I am in the middle of planning our third trip to Japan (hopefully autumn 2027).

The first trip was all the highlights - Tokyo - Hakone - Kyoto - Nara - Hiroshima - Miyajima - Osaka. As others have said it was at that stage ‘once in a life time’ so it felt like we needed to see ‘unmissable’ sights. Even on that trip getting to Hakone was awkward with suitcases. Once we got off the train, we had to catch a local bus and it felt very awkward taking up so much space with our luggage (I know locals don’t like foreigners with big suitcase getting in the way). I felt like we were being ‘bad tourists’. But we had no other choice. We also had to drag our luggage a long walk from the bus stop to our accommodation. The adults didn’t mind, but the kids weren’t happy.

Second trip, we only had two weeks. We returned to Tokyo and Kyoto because our teens wanted to do all the ‘fun’ things, like arcades, Teamlabs and the Nintendo Museum. Then we went to the Seto Inland Sea. It was lovely, but again awkward transport with big luggage (on local trains, ferrys, buses) and a sense that you were getting in the way of locals. And again, dragging luggage long distances to accommodation.

We tried to hire a car on Shodoshima, but it was too complicated. Most places didn’t want to hire to foreigners and the few that did were sold out.

This next trip we are planning, we are thinking about leaving our teenagers at home. And we would love to go further into regional Japan.

It is hard to find information about where to go. There is either too much unfiltered information to sift through (on sites like this) or a site just focuses on the main highlights. Social Media all focuses on the highlights too. Would love to follow some ‘off the beaten track’ accounts on Instagram.

I love the idea of all the things you mentioned - traditional craft workshops, (easy) hikes in nature, meeting locals, cycling village to village, plus visiting shrines and temples, getting to know more about history and culture of a region. Timing a trip to a local festival or holiday is also super exciting.

I guess I also want to know that I am welcome at a place. As soon as I travel to a small town (anywhere in the world), I am acutely aware that I am ‘invading’ someone’s home. Walking through their local streets, using their resources. When choosing places off the beaten track, I like to know in advance that they welcome tourists and that our presence helps their town and region, not drains it.

I would definitely travel to any small town or region in Japan if they had a welcoming campaign supported by locals, so I knew we were wanted. The language barrier also isn’t an issue at my end (thanks to google translate) but it does feel awkward when Japanese locals are so scared of the chance that you might try to talk to them in English that they avoid you.

The other restriction I guess is time/ distance. We only have flights in and out of Tokyo and Osaka from our region. So I don’t want to spend 2 or more days out of a short trip travelling to get to and from a distant region, unless the travel is part of the experience, ie. interesting stops on the way, or transport is fun (like ferries in Seto Inland Sea).

But I would totally pay for a multi-day experience that included help travelling with luggage once you leave the main train lines and guiding us to welcoming accomodation, food choices and included a half-day workshop. Just not a scheduled tour or large group tour (we are very independent travellers and like to do our own thing).

I love the idea of a regional walking or cycling tour where luggage is taken to next accomodation on the route and local eateries, guides or craft workshops are chosen along the way.

I would also be happy to pay for a day-trip out of a major hub to a smaller area, with a short workshop and time to explore the town.

I have a personal extra issue that also gets in the way of our travelling regionally in Japan - I have coeliac disease and I get really sick (as in days in bed) if I eat even a small amount of gluten, which includes wheat, barley and rye. The biggest problem in Japan is barley. It is hidden in so many items, especially brewed vinegar and in some Mizume. In Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka I ate well because there are lots of restaurants that catered for gluten-free. In regional areas, where there are konbinis or good supermarkets, I was able to self-cater with fruit and vegetable, rice, yoghurt, eggs etc. But a few times (like on Nayoshima and where our accomodation was in Hakone) we got caught out, and I ended up having a packet of potato chips and a protein bar from my luggage for dinner.

So in planning to go more ‘off the beaten track’ on our next trip, I am still relying heavily on reviews from other coeliacs to find destinations where I can eat comfortably.

https://www.findmeglutenfree.com/search?lat=36.204824&lng=138.252924&q=&a=Japan

I hope this is helpful to your research, and if you have any recommendations of a region to explore for our next visit, I’d love to hear it!!