Hidden Gems Across Japan
1,610 spots
Iwaki Yumoto Onsen
Iwaki Yumoto Onsen (いわき湯本温泉) is one of Japan's oldest documented hot spring resorts, with written records dating to 556…
Hanamiyama Park
Hanamiyama Park (花見山公園, 'Flower Viewing Mountain Park') is a privately-owned hillside park where ornamental flower farme…
Ouchi-juku Snow Festival
The Ouchi-juku Snow Festival (大内宿雪まつり) transforms the historic thatched-roof village into a magical winter wonderland du…
Byakkotai Memorial
The Byakkotai Memorial (飯盛山白虎隊記念館) commemorates 20 teenage samurai (ages 16–17) from the Aizu clan's Byakkotai (白虎隊, 'Wh…
Aizu Sake Breweries
Aizu region is one of Japan's premier sake-producing areas, with 30+ active breweries crafting premium sake using local…
Spa Resort Hawaiians
Spa Resort Hawaiians (スパリゾートハワイアンズ) is Japan's largest indoor water park, a surreal tropical complex featuring constant…
Mt. Bandai
Mt. Bandai (磐梯山, 1,816m) is an active stratovolcano that dominates Fukushima's central landscape, known as 'Aizu-Bandai-…
Abukuma Cave
Abukuma-do (あぶくま洞) is a spectacular limestone cave system stretching 3,300 meters underground (600m open to visitors), f…
Tadami Line
The Tadami Line (只見線) is consistently ranked as Japan's most scenic railway, a 135km route threading through remote moun…
Sazae-do Temple
Sazae-dō (さざえ堂) is an extraordinary hexagonal wooden temple built in 1796, featuring a double-helix interior structure w…
Higashiyama Onsen
Higashiyama Onsen (東山温泉) is a historic hot spring town nestled in a mountain valley 5km east of Aizu-Wakamatsu, where st…
Goshiki-numa Ponds
Goshiki-numa (五色沼, 'Five-Colored Marshes') is a collection of 30+ volcanic ponds created by the 1888 eruption of Mt. Ban…
Lake Inawashiro
Lake Inawashiro (猪苗代湖) is Japan's fourth-largest lake, spanning 103 square kilometers at 514 meters elevation, famous fo…
Kitakata Ramen
Kitakata (喜多方) is Japan's ramen pilgrimage destination, famous for asa-ramen (朝ラーメン, breakfast ramen) culture where loca…
Tsuruga Castle
Tsuruga Castle is the five-story white keep where the Aizu clan made their last stand in 1868, holding out for a month w…
Ouchi-juku
Ouchi-juku is a single street lined with 40 thatched-roof houses, preserved exactly as it looked in the 1600s when daimy…
Atsumi Onsen
Atsumi Onsen is a small hot spring village along the Atsumi River (a tributary of the Mogami River) from Yamagata City.…
Yonezawa Beef
Yonezawa beef is one of Japan's three most prestigious wagyu brands (alongside Kobe and Matsusaka), produced from Japane…
La France Pears
La France pears (ラ・フランス) are a French pear variety that thrives in Yamagata's climate, producing fruit with exceptional…
Bunshokan
The Bunshokan (文翔館) is a Western-style brick building constructed in 1916 to serve as the Yamagata Prefectural Office an…
Kumano Taisha Shrine
Kumano Taisha is a Shinto shrine founded over 1,200 years ago, famous for its massive thatched roof (茅葺屋根, kayabuki-yane…
Gassan Ski Resort
Mt. Gassan (月山, Moon Mountain, 1,984m) is one of the three sacred mountains of Dewa Sanzan and Japan's only ski resort w…
Yamagata Hina Dolls
The Hina Matsuri (雛祭り, Girls' Day or Doll Festival) on March 3rd is celebrated throughout Japan, but Yamagata takes spec…
Mt. Haguro Five-Story Pagoda
The Mt. Haguro Five-Story Pagoda is a 29-meter tall wooden pagoda standing in a primeval cedar forest, considered one of…
Estimated from distance to the nearest airport or shinkansen station. Confirm actual journey times before you travel.