Aomori
One of Japan's 60 core cities, Aomori is well-known for its beautiful landscapes. Favorite landscapes include the Hakkoda Mountains and Lake Towada. Another of the city's highlights is the Nebuta Matsuri, an annual festival known for its daily parade of giant, colorful lantern floats.
Niigata
Niigata sits along the Sea of Japan on Honshu’s west coast, a place where long winters and bright summers shape its traditions and flavors. For centuries this region has produced some of Japan’s finest rice, especially the Uonuma Koshihikari variety known for its rich taste and texture. That quality rice helps make Niigata sake famous across the country, and visitors can sample more than 90 local brews at tasting spots such as Ponshukan inside Niigata Station.
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca, perched at over 3,800 meters above sea level, is the highest navigable lake in the world and a place where ancient stories still echo across the water. Shared by Bolivia and Peru, this lake has long been considered sacred by the Andean peoples. According to Inca legend, it was from Titicaca’s deep blue waters that the first humans were created. Today, the lake remains a center of cultural tradition, spiritual significance, and daily life for many who live along its shores.
Cologne
This cultural capital and university city holds more than 2,000 years of history and is the cultural hub of Germany. Marvel at the gorgeous twin-spired Cologne Cathedral, known for its gilded medieval reliquary and sweeping river views, or lose yourself in one of Colonge's many museums for a few hours. Cologne boasts of having most pubs per person in Germany, so make sure you sit down for a refreshing regional Kölsch beer during your travels!
Sigiriya
Sigiriya, in central Sri Lanka, is an ancient rock fortress and one of the country’s most iconic archaeological sites. Rising nearly 200 meters from the surrounding plains, the massive granite column is crowned by the ruins of a royal palace built in the 5th century CE by King Kasyapa.
