Harbin

The Bijia Mountain is a small land-tied island located in the Liaodong Bay, adjacent to the Jinzhou Port. Measuring 1.5 kilometer in length and 0.8 kilometer in width, the island covers an area of about one square kilometer, at an altitude of 78 meters. http://www.china.org.cn/top10/2013-07/08/content_29354647_5.htm

Dream Forest is the fourth largest park in Seoul, after the World Cup Park, Olympic Park and Seoul Forest, and has become a part of the lives of 2.67million residents of six districts, Gangbuk, Seongbuk, Dobong, Nowon, Dongdaemun and Jungnang. In the heart of the forest is a large lake named Wallyoungji, with the 7 m-high Wallgwang Waterfall and the pavilion Aewalljeong, not to mention grasslands twice the size of the Seoul Plaza. Situated on the rim of Wallyoungji stands the traditional Korean hanok building, Changnyeonggungjaesa (No. 40 Registered Cultural Property), in its entire classical splendor. The 49.7 m Observatory overlooking downtown Seoul is a special attraction point. The breathtaking ridges of Bukhansan(Mt.), Dobongsan(Mt.) and Suraksan(Mt.) roll out to the north, and Mt. Nam and the River Han majestically fill the scenery to the south. Five different wild flower gardens have been created behind the parking lot, such as Suro Garden, Sagaewon, Brown Garden and Hwamokwon, and the Chilpokchi, a waterfall with seven streams, is also worth experiencing. http://english.seoul.go.kr/life-information/natural-attractions-parks/parks/?pidx=2

Built in 1395, Gyeongbokgung Palace is also commonly referred to as the Northern Palace because its location is furthest north when compared to the neighboring palaces of Changdeokgung (Eastern Palace) and Gyeonghuigung (Western Palace) Palace. Gyeongbokgung Palace is arguably the most beautiful, and remains the largest of all five palaces. http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264337

The Seoul Museum of History is the only museum in Korea that represents the city’s history and culture. Since its establishment on the former site of Gyeonghuigung Palace in 2002, the museum has offered visitors the chance to experience 600 years of Seoul’s history and culture through interactive exhibitions. The three-story museum is divided thematically into three exhibition areas, including a special exhibition area, a permanent exhibition area and a hall that exhibits collections donated by the public. The museum offers accessible and interactive exhibitions to the public with various hands-on programs. For example, visitors are allowed to touch and explore the exhibits on display, which are replicas of originals in the museum. In addition, the museum offers the U-Exhibit Guidance System, an automatic translator (various languages are available) for visitors, which makes every tour convenient and interesting. http://english.visitseoul.net/attractions/The-Seoul-Museum-of-History_/2725

The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts is a national music agency that has been established to transmit and develop traditional music and dance. It is conducting various activities related to gukak performances and gukak itself. http://english.seoul.go.kr/life-information/culture/culture-facility/1-theater/

Mutianyu Great Wall is located 70 km away from Beijing, which makes it significantly less busy and features some fun, modern amusements, such as a cable car, chairlift, and toboggan. It has unique design and construction, having 3 enemy towers build next to each other. When visiting, each season bring their own beauty to the scenery. From green mountains and flowers to snowy mountain tops tops and autumn leaves. http://www.mutianyugreatwall.com/homePage/toIndexEn

Located around 85 kilometers away from Beijing is one of China’s largest dams as well as a gigantic dragon escalator.Seemingly out of place against the cliffs in the background, the bright yellow dragon rises 258 meters and is the world’s largest outdoor escalator. Once at the top of the gorge, you can engage in even more adventures, including a ride in a cable car or a boat trip on the artificial lake. http://worldkings.org/news/weird-but-true/worldkings-worldkings-news-asia-records-institute-dragon-escalator-worlds-longest-outdoor-escalator-in-shape-of-dragon

The Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, lies in the city center of Beijing, and was once the Chinese imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911). It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1987 and is the largest, best-preserved ancient timber-built palace complex in the world.Rectangular in shape, the Forbidden City is enormous, covering an area of 72 hectares, and boasting more than 9,000 bays of rooms. It is divided into two parts – the Outer Court for national affairs in the south and the Inner Court as living quarters in the north. It is not only an immense architectural masterpiece, but also a treasury housing a unique collection of 1.8 million pieces of art, including ancient calligraphy and painting, imperial artifacts, ancient books and archives. A must-see in Beijing and the world’s most visited museum, it is worth spending half to one day to visit the Forbidden City and appreciate the precious cultural heritage of China. https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/forbidden.htm

