Archaeological sites
Pungnaptoseong: Baekje's Ancient Walls in Seoul
In Songpa-gu, Seoul, the earthen walls of Pungnaptoseong: capital of the Baekje kingdom, rediscovered in 1997 during a construction project.
Jun 28, 2026Travel where others don't
Little-known destinations, forgotten villages and whole regions to discover before everyone else does. The antidote to overtourism, one guide at a time.
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City corners
The Cheongun Literature Library: reading in a hanok at the foot of Inwangsan, Seoul
Jongno's first public hanok library, at the foot of Inwangsan: a courtyard, a pavilion and a waterfall a few steps from Gyeongbokgung.
Jun 28, 2026
Churches and cathedrals
Yakhyeon Church in Seoul: Korea's first Gothic building
In Jungnim-dong, Seoul, Yakhyeon Church (1892): the first Gothic building in Korea, beside the site of the Seosomun martyrs.
Jun 28, 2026
City corners
Sumiya in Shimabara: Kyoto's last banquet house, between geiko and conspirators
In Shimabara, Kyoto's pleasure quarter, Sumiya (1641) survives: the only ageya in Japan, bearing the sword marks of the Shinsengumi.
Jun 28, 2026
Churches and cathedrals
Genko-an in Takagamine: the two Zen windows and Kyoto's blood-stained ceiling
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
Wild nature
Gio-ji, the hidden moss convent north of Arashiyama (Kyoto)
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
Castles, palaces and monuments
Otagi Nenbutsu-ji: the 1,200 stone rakan at the far end of Saga-Toriimoto, Kyoto
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
Castles, palaces and monuments
The parasite museum in Meguro: 300 specimens (and an 8.8-metre tapeworm) in Tokyo
A free museum in Meguro, Tokyo, devoted solely to parasites: 300 specimens and the longest tapeworm in the world, 8.8 metres.
Jun 28, 2026
City corners
Kagurazaka, the old geisha district behind Shinjuku
Kagurazaka in Tokyo: cobbled lanes of a former geisha district, the Bishamonten temple, French cafes and stairways behind the hill.
Jun 28, 2026