31 hotels and 'ryokan' in Japan certified as climate-friendly SDG locations

Shirahama, one of the Kansai region's leading tourist destinations, has approved the introduction of an accommodation tax, becoming the third municipality in the region after Osaka Prefecture and Kyoto City to adopt such a measure.

Aragi Island, a tongue-shaped plateau surrounded on three sides by the sharply winding Arida River in Aridagawa, Wakayama Prefecture, is drawing attention for its spectacular terraced rice fields, which create giant geometric patterns reflecting the sun and sky during the planting season.

Every spring, as visitors flock to Kyoto's Uji City to see landmarks such as Byodo-in Temple and sites associated with The Tale of Genji, another seasonal attraction appears in overwhelming numbers: swarms of tobikera, or caddisflies.

A parent bear and two cubs were spotted near an interchange in Kyoto Prefecture, just a few minutes' drive from a nursery school, in one of many bear sightings reported across Japan in recent days.

The YOSAKOI Soran Festival wrapped up its five-day run in Sapporo on June 14th, drawing 275 teams from across Japan and overseas as dancers in colorful costumes performed energetic routines with wooden naruko clappers throughout the city.

Each year from late April, rising water levels caused by melting mountain snow partially submerge lakeside trees at Lake Shusen in Semboku, Akita Prefecture, creating a seasonal landscape known as the flooded forest. The spectacle, highlighted by vibrant spring foliage emerging from the water, disappears by early June as the snowmelt season comes to an end.

A district once known nationwide for its concentration of day laborers and social challenges is undergoing a dramatic transformation, with new hotels, cafes and restaurants reshaping Osaka's Nishinari Ward as tourists, entrepreneurs and younger visitors increasingly flock to the area.

Kyoto welcomed a record 62.79 million visitors last year, an increase of more than 6.7 million from the previous year, according to the Kyoto city government, highlighting the continued recovery and expansion of the city's tourism industry.