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Blog/Destinations

Destinations

City guides, region roundups, and hidden gems across Japan.

89 articles in this category· Page 1 of 4

Matsuyama: Dogo Onsen, Cycling, and Shikoku's Capital City

Destinations

Nov 10, 20264 min read

Matsuyama: Dogo Onsen, Cycling, and Shikoku's Capital City

Matsuyama is Shikoku's largest city, home to Japan's oldest hot spring at Dogo Onsen, the surviving original castle of Matsuyama-jo, and the start of the famous Shimanami Kaido cycling route.

Sendai City Guide: Tanabata, Date Masamune, and Gyutan Beef Tongue

Destinations

Nov 10, 20264 min read

Sendai City Guide: Tanabata, Date Masamune, and Gyutan Beef Tongue

Sendai, the largest city in Tohoku, blends samurai heritage from the one-eyed warlord Date Masamune with Japan's most spectacular Tanabata festival and the city's signature grilled beef tongue cuisine.

Sapporo City Guide: Beer, Ramen, and Gateway to Hokkaido

Destinations

Nov 10, 20264 min read

Sapporo City Guide: Beer, Ramen, and Gateway to Hokkaido

Sapporo is Hokkaido's dynamic capital: famous for its beer, miso ramen, the annual Snow Festival, and direct access to world-class skiing at Niseko and powder snow at Furano.

Iki Island: Kyushu's Undiscovered Beaches and Megaliths

Destinations

Nov 10, 20264 min read

Iki Island: Kyushu's Undiscovered Beaches and Megaliths

Iki Island near Kyushu hides pristine beaches, ancient megalithic tombs, and a laid-back island pace that Japanese vacationers have kept secret from most international travelers.

Sado Island: Gold Mines, Earth Celebration Festival, and Noh Theater

Destinations

Nov 10, 20264 min read

Sado Island: Gold Mines, Earth Celebration Festival, and Noh Theater

Sado Island off Niigata combines a fascinating history of gold mining and political exile with the world-famous Kodo taiko drum festival and living Noh theater traditions.

Yakushima: Japan's Ancient Forest Island and Princess Mononoke Inspiration

Destinations

Nov 3, 20264 min read

Yakushima: Japan's Ancient Forest Island and Princess Mononoke Inspiration

Yakushima's ancient cedar forests, some trees over 7,000 years old, inspired Studio Ghibli's Princess Mononoke and offer Japan's most atmospheric hiking in a UNESCO-listed wilderness.

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Naoshima Art Island: Yayoi Kusama, Tadao Ando, and Contemporary Japan

Destinations

Nov 3, 20264 min read

Naoshima Art Island: Yayoi Kusama, Tadao Ando, and Contemporary Japan

Naoshima transformed from a declining industrial island into Japan's premier contemporary art destination, with Tadao Ando-designed museums and Yayoi Kusama's polka-dot pumpkins on the beach.

Ishigaki Island: Snorkeling, Manta Rays, and Remote Beaches

Destinations

Nov 3, 20264 min read

Ishigaki Island: Snorkeling, Manta Rays, and Remote Beaches

Ishigaki Island in Japan's Yaeyama archipelago offers manta ray encounters, spectacular snorkeling at Kabira Bay, and a relaxed base for exploring remote Yaeyama islands.

Miyako-jima: Okinawa's Most Beautiful Coral Island

Destinations

Nov 3, 20264 min read

Miyako-jima: Okinawa's Most Beautiful Coral Island

Miyako-jima boasts some of Japan's clearest water and finest beaches, with world-class diving, flat cycling roads, and a relaxed island atmosphere far from mainland crowds.

Okinawa Main Island Guide: Beaches, Ryukyu Culture, and War History

Destinations

Nov 3, 20264 min read

Okinawa Main Island Guide: Beaches, Ryukyu Culture, and War History

Okinawa Main Island combines turquoise waters, distinct Ryukyu Kingdom culture, and sobering WWII history into one of Japan's most unique destinations.

Kobe Day Trip From Osaka: Beef, Sake, and Port Views

Destinations

Oct 27, 20264 min read

Kobe Day Trip From Osaka: Beef, Sake, and Port Views

Kobe is Osaka's sophisticated neighbor, a port city of steep hillside neighborhoods, colonial-era architecture, Japan's most famous beef, and one of the country's most scenic waterfronts.

