I'm Hyde — Japanese, born and raised here, and I've traveled to 44 of its 47 prefectures. Real costs, real crowds, and the places worth a detour: this is the guide I wish visitors had.
A first-hand account of staying overnight at Fukuchi-in, a Buddhist temple lodging (shukubo) on Mt. Koya — shojin ryori dinner, an onsen bath inside a temple, costs, and how to book.
What Ginzan Onsen is really like — real costs, when the crowds arrive, where to eat, and whether the famous snowy night view is worth the effort to reach it.
You don't have to climb all 2,446 steps: the five-story pagoda and the giant-cedar approach are near the bottom — and a road runs to the summit shrine. A first-hand guide.
Wide-open wilderness — and Japan’s pantry.
Japan’s original landscape.
Tokyo, and the escapes around it.
The roof of Japan.
Old capitals and the nation’s kitchen.
Sea, shrines, and sand dunes.
The pilgrim’s island.
Fire, steam, and coral seas.