The Summer Palace is said to be the most well-preserved imperial gardens and the largest of its kind still in existence in China. There’s so much to see and enjoy that most people prefer to stay there at least half a day. Composed mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, it owns over 3,000 man-made ancient structures, including pavilions, towers, bridges, corridors, etc. On the grounds of the Palace you will be able to walk through 'The Long Corridor' which is the longest corridor in the world. https://www.chinahighlights.com/beijing/attraction/summer-palace.htm

Shiroi Koibito Park is a theme park by Ishiya, a local chocolate company. The company's flagship product is the Shiroi Koibito cookie, which consists of two thin butter cookies and a layer of white chocolate in between. It is one of the most famous souvenirs from Hokkaido. The park consists of a free area with a shop, cafe and restaurant and a paid area with various chocolate related exhibits and, most interestingly, a few large windows through which visitors can observe the cookie production process in the factory. It is also possible to create your own cookies in hands-on workshops. Another part of the Shiroi Koibito Park is a soccer field that serves as the practice ground for Consadole Sapporo, the local J-League soccer team. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5307.html

Curb Market (札幌場外市場, Sapporo Jōgai Ichiba) consists of nearly 80 stores and restaurants lined up along several blocks just outside of Sapporo's Central Wholesale Market. One of the city's largest public markets, the Curb Market specializes in Hokkaido seafood such as crab, sea urchin, salmon roe, squid and scallops, and local produce such as corn, melons and potatoes when in season. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5317.html

Built in 1936 as a vacation home for Mitsui Partnership Company, this residence became Hokkaido’s property in 1953. It has since been used or various meetings and other functions. http://www.sapporo.travel/find/culture/governors_official_residence/?lang=en

The Ainu Museum is an outdoor museum that allows visitors to encounter the culture of Hokkaido’s indigenous people, the Ainu. At the museum, thatched-roof homes, called “chise,” form a settlement that seems to blend in with nature along the shore of Lake Poroto. http://www.sapporo.travel/find/culture/ainu-museum/?lang=en

This botanical garden (北海道大学植物園, Hokkaidō Daigaku Shokubutsuen) close to Sapporo's city center belongs to Hokkaido University and primarily serves a scientific and educational purpose. The garden with its walking trails and lawns, however, is also a pleasant place to take a break or to have a (non-alcoholic) picnic. Established in 1886, the Botanic Garden preserves a small part of the forest which formerly covered the Ishikari Plain. In addition, there is an alpine garden, a greenhouse and a small Ainu museum. During the winter, only the greenhouse is open to the public. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5304.html

Mount Moiwa (藻岩山, Moiwa-yama) is one of several small, forested mountains southwest of central Sapporo. The mountain is a popular sightseeing spot that is known for the spectacular view out over the city from an observation deck at its summit. The view is especially beautiful after sunset. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5309.html

The Clock Tower (時計台, Tokeidai) is a symbol of Sapporo. The building was constructed during the early period of Sapporo's development in 1878 as a drill hall of the Sapporo Agricultural College. In 1881 a clock purchased from Boston was installed. Today, the Clock Tower serves as a museum with displays about the building's history and Sapporo on the first floor. On the second floor are displays about the clock and a spacious ceremony hall that calls to mind the simple buildings of the colonial American Midwest. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5302.html

The Hokkaido Shiki Theatre is used exclusively by Japan’s famous Shiki Theatre Company. It is famous for long-running musical the Lion King, which has exceeded over 10,000 performances, making it the most performed play in the history of Japan, as well as many other musicals that attract people of all ages including adults and children http://www.sapporo.travel/find/culture/hokkaido_shiki_theatre/?lang=en

Nijo Market (二条市場, Nijō Ichiba) is a public market in central Sapporo that occupies about one city block. Both locals and tourists visit the market to shop for fresh local produce and seafood such as crabs, salmon eggs, sea urchin and various fresh and prepared fish. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5310.html