Himeji Castle Day Trip: Japan's Greatest Feudal Fortress

Destinations

Oct 27, 20264 min read

Himeji Castle Day Trip: Japan's Greatest Feudal Fortress

Himeji Castle is the most complete and magnificent surviving example of Japanese feudal military architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has survived wars, earthquakes, and air raids largely intact since its current form was completed in 1618.

Yokohama Day Trip: Chinatown, Waterfront, and Ramen Museum

Destinations

Oct 27, 20264 min read

Yokohama Day Trip: Chinatown, Waterfront, and Ramen Museum

Yokohama is Japan's second-largest city and sits only 30 minutes from central Tokyo by train, yet it maintains a distinct identity shaped by its history as Japan's first major port to open to Western trade in 1859.

Destinations

Oct 27, 20264 min read

Best Day Trips from Kyoto

Kyoto's central position in the Kansai region makes it an ideal base for exploring the surrounding mountains, lakeshores, and ancient capitals that most tourists pass through only briefly.

Best Day Trips from Osaka (Beyond Kyoto and Nara)

Destinations

Oct 27, 20264 min read

Best Day Trips from Osaka (Beyond Kyoto and Nara)

Osaka sits at the center of Kansai's rail network, placing dozens of fascinating destinations within 30 to 90 minutes. Most visitors stick to Kyoto and Nara, but the region rewards explorers willing to venture further.

Nishiki Market Kyoto: Japan's Kitchen Full Food Guide

Destinations

Oct 20, 20264 min read

Nishiki Market Kyoto: Japan's Kitchen Full Food Guide

Nishiki Market is Kyoto's five-block covered food market with 130 specialty stalls selling fermented vegetables, grilled skewers, fresh tofu, and every obscure Kyoto ingredient you will never find elsewhere.

Fushimi Inari After Dark: How to Avoid 10,000 Tourists

Destinations

Oct 20, 20263 min read

Fushimi Inari After Dark: How to Avoid 10,000 Tourists

Fushimi Inari's 10,000 torii gates are open 24 hours. Visit at night or dawn and experience one of Japan's most powerful sacred landscapes in near-complete silence.

Higashiyama: Kyoto's Most Beautiful Street and How to Walk It

Destinations

Oct 20, 20263 min read

Higashiyama: Kyoto's Most Beautiful Street and How to Walk It

Higashiyama's stone-paved lanes connecting Kiyomizu-dera to Gion pass through the most concentrated stretch of traditional Kyoto architecture anywhere in the city.

Arashiyama Beyond the Bamboo: Temples, Monkeys, and River Boats

Destinations

Oct 20, 20263 min read

Arashiyama Beyond the Bamboo: Temples, Monkeys, and River Boats

Arashiyama is far more than its famous bamboo grove. Tenryu-ji's garden, the Togetsukyo Bridge, mountain monkey park, and cormorant fishing on the Oi River make it a full-day destination.

Gion District: Geisha Spotting, Historic Machiya, Evening Strolls

Destinations

Oct 20, 20263 min read

Gion District: Geisha Spotting, Historic Machiya, Evening Strolls

Gion is Kyoto's preserved geisha district: wooden machiya townhouses, ochaya teahouses, stone lanterns, and the occasional glimpse of a maiko hurrying to an appointment.

Shinjuku Golden Gai: 200 Tiny Bars, One Unforgettable Night

Destinations

Oct 13, 20264 min read

Shinjuku Golden Gai: 200 Tiny Bars, One Unforgettable Night

Golden Gai is six narrow alleys packed with 200 bars seating five to ten people each, unchanged since the 1950s. Here is how to navigate it without embarrassing yourself.

Ebisu and Daikanyama: Where Tokyo's Creative Class Lives

Destinations

Oct 13, 20264 min read

Ebisu and Daikanyama: Where Tokyo's Creative Class Lives

Ebisu and Daikanyama are Tokyo's creative professional heartland: T-Site's famous bookshop, garden restaurants, concept hotels, and the kind of quiet that costs money.

Kagurazaka: Tokyo's French-Japanese Geisha District

Destinations

Oct 13, 20263 min read

Kagurazaka: Tokyo's French-Japanese Geisha District

Kagurazaka blends French boulangeries with traditional geisha lanes in one of Tokyo's most unexpected neighbourhoods, where cobblestone alleys hide century-old ochaya teahouses.

Koenji: Tokyo's Alternative Art and Punk Underground

Destinations

Oct 13, 20264 min read

Koenji: Tokyo's Alternative Art and Punk Underground

Koenji is Tokyo's alternative heartland: punk venues, secondhand shops older than your parents, indie galleries, and a summer festival that shuts the entire neighbourhood down.