Travel Tuesday - Japan

This awesome site is meant to give you a quick overview of the fascinating history and futuristic cities of Japan. Check out the 360 video, and then scroll down to learn more about the places you saw!

Explore the amazing Makido Cave, with an underground lake and brightly colored LED lights that illuminate the jagged stalactites. You can even change the colors of the lights in the virtual tour!

Wander the 400 year old Shukkeien Garden in the middle of Hiroshima. See the koi in the ponds, the delicate bonazi, and the gorgeous cherry blossoms as you explore the grounds and the historic tea house.

Tokyo was set to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, which has now been postponed to 2021. The Olympics have been cancelled three times, once during WWI, and the Summer and Winter Games were cancelled during WWII. The Games have never been delayed or postponed before.

The Tokyo 2020 Committee put together some helpful culture and etiquette tips for travelers coming to the Games, and they'll be useful to you if you ever travel to Japan!

Google Arts and Culture has a virtual tour of the Tokyo National Museum! You can look at individual pieces, or scroll down a little to "museum view" to tour around yourself. I recognized one piece of art immediately: Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji: The Great Wave Off the Coast of Kanagawa (otherwise known as The Wave).

The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, destroying 5 square miles of the city. The Hiroshima Memorial and Museum are an intense and lasting testament to the horrific event and serve to remind the world that we can never use weapons like that again. Explore the grounds of the memorial, including the Genbaku Dome (built in 1915, it was the only surviving building near the epicenter) and the Gates of Peace.