Choshi: A Tiny Train to the Lighthouse at Kanto's Edge
Ride the tiny Choshi Electric Railway to Inubosaki Lighthouse: 99 spiral steps, a ¥300 ticket, big Pacific views — plus wet senbei and a sardine arrabbiata by the beach.
Japan, from someone who actually lives here.
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.
Latest articles
Kurobe Gorge Railway: Open Cars Over Emerald Water
Riding Japan's best little mountain railway from Unazuki Onsen: emerald dam lakes, a castle in the gorge, firefly-squid shabu-shabu at the ryokan — and the full line reopens October 2026.
What to Eat on Miyajima: Anago, Oysters, Fried Momiji
A Japanese local's lunch on Miyajima: the anago-oyster-roast-beef set at Mametanuki, piping-hot fried momiji from Momijido — and how much time the island really needs.
Sawara: The Canal Town Next Door to Narita Airport
A preserved Edo merchant town on a willow-lined canal, right by Narita Airport: sleep in a restored merchant house, meet the man who mapped Japan on foot, and finish at mighty Katori Jingu.
Sleeping in a Temple on Koyasan: What a Shukubo Stay Is Actually Like
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.
Mt. Haguro: The Stone Path Through Giant Cedars
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.
Ginzan Onsen: The Historic Hot Spring Town Lit by Gas Lamps
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.
Explore by region
Hokkaido
Wide-open wilderness — and Japan’s pantry.
Tohoku
Japan’s original landscape.
Kanto
Tokyo, and the escapes around it.
Chubu
The roof of Japan.
Kansai
Old capitals and the nation’s kitchen.
Chugoku
Sea, shrines, and sand dunes.
Shikoku
The pilgrim’s island.
Kyushu & Okinawa
Fire, steam, and coral seas.