It’s really sad that there are only a few areas in Japan that keep showing up in the headlines. I’ve circled Hokkaido and there are so many beautiful untouched areas…it made me tear up.
Shiretoko is a vast and raw untouched landscape. Two thirds of this beautiful Island is covered in virgin forests.
Please tell me about more unheard of and beautiful places in Japan you never hear of in the headlines.
13 comments
A lot of western Aomori is rarely talked about but it’s so beautiful. Love the 10 lakes area, the Takayama senbontorii, the drive up the coast, etc. Even stretching down to Akita, the drive down the coast along the Japan Sea is gorgeous.
Kyushu is massively underrated as well for outdoorsy stuff
Visited Shikoku in mid-August. Tokushima is really pretty with lots of forests, small mountains. Kagawa is similar, but the mountains are somehow rounder. And the Seto Inland Sea is great for swimming as the waves are tiny. Just wish the weather had been more cooperative.
How is it underrated? It’s consistently rated as the top or top 3 most desirable/attractive places in Japan. Every single year.
Sad? You should be happy about that. Pray they keep going unheard of.
I have a few spots deep deep in Shizuoka that I’ll never speak on publicly
I love Hokkaido! I don’t think it’s that underrated though. In fact, my colleagues seem to be impressed that I’ve been there because 1) they visited Hokkaido a decade earlier; 2) it’s too far; and 3) traveling there is expensive.
I say I have to agree. Went to Shiroi and then drove to Furano/Bieie, Akan-Mashu and Shiretoko in July. Weather wasn’t too hot and not many tourists. The forests are amazing. Stayed in hostels on the edge of one and you can hear all of the animals and smells amazing. Got a log cabin in a field with a view of Daisetsuzen. Last couple of days was a newly renovated hostel overlooking the harbor in Utorokahawa.
People in Hokkaido were awesome! Go to the fish market and then they will cook your food and tell stories. Miso soup with crab holy fucking amazing! You pay for your uni and they catch it and ship it to you. Literally no one I saw anywhere was on their phones (except maybe me).
Got to see some traditional Ainu dances and performance art. The new museum was one of my favorites in Japan. I really like the Ainu arts and culture. I have never seen so many fox and I really love the lush forests.
Even within Hokkaido the Shakotan Peninsula is underrated imo. Beautiful cliffs that you can hike down to sand beaches. There’s also a lovely beach with nice facilities that you can camp at. If you drive further along the peninsula Misaki no Yu (岬の湯) onsen is absolutely wonderful. You get 180 panoramic views of of the ocean from the outdoor baths. It’s a wonderful place to watch the sunset
I also drove through Akkeshi recently and was blown away by how gorgeous it was. I was shocked I’d never heard anyone mention it as a place worth stopping. Unfortunately I was in a bit of rush and didn’t have time to stop, but I would have liked to
Shiga ken’s Hikone castle and gardens.
Yes, Hokkaido is beautiful! Been there a few times. Many handsome guys too haha
As a Hokkaido resident, I’m so happy you like it here! <3
You know what’s really underrated though? Hokkaido in autumn. Everybody comes here in July / August or midwinter for the skiing. Autumn is absolutely beautiful, it’s like something out of National Geographic. A lot of the region is covered in broadleaf forests unlike Honshu’s conifer forests, so you get some astonishingly beautiful colours literally everywhere. I’d rank it above popular places like Arashiyama in Kyoto for autumn colours and yet nobody visits (except for Kurodake but that’s overrated imo— go to places like Daisetsu Kogen, Tokachidake Onsen or Shiretoko for autumn colours).
Autumn is also harvest season so a lot of vegetables so it’s one of the best times to come and eat here. Plus, it’s salmon run season = The best salmon sashimi in all Japan.
Hope you’ll come back in October someday to see it for yourself!
I don’t get the impression that it’s underrated, just expensive, far and hard to get around unless you drive. I’ve never heard anything negative about Hokkaido other than perhaps how cold it gets during winter.
Hokkaido is hugely famous among Japanese travelers. Not “underrated” at all, and it’s bizarre that you think it is “unheard of.” Do you mean among non-Japanese travelers?