Unno-juku is a preserved 650m street on the old Hokkoku Kaido in Nagano, an Edo post town that reinvented itself as a Meiji silk village. What to see, how to read the houses, access and when to go.
A stone-paved Nakasendo post town in the Kiso Valley, and the trailhead for the classic 9 km walk over Magome Pass to Tsumago: access, the hike, luggage forwarding and the best time to go.
Tabi-no-Eki Kawaguchiko Base, a roadside food market on Lake Kawaguchiko north shore near Mt Fuji: a share-sized 1 kg Fujizakura-pork sauce katsudon, the Asama Market of local produce, wine and strawberries - plus an honest note on its tourist pricing.
Asumiko Pond (Hasu-ike) in Fujiyoshida: a Mt-Fuji-worship lake with ~20,000 lotus (mid-July-August) and a 1,500-plant hydrangea slope (July). Seasons, access and a late-June photo walk.
Tatsumi Shokudo in Susono, at the foot of Mt Fuji: a Showa-era diner serving hearty teishoku, stewed offal and beef-with-egg, with free rice. Hours, what to order, access.
Kinomiya Shrine, Atami: the 2,000-year-old great camphor, the walk-around-the-trunk ritual, free entry, nightly light-up, tea by the tree, and access.
Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park, Nagano: wild macaques bathing in a hot spring. What it costs, when they actually soak, the icy 1.6km trail, and how to get there.
Michi-no-Eki Hakuba roadside station, Nagano: what a michi-no-eki is, Hakuba's purple rice as amazake and chiffon, the soba set, hours and how to get there.
Mt Fuji's 2026 climb means a ¥4,000 fee, daily caps and a 2 PM gate. An honest look at whether to climb — and where to see the famous view without it.
Kashiho Mase, a 150-year-old wagashi shop on the Atami coast of Izu — the Izu no Odoriko sweet, seasonal citrus daifuku, its branches, and what to buy through the year.
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.
For licensing, write to hello@hiddenjapan-gems.com