Japanese Tourist Attractions
Many people have a belief that the Japanese culture involves images of weird masks, and the swirling of red umbrellas. This could not be further from the truth. These cultural traditions still exist in Japan but they are known as traditional arts which are exactly that, traditional. A vacation to Japan will enlighten you to a culture that enriched in history and ambience. You may be surprised to know that traditional Japanese cultural events have an extreme wild side. The Japanese are not just a quiet race who has a cultural tradition that they follow daily. The Japanese festivals are the main tourist attractions for many westerners because of the spectacular demonstrations of fireworks and cultural dances. The Japanese have festivals for just about any occasion so it does not matter what time of year you visit you are sure to experience one of their festivals whether it be the snow festival, the fertility festival or the fire festival, there is a festival which will meet with all of your expectations. Apart from the festivals there are numerous other attractions that will appeal to the average tourist. Tokyo itself does not have much in the way of tourist sights as much of it was either destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake and the bombing that it endured during World War II. But it is the capital city and the home of some 12 million people who have made Tokyo the economic hub of Japan. Shikoku on the other hand is the fourth smallest of Japan’s four main islands and has many tourist attractions such as the Matsuyama Castle which is situated on the beautiful coastline and made famous by the 100,000 people who make their pilgrimage there each year to visit the 88 temples. This pilgrimage started as a result of the great Buddhist priest, Kukai, who is considered to be the father of modern Japanese culture. If you are brave enough to travel across the Naruto Straights you will find out why it is famed for its massive whirlpools caused by tidal flows in and out of the Inland seas. Western Shikoku is the setting for the famous 1906 novel written by Natsume Soseki. This area houses the city’s castle, which was built in 1603 and