Partners Information: This summer, hike up Mt Kurohime, a national park in Nagano Prefecture. Enjoy many kinds of flowers, a variety of forests, moss and high-rise wetlands along the mountain trail.

What is ikigai (生き甲斐)? Pronounced ick-ee-guy, ikigai roughly translates to ‘reason for being’, and is essentially your true passion and calling in life—what gets you up every morning. This age-old ideology offers the answer to the one question that has been on our lips since the beginning time.

A short trip from any major city, in any direction, is a Japan often overlooked. With plenty to see, do and eat, regional Japan is the place to be if you’re looking to avoid the tourist traps and discover the ‘other side’. On your next trip, take a step off the ‘Golden Route’ (Tokyo, Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima) and start ticking off some of Japan’s best kept secrets on the list below!

Partners Information: Sumida River Fireworks Festival – The oldest fireworks festival in Japan The Sumida River Firework Festival is one of the largest and most famous fireworks festivals in Tokyo. The annual event dates back to the Edo period. Enjoy watching around 20,000 fireworks light up the Tokyo night sky.