Hokkaido is the birthplace of beer in Japan. Sapporo Beer, one of the oldest and most popular beer brands in the country, has been brewed in Sapporo since 1877. The Sapporo Beer Museum (サッポロビール博物館, Sapporo Beer Hakubutsukan) was opened in 1987 in a former brewery from the Meiji Period. The museum introduces the history of beer in Japan and the process of beer making. After the exhibitions, beer tastings are available at a small fee. Alternatively, paid tours are held in Japanese that include a tasting session at the end. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5300.html

Moerenuma Park (モエレ沼公園, Moerenuma Kōen) is a large park in the outskirts of Sapporo. Surrounded by a marsh, the park has a circumference of about four kilometers. The grounds are covered in attractive green space and there are massive, dramatic features that make the park a very unique public space. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5313.html

The Historic Village of Hokkaido (開拓の村, Kaitaku no Mura) is an open air museum in the suburbs of Sapporo. It exhibits about 60 typical buildings from all over Hokkaido, dating from the Meiji and Taisho Periods (1868 to 1926), the era when Hokkaido's development was carried out on a large scale. There are four different sections: a town, fishing village, farm village and a mountain village. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5303.html

Etched into the side of a mountain’s foot on a high cliff hemmed in by a precipice on either side, the Overhanging Temple, was built during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). From the bottom visitors can see range upon range of pavilions supported by dozens of wooden pillars. http://www.cnto.org/destination/datong/attractions/

It's like being in a dream! Extraordinary experience! The castle-like appearance of medieval Europe incorporates the elegant Byzantine architectural style everywhere, and the interior is all original design in the image of snow. The Snow Museum was created with the image of Japan's most beautiful the snowflake that falls in the Daisetsuzan system from the building to the exhibition. The Snow Museum was built in May 1991 using the European Byzantine style. The appearance that uses curves such as dome and arch gives an elegant impression. The Snow Museum is located on the hills of Asahikawa City, and the view that overlooks Mt. Daisetsu and the city and the appearance in harmony with the scenery of the four seasons attract visitors. https://yukibi.marryblossom.com/yukibi/

Hokkaidoritsu Asahikawa Bijutsukan is located in Tokiwa Koen, a park in Asahikawa city in northern Hokkaido. A major feature of this museum is its extensive collection of artworks crafted from wood, reflecting its location in Asahikawa, a city whose encompassing forests have given rise to a flourishing woodworking industry based on furniture manufacturing. Many works by artists connected to this region are also housed in the museum. https://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/spot/museum/pbhokasahikawaart.html

Asahikawa City Museum displays the Ainu culture and abundant materials related to it in Hokkaido. With a large number of person models, It can reproduce in full of presence the state of traditional life of Ainu people. A realistic model exhibit emerging in a dark place is a dynamic and powerful full mark. Valuable materials of northern ethnic groups other than Ainu people are also exhibited. And, "Time Maze Yukinbo" which displays the appearance of the people's lives and children's play in the Showa 30s and 40' s after the war in Japan, mainly in Asahikawa, is also popular. https://en.visit-hokkaido.jp/spot/detail.php?id=406&lang=tw

Recently Asahiyama Zoo has displaced Ramen and skiing as Asahikawa's primary drawcard, in the process, becoming Japan's number one zoo. The total number of people expected to have visited the zoo by the end of 2007 is in excess of 3 million, an impressive figure when you consider that the population of Asahikawa is a mere 360,000. And, all this form a zoo that just over a decade ago was struggling to stay open. Asahiyama zoo features more than 800 animals from approximately 150 species, a healthy number when you consider the difficulties associated with maintaining animals during a hot summer and an extremely cold winter. As can be expected, however, people do have their favourites, and the polar bears, penguins, seals, big cats, and orangutans come in for special attention. The enclosures for these animals are designed with both the animal and visitor in mind so you can expect to get closer than you might imagine. The penguin enclosure, for example, affords a 360-degree view. There is a vertical tank for the spotted seal which prefers to dive and surface vertically. The polar bear enclosure has a variety of built-in viewing areas to allow you special access. http://www.asahikawa-tourism.com/asahikawa/asahikawa_summer/zoo/asahiyama_zoo.html

