3 Sublime Destinations For The New Year

These destinations will bring many colors and inspiration for the new year to come.

Nagano, Japan.

Though I am more of a summer person myself, winter weather shouldn’t keep you inside or slow down any of your traveling destinations. The hot springs in Nagano, Japan therefore are the perfect way to relax and be amazed by nature’s phenomena. It feels like the ultimate spa experience that cannot be duplicated by any other place in the world. Even more incredible are the Japanese macaques, or small snow monkeys that can be spotted at the springs. Though some might not see any glamour in bathing with monkeys, the serene setting, warm natural water, and glimpses at some of the most interesting animals native to Japan is an experience that cannot be fully put into words. If hot springs aren’t your thing, don’t forget that Nagano also hosts the biggest ski resort in Japan. Some of the runs are the same ones that hosted the 1998 Nagano Olympics!

Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona

Pictures of this location often can be found in a coffee table book, but I have found that pictures don’t fully capture the wonder of a place. Natural sights are often the most amazing places, and the ones that we remember most. Perhaps this is because it reminds us of our humanness. Flash floods shaped these canyons in the Navajo region. They are only accessible by permit now, but you can get private tours of the sculpted caves.

Rainbow Village in Taichung City, Taiwan

This village in Taichung looks like something out of a dream. The splashes of colors that saturate the walls and even the roads brighten a place that otherwise would be overladen with grief and poverty. Rainbow village was originally built to house nationalist soldiers and their families in the nineteen-fifties. An amateur artist in his eighties, Haung Yung-Fu, single-handedly transformed the otherwise slum-like area with his art. His work even caused the mayor to actively preserve the buildings, which were supposed to be torn down. The extraordinary story matches the extraordinary place.

Article written by AJ Kiyoizumi.