Editorial Standards

How this site writes, verifies, and recommends.

Last reviewed: April 2026

Hidden Japan Gems is a one-person travel guide to Japan. Every page is written by Nobu. Every recommendation points to a place he has personally visited. Every photo he takes has the location, the month, and usually the weather he stood in. This page explains exactly how we work — so you know what you’re reading, and why to trust it.

Who writes this site

All articles are written and photographed by Nobu, the founder and sole editor of Hidden Japan Gems. Nobu was born and raised in Japan, lived abroad for nine years, and has spent the past five years travelling to every one of the country’s 47 prefectures. Read his full story.

On-the-ground, first-person experience

We do not write about places we have not physically visited. If an article recommends a temple, a ryokan, a hiking route or a restaurant, it means Nobu has been there — typically multiple times and in different seasons. Where a claim relies on a source (opening hours, ticket prices, official rules), we cite it and check it again before publishing and at least once per year afterwards.

No AI writing. No AI images.

We don’t use generative AI to write articles, draft paragraphs, or produce photographs. Nobu writes every word. Every photograph on this site is either:

• Taken by Nobu on location, or
• Explicitly licensed from a stock photography service (primarily Pexels), and credited in the article when used.

We use AI tools only for back-office work — grammar checks, search-index drafting, image resizing — never for public-facing writing or imagery.

How we make money

Hidden Japan Gems is free to read and will stay that way. Revenue comes from three sources, in this order of importance:

• Affiliate partnerships with Agoda (hotels), Klook (experiences), and Trip.com / Travelpayouts (flights). If you book through one of our links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
• Display advertising via Google AdSense, shown in a limited number of in-article positions.
• Occasional sponsored content — always marked clearly at the top of the page and never in a way that changes an honest recommendation.

We only link to accommodations and experiences Nobu has personally used or would use on his own trip. We have never accepted a payment to recommend a specific hotel, and we will not.

What we won’t do

• Run listicles scraped from Reddit or ChatGPT.
• Use AI-generated “hero” imagery to fake location photography.
• Recommend a ryokan or tour we haven’t personally stayed in or taken.
• Publish sponsored content without the “Sponsored” label at the top.
• Sell your email address or share it with advertisers.

How to contact us

For corrections, fact-check requests, partnership inquiries, or press questions, use the email below — Nobu reads every message.