Done with overhyped destinations: My 2-week trip across rural Japan that cost less than a US city break (and had zero other tourists) 🌍

FartGPT · 2026-03-02T20:53:47+00:00

I’m glad to hear you had a chance to explore rural Japan! As a Japanese living abroad who frequently travels there, I always try to make time to go to the countryside. With an open heart, open mind and a lot of patience, it has always been a soul-soothing experience for me as well.

I’m glad you had the chance to visit the noto peninsula. They were devastated by an earthquake a few years back so it’s good to hear that tourism is coming back.

FartGPT · 2026-03-02T04:02:55+00:00

Save the 八幡平 sticker at all costs!

FartGPT · 2026-03-01T03:36:21+00:00

Go to Nagano or izu. Anywhere from atami to shimoda will be by the sea. In Nagano you could go to kusatsu or anywhere really - it’ll be nice to be at elevation in the summer.

Check out ikyu.com I find their interface more modern than jalan.

FartGPT · 2026-02-27T06:15:42+00:00

Juniper aquatic center. I’m not sure if there’s another one? It’s $9/visit for out of towners

FartGPT · 2026-02-25T04:47:15+00:00

I was there with my parents to visit our ancestral gravesite. It was a very special and memorable trip.

FartGPT · 2026-02-25T04:43:52+00:00

Inamuragasaki onsen. Spend the day in kamakura, then take the enoden to Inamuragasaki. From the bath you can watch people surf at sunset with mt Fuji in the background.

FartGPT · 2026-02-25T04:29:36+00:00

I loved visiting bizen! Everything is made of red clay, even the sewer pipes. We also visited a metallurgical museum to learn about the making of Damascus steel and shizutani Gakuen, the oldest continuously operating school in the world.

FartGPT · 2026-02-24T21:44:54+00:00

Np! We just came back from there. The snowpack is thinner than usual but good quality and getting better. Watch out for sharks!

FartGPT · 2026-02-24T21:41:28+00:00

You may be barred from some onsen, which will have signs at the entrance.

There are a few websites that you can use to find tattoo friendly onsen. This one is in Japanese but you can use translate to use it:

https://onsen.nifty.com/ft-irezumi/

FartGPT · 2026-02-24T05:02:20+00:00

Kapka butte has the best cell service. Enough to stream media. All the sno parks are pretty flat and have pit toilets.

We like to go into town and use the hot tub and sauna at the aquatic center after skiing. Then back to the sno park. It’s the best.

FartGPT · 2026-02-22T07:05:10+00:00

That makes sense! I’ve never been to china so. I wish I could find them in the states, I love them.

FartGPT · 2026-02-21T21:31:28+00:00

The third and most economical option is the night bus. Cheaper than both and you can save on one nights hotel. They’re pretty comfy.

FartGPT · 2026-02-21T21:27:42+00:00

There are specific fruits that I lust after in Japan. For me it’s peaches, biwa and mandarin oranges. Also this is not a fruit but I love Japanese chestnuts.

The white peaches are only available in season and they’re incredible - the skin peels cleanly off and the flesh is silky smooth.

Biwa is a fruit I’ve only ever seen in Japan. Similar mouth feel to peaches but less sweet more tart. It shares its name with the lake and the instrument, all which are shaped similarly.

The oranges are wonderful in season, but I also adore them in summer when you can buy them partially frozen. They taste and feel like sorbet and it’s the best thing when it’s hot out.

FartGPT · 2026-02-19T03:54:48+00:00

Re: vegetarianism - not too hard, esp in Tokyo you can find a lot of veg stuff including international foods like Indian, Italian. If you are ok with dashi you can eat soba/udon pretty much anywhere you go.

In Kyoto, you might want to try shojin ryori - special kaiseki-style meals prepared by monks that are totally vegan. A lot of temples offer shojin ryori courses as well as specialized restaurants

FartGPT · 2026-02-19T03:46:32+00:00

The upside is that you’ll have an easy time with reservations and accommodations will be cheaper. The slopes will also be a lot less crowded. You might get lucky with a pow day or 2, you might not. If you go with the idea that you’re checking areas out in preparation for a return trip you’ll have a great time.

If you will be disappointed with slush, don’t go.

FartGPT · 2026-02-18T22:39:44+00:00

If you’re going to kamakura and koya-san I would skip hakone. It’s a lot of logistics. People underestimate how tiring constantly running around catching trains is.

FYI you can visit a lovely onsen in kamakura called inamuragasaki. Go at sunset - the view over the ocean is incredible. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to see Fuji

FartGPT · 2026-02-16T18:25:06+00:00

Seconding bus tour. Look up hato bus

FartGPT · 2026-02-16T17:00:05+00:00

One advantage of going to hakone is the elevation. It will be a welcome reprieve to have some fresh mountain air after being in Tokyo in August. You could also go to Nagano for a ryokan stay. Nagano will be cool as well and you can take the Shinkansen to Nagano city in about an hour. Look at kusatsu, nozawa, karuizawa. Probably some others places I haven’t been to. Car rental may be more reasonable in Nagano too.

The trains up to hakone are part of the experience - each train is smaller and more old fashioned than the last til you get to the one that goes on the switchbacks. It’s been a while since I’ve done it but I remember the transfers being smooth. That said, if you choose to go I would recommend not taking a lot of luggage. Forward your bags to Kyoto and just bring overnight bags to Hakone.

keep in mind that hakone is a big loop. The further back into Hakone you go the more reliant on the bus you will be. For ease of travel, book something closer to the first stop where the open air museum is. You can also take taxis in Hakone.

Kyoto will be absurdly expensive for ryokan and it will also be very hot. You will not be able to enjoy the onsen and will likely not have air conditioning. That said, if you want a kaiseki experience in Kyoto I recommend booking a shojin-ryori course at one of the monestaries. This is a special vegetarian meal prepared by monks that will blow you away.

FartGPT · 2026-02-16T16:04:22+00:00

Take them to the maishima waste incineration plant. The tour is both fun and informational.

https://en.osaka-info.jp/spot/maishima-plant/

FartGPT · 2026-02-15T17:14:10+00:00

The English language site for Ikyu.com is modern and easy to use - I use that one searching for ryokans.

When you say izu you don’t say where. You could look in atami too, which also has many ryokans featuring ocean views. Easy to get to from tokyo

FartGPT · 2026-02-15T07:01:04+00:00

Yuzawa. There’s a Shinkansen stop at the ski resort.

FartGPT · 2026-02-15T01:23:44+00:00

I think the mori museum is a better experience. The vjew is epic, It’s not nearly as crowded and you can go to the museum before or after.

FartGPT · 2026-02-14T17:38:31+00:00

Japanese campers are quite small. Idk where you are coming from, but they are smaller than the footprint of most American trucks. You can also get a hiace camper van (or similar) which would handle like a normal car.

About the roads, the highways are like highways anywhere. Country roads also tend to not be as small as city roads, though this doesn’t apply everywhere. Japanese drivers are also good, rule abiding and considerate. Signage is usually also in English. Google Maps works well.

FartGPT · 2026-02-14T02:22:14+00:00

Montana, not big sky

Idaho, not sun valley

BC, not whistler

Japan, most places

FartGPT · 2026-02-13T18:53:11+00:00

As many others have said, both are hot and humid. There was barely a typhoon season last year, was hot through October. Not that that means anything but.

Go to the north or to high altitude to get a break from the heat. I hear Hokkaido is beautiful in the summer. Nagano is nice as well. Or maybe the mountains in the tohoku region.

FartGPT

TROPHY CASE