amounts of heavy snow that falls in the region during winter. The roofs, made without nails, provided a large attic space used for cultivating silkworms.
Ogimachi, Shirakawa-go's largest village and main attraction, makes a good day trip from Takayama, or a stop on the bus journey between Takayama and Kanazawa. The best way to experience the town, however, is to stay overnight at one of the farmhouses, many of which now serve as minshuku.
Gokayama is a little more difficult to access and requires a change of buses in Ogimachi. Less developed and less crowded than Shirakawa-go, its villages are smaller, more intimate and with less intrusion from modern buildings. Gokayama's nicest villages are Suganuma and Ainokura.
