Japan off the beaten track goes beyond Tokyo and Kyoto: rural villages with thatched roofs like Shirakawa-go, the wild coasts of Tohoku, the island of Shikoku and its pilgrimages, mountain onsen and fishing villages. Far from the crowds you will discover a slow, authentic Japan. Explore its most hidden destinations.
21 guides in Giappone · 🛏 Dove dormire in Giappone
Twenty-five temples linked by a panoramic trail, steep lanes full of cats and a literary soul all its own: Onomichi is the Japan that takes its time.
Jul 5, 2026
Three-thousand-year-old cedars, moss carpeting every surface, trails wrapped in silence: Yakushima is the wild Japan no mainstream guide will show you.
Jul 5, 2026
Kenroku-en among Japan's three finest gardens, the samurai quarter and the geisha district of Higashi Chaya — all without Tokyo's relentless pace.
Jul 5, 2026
A guide to Japan off the beaten track: silent temples, urban gorges and historic quarters across Kyoto, Tokyo and beyond.
Jun 29, 2026
In Takanawa, the temple where the 47 ronin of Ako are buried beside their lord. Incense, stone and a 1703 act of revenge.
Jun 28, 2026
In Shimabara, Kyoto's pleasure quarter, Sumiya (1641) survives: the only ageya in Japan, bearing the sword marks of the Shinsengumi.
Jun 28, 2026
Genko-an, a Zen temple in the northern hills of Kyoto: two philosophical windows, a ceiling made from the blood of samurai, and almost no visitors.
Jun 28, 2026
Gio-ji in Sagano (Kyoto): a tiny convent with a carpet of moss beneath the maples, tied to the dancer Gio. Twenty minutes from Arashiyama.
Jun 28, 2026
Beyond Arashiyama, in Kyoto, a hillside temple with 1,200 rakan statues in the moss: each face is different, carved by amateur devotees.
Jun 28, 2026