Discover Roads Less Traveled in Japan
Discover Ogijima, an Understated Island off Takamatsu
January 12, 2026
The more deeply I explore Japan, the more I learn to appreciate and yearn for places like Ogijima.
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January 11, 2026
Is Ritsurin Koen the Most Beautiful Garden in Japan?
Why the achingly beautiful Ritsurin Koen isn’t one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens is beyond me.
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December 15, 2025
This Way to Ogimachi (Shirakawa-go)
Ogimachi Village in Shirakawa-go is often described as the most beautiful village in Japan, if not all of Asia.
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December 10, 2025
Hiking Yamanobe-no-michi, the Oldest Recorded Road in Japan
Yamanobe-no-michi is a quiet countryside trail that winds through rural Nara, past ancient shrines, farm villages, and forested hillsides.
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September 22, 2025
This Way to Lake Biwa
Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. Located entirely in Shiga Prefecture, it measures approximately 64 km (40 miles) from north to south.
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Exploring Namba
Namba’s dizzying mix of neon-lit signs, shopping arcades, and mind-numbing selection of street food is what made me fall in love with Osaka in the first place.
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September 12, 2025
This Way to Iga Ueno
Iga Ueno is a city in Mie Prefecture famous for its ninja heritage. Together with Koka in Shiga Prefecture, it’s recognized as the birthplace of ninja culture in Japan
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September 10, 2025
Discover the Ninja Towns of Koka and Iga Ueno
If the cloak-and-dagger world of ninjas captivated you, then you’ll probably want to visit the towns of Koka and Iga Ueno.
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June 26, 2025
This Way to Ise-Shima
Ise is best known for Ise Jingu, a shrine complex housing the most sacred Shinto shrines in Japan, while Toba is where you’ll find Mikimoto Pearl Island.
KEEP READINGThis Way to Japan
Inspiring you to go beyond Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka and explore roads less traveled in Japan.
ARE rail PASSES WORTH IT?
May 31, 2025
Assessing the JR West Kansai Area Pass
The JR West Kansai Area Pass is a rail pass that allows foreign tourists unlimited travel on JR trains and local JR buses in designated areas within the Kansai region.
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May 14, 2025
Assessing the Kintetsu Rail Pass
The Kintetsu Rail Pass is a rail pass offering foreign tourists unlimited travel on trains (except limited express trains) by Kintetsu Railways.
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May 5, 2025
Assessing the JR West Kansai Wide Area Pass
The JR West Kansai Wide Area Pass is a rail pass that allows foreign tourists unlimited travel in the Kansai region for five (5) consecutive days.
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April 21, 2025
Assessing the Koyasan World Heritage Ticket
Just two hours south of Osaka, getting to Mount Koya is a breeze thanks to Japan’s efficient rail network.
KEEP READINGNovember 8, 2024
This Way to Nagasaki
Nagasaki is a strange city. It’s strange in the sense that in many ways, it feels very “un-Japanese”.
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