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.
Natto — Japan's sticky fermented soybeans — explained by a local: what it tastes like, the stirring method that wins over first-timers, where to try it from hotel buffets to Mito, and what a new 2026 Kagoshima University study actually found.
My home town's biggest night: 2 km of three-metre torches under Mt Fuji, Aug 26–27, 2026. Times, road closures, 26 extra trains and where to stand — from a Fujiyoshida local.
How to book and stay at a ryokan: meal plans, check-in to check-out, kaiseki and dietary requests, the bathing tax, cancellation rules - plus copy-paste English templates.
The shibazakura fields' quieter autumn act: 80,000 zinnias under Mt Fuji at Fuji Motosuko Resort, Aug 29–Oct 12, 2026. Tickets, dogs, Peter Rabbit's birthday, and how to dodge Silver Week.
Current prices and hours for the Great Buddha, Hasedera, Hachimangu and the rest — plus the quiet streets between them and three walking routes I actually use.
Keep the Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka loop intact and add exactly one detour: Kamakura with 8 days, a Hakone night with 9, Kanazawa with 10 - with day-by-day tables and August 2026 fares.
Yes, tourists can stay overnight at a Japanese Buddhist temple. This kind of temple lodging is called a shukubo, and you generally do not need to be Buddhist to book one. The catch is that not every temple offers lodging,…
Yes, you can walk real former samurai districts across Japan, from Kanazawa’s Nagamachi and Akita’s Kakunodate to Chiran, Hagi, Kitsuki, Matsue, Matsushiro and Obi. The streets are usually free to wander, and a selection of samurai houses are open to…
Kusamomiji turns Ozegahara gold from mid-September, weeks before maple season. What it is, the 2026 Hatomachi Pass access, and day trip vs hut night.
Yes, tourists can use most Japanese onsen, especially public bathhouses and inns that offer day-use bathing, though the hours and any guest-only periods are set by each place. The etiquette itself is simple: wash your whole body before you get…
Field notes, weekly
One email a week. The Japan worth planning around.
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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