winter
Hatsumode: Welcoming the New Year in Japan
How Japan's New Year really works — hatsumode shrine visits, 108 temple bells at midnight, year-crossing noodles and the year's first sunrise.
winter
Winter Illuminations: Japan After Dark
Japan's best winter illuminations — Nabana no Sato's sea of LEDs, Kobe Luminarie, Sapporo's snow festival and Otaru's candlelit Snow Light Path.
winter
Winter Onsen Towns Worth the Snow
Japan's best winter onsen towns for snow-viewing baths — Ginzan's gas-lit ryokan, Kinosaki's bath-hopping, Kusatsu, and the Jigokudani snow monkeys.