Hidden Gems Across Japan
1,610 spots
Gunkanjima (Battleship Island)
Hashima Island, universally known as Gunkanjima (Battleship Island) for its silhouette resembling a warship, is a 6.3-he…
Nagasaki Champon at Shikairo
Champon — thick wheat noodles in a milky pork-bone and chicken broth loaded with seafood and vegetables — was invented i…
Oura Catholic Church
Built in 1864 by French missionary Father Petitjean, Oura Church is the oldest surviving Christian church in Japan and a…
Sefuri-san Mountain
Sefurisan (1,077m), on the border between Saga and Fukuoka prefectures, is the highest peak in northern Kyushu and carri…
Hikiyama Exhibition Hall
The Hikiyama Exhibition Hall stores all 14 Karatsu Kunchi festival floats in climate-controlled cases when not in use du…
Mifuneyama Autumn Maple Forest Walk
The maple forest on the slopes below Mifuneyama's granite cliff face contains 4,000 Japanese maple trees (momiji) that t…
Kiyomizu Shrine
Kiyomizu-jinja in Saga City hosts the Saga Lantern Festival (Saga-no-Nishi) in mid-August — a tradition where paper lant…
Arita Porcelain Fair
The Arita Ceramic Fair, held every year from April 29 to May 5 (Golden Week), is the largest porcelain sale event in Jap…
Saga Hot Air Balloon Museum
The Saga Balloon Festival Museum documents the 45-year history of the international event and contains the most comprehe…
Karatsu Bay Sunset Fishing
From June to October, the fishing boats of Karatsu Bay go out at sunset using bright lights to attract squid to the surf…
Ogi-Juku Post Town
Ogi was a major rest stop on the Nagasaki Kaido highway — the road connecting Nagasaki to Edo used by Dutch traders maki…
Ureshino Onsen Ryokan Night Walk
Ureshino's 30 ryokan are concentrated within 800 meters of riverside corridor — close enough that walking the onsen town…
Takeo Shrine 3,000-Year-Old Camphor Tree
Within the grounds of Takeo Jinja, a camphor tree estimated at 3,000 years old stands 30 meters tall with a circumferenc…
Nijinomatsubara Seaside Cycling
The Niji-no-Matsubara pine grove fronts a 5km bicycle lane alongside the beach, rated by Cycling magazine as one of Japa…
Saga Riverine Plain
The Saga Plain, particularly the rice paddy areas south and west of Saga City, hosts one of the largest concentrations o…
Nabeshima Domain Ceramics Research Center
Walk into the Saga Ceramics Research Center on a Thursday morning and you might find three white-haired men bent over a…
Hiratani Valley
Hiratani Valley, in the mountains between Ureshino and Nagasaki, follows the upper Hiratani River through a narrow gorge…
Genkainada Sea Route
Iki Island, accessible by ferry from Karatsu or Hakata, is a 138-square-km island in the Genkai Sea with exceptional arc…
Kase River Firefly Festival
The Kase River and its tributaries in the southern Saga mountains host one of Kyushu's most concentrated firefly populat…
Arita Porcelain Park
Arita Porcelain Park recreates a Zwinger Palace-style baroque building (the model for Meissen porcelain's original home…
Saga's Okuninushi Shrine Night Trail
The path connecting Saga City's five historic shrines along the old merchant route has been maintained as a walking trai…
Karatsu-Yaki Pottery
Karatsu-yaki is one of the five most prestigious Japanese ceramic traditions and the most closely associated with tea ce…
Saga Onsen Hizen Yumo
Located 20km south of Saga City in the Sefurisan mountain range, Hizen Yumo Onsen is a concentrated cluster of three ryo…
Kyuragi Valley
The Kyuragi River valley, between Takeo and Saga City, is one of western Kyushu's most intact examples of the mixed broa…
Estimated from distance to the nearest airport or shinkansen station. Confirm actual journey times before you travel.