Things to do in Japan, including onsen, food, nature, and traditional towns.
What to do · 96 field reports
Hidden Japan Gems lists 96 things to do across Japan, each one walked and timed in person rather than aggregated from other sites.
They span onsen towns, hands-on food experiences, day hikes, post-town walks, and festivals, sorted so you can match an experience to your region and travel month. Start with the Mt. Fuji area and Kyoto on a first trip; move to Tohoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu for the quieter alternatives.
Lake Yamanaka · Diamond Fuji 2026-27 By Nobu · Updated September 2026 · Checked 14 September 2026 against the Yamanakako Tourism Association’s official Diamond Fuji pages and the association’s 2026-27 annual events plan. I live one lake over, in Fujiyoshida.…
A three-day, two-night Yakushima itinerary covering the Jomon Sugi trek, the west-coast drive, and an evening at the architect-led north-shore hotel. With 2026 cost breakdown, internal links to each day-trip guide, and the order I would actually do them in.
A 120 km west-coast loop that most Yakushima tourists skip — Ohko Falls, the Yokogawa swimming pools, the UNESCO Seibu Rindo wildlife corridor, and Nagata Inakahama beach. With 2026 driving practicalities and an honest hour-by-hour day plan.
The Arakawa Trail to Jomon Sugi is 22km round trip and 9-12 hours, ending in 30 minutes in front of a cedar that may be 7,200 years old. 2026 shuttle and forest-fee numbers, hour-by-hour breakdown, and what to actually pack.
Mt. Fuji · Diamond Fuji · 2026-27 By Nobu · Updated September 2026 · Checked 14 September 2026 against the Yamanakako Tourism Association, the Takao cable-car operator, the Chiba City Tourism Association, Sunshine City, Fujinomiya City and MLIT’s viewing-date lists.…
Fukuoka · Sasaguri · Mountain Temple A mountain temple known for its thousand maple trees in November — and almost completely empty in summer when the same maples are at their greenest. The maple tunnel at Nomiyama in early summer.…
Shizuoka · Yaizu · Craft A small family workshop in Yaizu still smoking bonito over open fire. The umami in your dashi most likely starts in a workshop like this. A craftsman at one of the workshop’s steaming stations. The…
Fukuoka · Sasaguri · Forest A small university research forest with a pond full of trees standing in water — and a careful set of rules to keep it that way. The bald-cypress pond inside Kyudai-no-Mori. The water sits still…
Field report from Ine no Funaya in northern Kyoto: cruise vs sea taxi, access from Kyoto Station, walking-village etiquette, and where to actually stay nearby.
Reservation-only kombu ramen experience above the 1902 Itutuji no Kombu kelp shop in Kyoto Nishijin. Three seatings a day, ¥1,520 plus the one-kombu rule. Field report by Nobu.
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Nearly every image on Hidden Japan Gems was photographed by me on a Sony α7 across five years of walking Japan; a few licensed photos fill the gaps. Please don't re-use my photos without permission — reach out if you'd like to.
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