Travel destinations in Japan, organized by region.
The Starbucks on the approach to Dazaifu Tenmangu is wrapped in about 2,000 cedar battens woven by architect Kengo Kuma. What to see, how to visit politely, and how to fold it into a shrine trip.
Beat the 40°C summer at Spa Resort Hawaiians in Iwaki, Fukushima: a giant all-weather dome where the pools are real hot-spring water, plus Japan's longest body slide, a live hula show born from a coal town, and easy access from Tokyo.
Go early. That’s the whole secret to Kadoya Tofu (角屋豆富店), a family tofu maker in Oshino that calls itself the “Tofu Station.” Get there in the morning and there’s still-warm tofu — and, when I visited, a little counter where…
Most people come to Oshino for the eight famously clear spring ponds of Oshino Hakkai. I come for the tofu. A few minutes from the ponds, an old family tofu maker called Hakkai Tofu (八海とうふ / Asano Shokuhin) turns Mt.…
Hanshin Koshien Station is a 3-minute walk from the gates — about 13 minutes from Osaka-Umeda, 18 from Kobe. The right lines, both airport routes, and why JR Koshien-guchi is the mistake to avoid.
Glass and cans are banned, there are no lockers and no re-entry at the 2026 summer tournament. The game-day routine that works: the AEON shopping run at 8:00, a heat kit that holds up, and Koshien curry inside.
Koshien Stadium has only a handful of hotels beside it — and official 13-minute trains from Osaka-Umeda. An area-by-area guide to basing yourself for the summer tournament, Tigers games and beyond.
The complete planning guide to Japan’s newest World Heritage property: what each of the 19 components offers, which need bookings, how the valley works by rail and bicycle, and where to sleep.
The 41st Kitora viewing runs 19 September to 18 October 2026 and shows three guardian walls at once, free. How the applications work, when the second window opens, and the Takamatsuzuka alternative.
Inscribed 26 July 2026 in Busan: the Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara — 19 sites where the centralised Japanese state took shape, 588–710. The full list, the mural-viewing reality, and notes from my visit three weeks before the decision.
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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