Former villa of the British Embassy which was used as a summer residence until 2008. It was donated to Tochigi Prefecture in 2010 before opening to the general public as the “British Embassy Villa Memorial Park” in July 2016. The villa was designed by British diplomat and Japanologist Ernest Satow and construction finished in 1896. Satow was known for his love of Okunikko and he even wrote the first English-language guidebook to the area, “A Guide Book to Nikko”, which was published in 1875.

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Hakone Sekisho

Key checkpoint during the Edo Period on the Tokaido—the main route which connected Edo and Kyoto.

Kanazawa Castle

Home of the powerful Maeda family who governed the region for 280 years from the late 16th century up until the end of the Edo period. Since its early days, the castle has been pivotal to Kanazawa and the city has developed around it.

Nagamachi Samurai District

Former area of residence for the samurai of Kanazawa with narrow canals and stone paths. Some of the homes are open to the public. There is also a small museum showing how the merchant class used to live, complete with a reconstructed old style pharmacy, tea room, traditional garden, and displays of local handicrafts.

Akasaka Palace

Usually, the best view you get of Akasaka Palace is from peering through the pristine white gates of…