While the world's destinations regroup and begin looking forward to building plans for recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that stopped the travel industry in its tracks, the majority of folks must still rely upon "armchair travel" to somewhat satisfy their pent-up wanderlust.
To that end, eminent transportation outfit JRPass (Japan Rail Pass) recently released a curated collection of iconic sites across Japan that visitors can travel to virtually via 360-degree Street View on Google Maps, as featured in Lonely Planet.
It has even created the world's first "virtual travel tester" position, a job for which anyone from anywhere around the globe may apply. The winning candidate will be paid a stipend of ?200 ($252) to review all of the locations on JRPass' virtual-travel list.
To enter, contestants will need to post a throwback photo of themselves on a vacation to social media and, in the caption, write a review of one of JRPass' 20 listed Virtual Travel Locations. Then, share the post with JRPass by following and tagging @JRPass on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #JapanVirtualTravel.
Applications are being accepted from now through July 20, and a single winner will be selected and notified via social media by July 22, 2020.
Here is JRPass' list of Japan's Top 20 Virtual Travel Locations:
1. The Sakura - The splendor of Japan's Sakura (blossoming cherry trees) is a sight not to be missed, and Google Earth has collected several incredible viewing locations across the country.
2. Sunrise Over Mt. Fuji - Ascend to the 12,400-foot summit with the click of a button to experience an outlook over the Land of the Rising Sun.
3. Explore Himeji Castle - Recently renovated, hilltop Himeji Castle (also known as White Heron Castle) is widely considered one of Japan's most beautiful and well-preserved castle complexes.
4. The Shibuya Crossing - Tokyo's iconic Shibuya Crossing, called a "scramble crossing," stops vehicles from every direction so that pedestrians flood the entire intersections, with around 2,500 people typically crossing at once.
5. Soak in a Japanese Onsen - There are countless Onsen (hot springs) baths throughout Japan, including these ones available for online viewing: Manza Onsen Nisshin Kan, Jinata Hot Spring and the Shirahama Onsen.
6. Ride in a Luxury Train Car - Immerse yourself in the Shinkansen train's (Japanese Bullet Train) most luxurious car-class available, the Shinkansen "Gran Class."
7. Attend the Saga Balloon Festival - Witness the aerial spectacle on display at Asia's largest international hot air balloon competition, the Saga Balloon Festival in Japan's Saga Prefecture.
8. Stand in Hitachi Seaside Park - Situated roughly two hours north of Tokyo, Hitachi Seaside Park is covered in a colorful array of flowers year-round, with such floral varieties as blooming narcissuses, flaming Kochia balls and baby blue eyes on site.
9. Visit Huis ten Bosch - Get a taste of the Netherlands at this town/theme park in Nagasaki, which sports life-sized reproductions of old Dutch buildings, windmills and bright, tidy tulip fields.
10. Adachi Museum of Art's Zen Garden - This cultural institution, with its six gardens and roughly 1,500 exhibits, is home to a picturesque Zen garden that's been celebrated as the most beautiful in Japan.
11. The Abandoned Island of Hashima - Once a base for mining activities, now shut down and entirely abandoned, the dilapidated industrial remnants on this island were featured in the James Bond-franchise film, Skyfall.
12. Stroll Through Tokyo Station - Inspect the interior of an urban train station that sees an average of 3.5 million passengers passing through daily, and contemplate the well-planned infrastructure that supports such volumes.
13. Fushimi Inari Taisha's Torii Gates - Fushimi Inari Taisha sights in Kyoto is the head shrine of the Kami Inari, Deity of Rice. In-person, climbing up along paths overarched by an endless procession of torii gates takes about two hours.
14. Kyushu coastline at Sakurai Itoshima - Walk along the beach at Sakurai Futamigaura in Itoshima, famous for its two giant "married couple" rocks that are joined by a "Shimenawa" rope and the torii gate standing on the beach.
15. View Fuji from the Chureito Pagoda - From this ideal vantage point above the Chureito Pagoda, located in the Arakurayama Sengen park, enjoy a full, majestic view of Fuji in the distance.
16. Skyline View from Shiroyama Park - One the site of the governor's abode, Shiroyama Park offers an optimal view over the Kagoshima skyline, with the active volcano, Mt. Sakurajima, visible over the water.
17. Cape Nosappu - Look out over the waters off of craggy Cape Nosappu in Hokkaido, Japan's easternmost point of land, where the sun rises earliest. On a clear day, it's possible to see Russia in the far distance.
18. Arashiyama Bamboo Grove - One of Kyoto's most-visited attractions, Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is a forest of towering, tranquil and inexplicably mystical bamboo stalks that sway gently above guests walking in their shade.
19. Kawachi Wisteria Garden - A popular Instagram spot, the Kawachi Wisteria Garden is renowned as the best place in Japan to experience this enchanting breed of overhanging flowers in full bloom.
20. Kyoto's Golden Pavillion - Kinkakuji, (the "Golden Pavilion") is a Zen temple in northern Kyoto, the top two levels of which are completely covered in gold leaf, and is perhaps the best-known temple in the city.
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