Seki City is located in Gifu Prefecture, in the center of Japan’s main island, Honshu. Seki is known for its master sword makers. Skilled craftsmen have been creating Japanese swords, knives, and tools of the highest quality here for over 800 years. At Hamonoya Sanshu / Seki Cutlery Museum you can learn about the process of forging blades and buy locally produced knives. To explore Seki’s beautiful natural surroundings, take a walk in the mountains outside Seki up to Nichiryubuji Temple. Or visit the Kabusugi Giant Cedar Forest with old trees that look like the enchanted world of Japanese anime.
Kanazawa boasts many historical attractions such as restored residences and districts is accessible in two and a half hours by the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train began operation in 2015. Kenrokuen Garden is the most famous attraction filled with a variety of trees, ponds, and flowers that is considered one of the "three great gardens of Japan". Kanazawa boasts numerous former geisha houses in the Higashi Geisha District. wonderful cuisine including some of Japan's highest-quality seafood also attracts many tourists.
Aizu is the westernmost region of Fukushima Prefecture. In the past, feudal lords ruled the area with their samurai warriors from Tsuruga Castle in Aizu Wakamatsu. The museum inside the reconstructed castle explains Aizu’s history. In Ouchi-juku you can feel like a traveller in old Japan. This post town was a stop on the route to Edo (Tokyo). In Kitakata, try local sake and the city’s famous ramen noodles. Lake Inawashiro near Aizu Wakamatsu is one of the largest lakes in Japan. It belongs to the Bandai Asahi National Park where you can enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, and watersports.
Kamaishi is located on the Pacific coast in the northern part of Japan’s main island, Honshu. It lies in the Sanriku Fukko National Park in Iwate Prefecture, a region that was hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami in 2011. Kamaishi is a fishing port, but also known as a steel town and a rugby Town. It has one of the UNESCO World Heritage “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining”. Kamaishi has a very successful rugby team and the Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium was one of the 12 Rugby World Cup 2019 venues.