Japan has over 100 active volcanoes. Habitable land is pretty scarce, the island nation is about the size of Germany, but loads of steep mountains stop widespread settlement. So people also settled right next to volcanoes.

At best, this makes for spectacular photos. For Shimabara, on the other hand, its closeness to the Unzen volcano proved fatal in the 1990s. After lots of small eruptions, the volcano blew, and pyroclastic flows buried houses in the town under a thick layer of ash. Luckily, all residents could be evacuated in time. Still, 43 scientists, reporters and a taxi driver lost their lives in the disaster.

Today, a Disaster Museum serves as a reminder of the tragedy. Nearby, you can check out a few former houses that look like they’ve sunk into the ground right up to their roofs. They show just what kind of natural forces are behind a volcanic eruption.

You can get to the park of the buried houses (土石流被災家屋保存公園) from Shimabara station by taking the bus to the Mizunashihonjin Fukae (みずなし本陣ふかえ) stop. Alternatively, you can grab a taxi from the Shimabarakō train stop. Access to the houses is free.

Shukkeien is a little landscape garden in Hiroshima that was set up in 1620. Right in the middle of the garden, there’s a big pond with little islands and bridges. Around this pond, you’ll find small hills, a bamboo grove, and even a little tea plantation. The garden feels like a shrunken-down world, and the word Shukkeien actually means something like “miniature landscape garden”.

Shukkeien is right near Hiroshima Castle. From the main station, you can walk there in a few minutes or catch a tram to the Shukkeien-mae stop. Entry costs 260¥.

The landscape garden Rikugien in Tokyo is already a spectacle of bright colours during the day in autumn. As dusk falls, the beauty is given a really special atmosphere by spotlights, colourful light and fog machines.

The attraction is also really popular with Japanese people. Towards the evening, half of Tokyo seems to gather in the park. You jostle along the narrow paths to find a spot for nice photos. Another challenge is that tripods aren’t allowed for safety reasons, so you have to take the photos freehand. Luckily, everyone is considerate of each other, so it’s still fun and you get to take a few nice snaps home with you.

From the Yamanote station Komagome, you can reach Rikugien in a few minutes on foot. Entry costs 300¥. The park is only lit up at night during the cherry blossom and autumn leaves seasons, the rest of the time it closes at 5 pm (last entry 4:30 pm).

During the dark season in Japan, you’ll find not just Christmas decorations, but also winter lights, known as Illuminations (イルミ). Every major city decorates its streets and squares with lavish lighting and light shows.

Here’s a collection of our best illumination photos that we took back in 2018.

Some of the illuminations start as early as November, and some go on until February. If you’re visiting Japan during autumn and winter, it’s definitely worth checking out these light spectacles. Most of them are in public areas and can be seen for free, but landscape gardens and temples do charge an entrance fee.

The coastal town of Kamakura has one of the most famous Buddha figures in Japan. The Great Buddha of Kamakura is located on the grounds of the Kōtoku-in temple. At 13.35 metres, it’s the second tallest bronze Buddha in Japan.

Work kicked off in 1252. Originally, the statue was inside a wooden temple building and was covered in gold leaf. The building collapsed in 1334 and 1369, and was rebuilt both times. When a massive tsunami washed the building away in 1498, they gave up on plans for further restoration. Instead, the surrounding area was redesigned. Since then, the Buddha has been meditating outdoors.

The Great Buddha is about a 10-minute walk from Hase station, near the equally well-worth-seeing Hase-dera temple. Entry costs 300¥. For another modest 20¥, you can actually check out the inside of the statue. You can clearly see the 30 layers that the 121-tonne figure was cast from in there. An absolute engineering masterpiece when you think about how old it is.