35 routes to enjoy spectacular Japan

As part of its 135th anniversary celebrations, the Yomiuri invited readers to submit travel plans incorporating at least one of the 100 Landscapes of Heisei sites.

Yoshio Kanno, 66, of Kanagawa Prefecture was the Grand Prize winner in The Yomiuri Shimbun's travel contest, "35 Routes on the Islands of Four Seasons."

Kanno won for the proposal he titled "Three Famous Castles: Following the Mystery Carved in Stone Walls."

The selection committee also chose 34 other winning plans, all of which help travelers rediscover the scenery of the Japanese archipelago decorated in the different colors of spring, summer, autumn and winter.

A total of 533 travel plans were received from readers aged 11 to 88.

The plans selected for the 10 Merit Awards and 24 Selected Works are travel itineraries that are by no means inferior to the Grand Prize.

Here, we have introduced the Grand Prize and Merit Award winners' travel plans, with routes and highlights. (The boxed location names are from the 100 Landscapes of Heisei sites while the circled location names are the key places to visit.)