Otokoyama sake brewery museum introduces sake brewing culture as Japanese traditional industry and history of Otokoyama from 350 years. You can see valuable materials, document and sake set in the Edo period, and can also see a part of sake brewing when brewing. Free entrance fee, we sell items of the brewery limited in tasting & shop. About 200,000 people visit here every year with Furano, Biei and Asahiyama Zoo as a sightseeing spot in Hokkaido. https://www.otokoyama.com/museum/en/

Yungang Grottoes, one of the three major cave clusters in China, punctuate the north cliff of Wuzhou Mountain in Datong. The area around the mountain was excavated revealing 53 caves and over 51,000 stone statues. http://www.cnto.org/destination/datong/attractions/

Ueno Farm is a popular farm garden in Nagayama located in the northeastern part of Asahikawa city and has been a farmer since 1906. Ms Sayuki Ueno, a gardener, made a Hokkaido-style garden suited for the climate and natural features of Hokkaido as the foundation for an English-style garden at their site and the garden has been opened to the public since 2001. More than 2,000 types of flowering plants are planted at about 1.3 ha of the site, and visitors can enjoy various flowers from spring to autumn. An open period is from late April to mid-October. Admission fee is JPY 800. A parking lot is free of charge. NAYA cafe is built at the site and opens a business through the year. https://good-hokkaido.info/en/ueno-farm-asahikawa/#Ueno_Farm

Sevenstar Tree (セブンスターの木) is oak on Patchwork Hill (パッチワークの丘) in Biei town located in the southeastern part of Asahikawa city and was named after Sevenstar (famous Japanese cigarette). The tree was printed on a package of the cigarette in 1976 and has become a famous tourist attraction. A solitary oak grows around the hilltop of the Biri at about 260 m above sea level. Its height is around 13 m. In the summer, the vital power can be felt when branches are thickly covered with leaves. But it looks only just the tree with a lot of branches closely, so it is worth seeing at a little distance. https://good-hokkaido.info/en/sevenstar-tree-biei/#Sevenstar_Tree

As far as day trip ideas from Asahikawa go, Tomita Farm is a great choice. A 10ha lavender paradise, Tomita Farm provides ample opportunity for relaxed walks surrounded by seemingly endless patchwork of color, so beautifully arranged and expertly manicured, that the hills seem almost artificial. Beautiful birch-lined pathways provide comfortable shaded access to the many lavender gift shops, workshops, and rest stops scattered throughout the gardens. The workshops allow visitors to see first-hand how the harvested lavender is treated, worked, and turned into the countless lavender infused products available as elegant gifts and items for everyday use. Lovers of sweets will be impressed by the lavender flavored soft-serve ice cream, pudding, and jelly found at the cafe, along with plenty of other light lunch options. http://www.asahikawa-tourism.com/asahikawa/asahikawa_sites/tomita_farm/tomita_farm.html

The Sado Gold Mine was the largest gold and silver mine in Japan. It has a 400-year heritage spanning economic ups and downs from its opening in 1601 to its closure in 1989. The industrial remains of the gold mine including tunnels and mining infrastructure are designated both as a national treasure and as part of Japan’s Heritage of Industrial Modernisation. The site is a nominated candidate to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The remains of the gold mine are a popular location for history enthusiasts. The abandoned buildings remind visitors of Hayao Miyazaki's movie “Castle in the Sky”. Visitors can spend all day here to exploring the site’s photogenic scenery. The gold mine offers two routes that visitors can explore (no reservation is required, each route takes 30 to 40 minutes). These routes are open every day. Large groups or anyone particularly interested in the history of the mine can make a reservation for one of two guided tours. The guided tours are available from April to November and take about 100 minutes. One is available for groups of over 10 people, the other is only for visitors over 13 years. https://enjoyniigata.com/en/spot/9012#

The sea of clouds in Tomamu, Hokkaido is a mesmerizing natural phenomenon that can be witnessed in the morning. When you ascend to higher altitudes, on some days, you are treated to a magnificent spectacle. This captivating sight is an unforgettable experience even for foreigners. Surrounded by the serene mountains, the sensation of floating above a sea of clouds truly represents the charm of Hokkaido.