I've Lived in Japan for 20 Years—Here Are 10 Hidden Gems You Won't Find in Guidebooks

Travel + Leisure

5 days ago

Numbers of international tourists to Japan continue to smash records year after year, with sites on the so-called Golden Route of Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Hiroshima becoming increasingly congested. Luckily, Japan has so much more to see off that very well-trodden path. I've lived in Japan for two decades—here are 10 of the country's hidden gems to consider for your next trip to the "Land of the Rising Sun."
A wild horse spotted on Nishinoshima, one of the Oki Islands.UNESCO chose this little cluster of islands off the coast of Shimane Prefecture as a Geopark for its dramatic scenery; think steep seaside bluffs topped by verdant fields with free-roaming horses, craggy ocean grottos where bioluminescent plankton shimmer like azure sparks, and sacred cedars that have seen the passage of a thousand years. Only a few thousand people live in the scattered fishing villages, but you'll find they're happy to welcome you to the local izakaya pub to share some freshly harvested rock oysters and turban shells with a bottle of junmai from hometown Oki Sake Brewery. Sunset over Kurashiki.
This town in southern Japan was a key rice distribution center in the Edo Period (1603-1867) thanks to a network of transport canals. In the Bikan Historical District, the storehouses, arching stone bridges, and willow-lined canals of that time have been so lovingly preserved, you'll feel like you've stepped into a Kurosawa movie. A scenic boat ride with a happi-clad punter is a must, as is the Ohara Museum of Art. Sicilian osteria Rentechi or Kumo, a Japanese restaurant immersed in folk art, are great lunch options. Most visitors come on a day trip from nearby Okayama, but I recommend staying the night at Kurashiki Ryokan to see the historical district at its twilight best. Yumoto Onsen in Nagato City.
A rural hot spring town is a quintessential Japanese locale, and Nagata Yumoto is one of my favorites, thanks to a passionate and collaborative community that keeps investing in their home. Its 600-year-old Onto hot spring got a new design-forward bathhouse in 2020, and the Otozure River burbling through the heart of town is lined with well-maintained paths and piers, making it a perfect place to stroll. Stop in at OTO for a coffee in the region's rustic Hagi pottery or Kawarasoba Yanagiya for kawara soba , a traditional Yamaguchi dish of tea-infused noodles and beef fried on a ceramic roofing tile. Overnight, try riverside Otani Sanso, a ryokan whose youthful fifth-generation owner leads the local revitalization efforts. Japanese ceramic tea bowl from Mashiko, Tochigi prefecture.
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Mashiko has been a pottery center since the 19th century, and today, it's home to some 250 kilns producing hand-thrown ceramics and about 50 galleries. That makes for some serious shopping opportunities. Traditional Mashiko ware is a mingei style that gets a weighty thickness from the local iron-rich clay and is typically finished with white engobe glazing and simple brush-painted designs. However, in the mid-1900s, influential potter Shoji Hamada attracted a new generation of Japanese and foreign students to his Mashiko workshop, where he encouraged them to pursue diverse means of individual expression, expanding the range of Mashiko styles. If you visit during the twice-yearly Mashiko Pottery Fair, you can see it all on display and score some steep bargains as shops spill out onto the streets to clear inventory. The cave stalactites of Valley of Gangala in Okinawa.
This region is on the southern coast of Okinawa's main island, about a half-hour drive from Naha. Compared to the prefecture's famous beach locales, it's less touristy because its attractions spring from a more traditional spiritualism than sun worshiping. On one end is the Valley of Gangala, a series of ancient limestone caves with Paleolithic archeological sites and massive banyan trees said to host sacred spirits. On the other end is the UNSECO-recognized island Sefu-Utaki, where priestesses of the indigenous religion were once inducted. Both are powerful spots of natural beauty and deep cultural significance, but for a less solemn outing, the little islet of Ojima sits neatly between the two. It's the reputed birthplace of Okinawan-style tempura and full of beachfront mom-and-pop shops like Oshiro Tempura Shop serving their seaweed fritters hot from the fryer. View of Wakamatsu in the Goto Islands of Japan.
This island chain off the coast of Kyushu has exquisite white-sand beaches with none of the Okinawan crowds, plus picturesque fishing villages and hikes with panoramic sea views. It's also where many of Japan's "Hidden Christians" fled during the two-century ban on their religion. Visiting the chapels on the island, you'll learn how Japanese converts concealed themselves in remote enclaves to escape execution and practiced their faith in secret, repurposing Buddhist iconography and natural imagery to hide their devotion in plain sight. Visiting today provides fascinating insights into a lesser-known facet of Japanese history and the nature of faith. Plus, the local variety of udon is delicious. A museum in Tono, Japan.
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Even in Japan, if people know about Tono, a valley settlement tucked into Iwate's Kitakami Mountains, it's usually just as the location of a quirky folklore museum. However, the big temperature swings in its microclimate make it an ideal place to grow hops, and it claims a sixth of all domestic production. This hops heaven has an active craft beer scene, thanks to microbreweries Tono Brewing and Zumona, and the rolling fields make for excellent biking, with sudsy rewards waiting at the lively Tono Brewing taproom or jazz bar Brew Note Tono. Or you can bike to Michi no Eki Tono Kaze no Oka, a market for local products, and enjoy a bottle from their outdoor viewing deck, which overlooks the valley and a steam locomotive track. Viewpoint of Ago Bay in Ise Shima National Park.
The island-dotted Ise-Shima National Park is not only picturesque; its sheltered inlets were the cradle of pearl cultivation. Its remote villages are still engaged in that practice, and you'll see the floating farms scattered around the bay, with their dangling ropes of oysters keeping the waters crystal clear. Amanemu is the most famous luxury accommodation in the area, but if you can snag a reservation, I recommend Cova Kakuda, a waterfront resort of just four villas built in a renovated pearl processing station. Its all-inclusive model is focused on sustainability, with food grown at an onsite farm and fresh-caught seafood sourced through deep ties with local fishing families. Blooming cherry trees a riverside promenade in a beautiful spring in Akita Prefecture.
It might be cheating to list a whole prefecture, but the best destination to visit in under-appreciated Akita really depends on the season. In spring, you'll want to see the weeping cherry trees blossom over preserved samurai homes in Kakunodate. In summer, you've got the towering lantern procession of the Kanto Festival in Akita City. In fall, the blue hot springs and bright red maples of Nyuto Onsenkyo make for a picturesque scene. And then, thanks to its abundant snowfall, the prefecture hosts an absolute riot of unique winter festivals, including a fire-throwing festival in Kakunodate, a festival of snow huts in Yokote, and the wild Namahage Sedo Festival in Oga, during which people dress up as horrific demons to scare children into good behavior in the coming year. Five Storied Pagoda at Dewa Sanzan Shrine in Tsuruoka.
This town on the Sea of Japan is home to the Kamo Aquarium, a facility that specializes in jellyfish. That might not sound that exciting, but in low lighting, the massive illuminated tanks of pulsating jellies feel like a mesmerizing alien art exhibit. Watching the slow, unthinking undulations of technicolor bells trailing multi-meter-long tentacles like slo-mo ribbon dancers is strangely soothing. Of course, Yamagata is a long way to go just to peep some jellyfish, so combine a visit with the misty temples of nearby Dewa Sanzan, three mountains sacred to the ascetics of the esoteric Shugendo religion.