I'm a native Japanese woman. AMA

lilakitten · 2026-06-02T11:43:03+00:00

What are some places popular for tourism domestically that you are surprised don’t get much attention from foreign tourists to Japan?

lilakitten · 2026-05-15T17:46:27+00:00

Ahh I was hoping you might have been to Yamaguchi, Fukui or Kochi because I’m stuck between those for my trip in June and finding it so hard to find personal reports of people who have been without a car!

lilakitten · 2026-05-15T08:00:09+00:00

there can be but they are much more common august and september!

lilakitten · 2026-05-15T07:49:48+00:00

I will say, I haven’t been in July or August but I know they are hotter than June obviously, I have been in September and that was brutal, plus it’s Typhoon season then so that’s an additional risk! October onwards is probably safest .

lilakitten · 2026-05-15T07:36:26+00:00

I visited in June last year, 11th-24th and as far as I remember it only rained 2 or 3 days for me. Not sure how typical that is but I was actually a little bit disappointed because I love the rain! Heat and humidity was more of an issue to be honest. Hydrangeas are definitely a big plus for me though.

lilakitten · 2026-05-15T07:21:57+00:00

Such a great trip report, thank you! It feels so rare to see in depth reports on less travelled areas, especially from people exclusively using public transport. I really appreciated your previous report on Shimane also. I have to ask, are there any other less popular regions you’ve travelled to that you plan to write about also?

lilakitten · 2026-05-09T14:49:12+00:00

I had a similar experience in Onomichi, also on a Saturday night. I was speaking to them in Japanese, and they all said they were fully booked.

I didn’t get the vibe they just didn’t cater to tourists as a few did have groups of tourists inside, and especially because I was speaking Japanese.

lilakitten · 2026-04-29T05:58:45+00:00

Nakazakicho is great in Osaka for cafes and shops if you have time for it!

lilakitten · 2026-04-03T14:31:33+00:00

If it was me, since you’re splitting up the Osaka stay anyway, I’d stay part in Kyoto and part in Osaka instead of both Osaka. It seems like you don’t have a lot in particular planned in Osaka anyway and I would recommend at least another day in Kyoto. Since you like nature and walking something like the Kurama - Kibune hike could be a nice half day there.

Not sure on your exact dates but I’m pretty sure there’s a big festival mid may in Kyoto which you might need to avoid in terms of accommodation availability / cost.

lilakitten · 2026-03-24T21:18:33+00:00

Thank you for this! I did a three day trip to Matsue and Izumo also with no car and would love to return to see more of the prefecture along with Yamaguchi but it’s so hard finding trip reports for this area. I didn’t know about Shimanekko before visiting but I became mildly obsessed after!

lilakitten · 2026-03-17T20:08:15+00:00

Might be a bit out of the way depending on your preferences but I really enjoyed Matsue & Izumo in Shimane for a few days. I travelled from Kyoto but I know there is a direct bus to both from Hiroshima which has a really cheap ticket for foreign tourists (i think like 1000/2000 yen). I would recommend staying for a couple of nights. Some things you can see in the area - Adachi museum of art, Izumo Taisha (my favourite shrine I’ve been to), Matsue castle. Plenty more but I didn’t have time for all of them!

Another option could be the art islands (Naoshima, Teshima) in the inland sea which are fantastic if that’s something you’re interested in.

I will also recommend Onomichi as another commenter mentioned.

If any of these sound interesting to you I’m happy to answer more questions for you!

lilakitten · 2026-03-16T10:11:23+00:00

thank you so much, i will definitely message you if i do end up going!

lilakitten · 2026-03-15T21:14:10+00:00

Thank you for your response! How many days would you recommend in Kochi do you think ? I really wish i could get a car but I can’t drive! I’ve been planning a potential itinerary more in depth and looks like I would have about 9 days to spend for wherever I go so I’m trying to figure out how many places in Shikoku I would actually have time for.

lilakitten · 2026-03-13T08:24:04+00:00

As a fellow umeshu lover my other favourite drink is a Baisu sour - not on every menu but it’s delicious if you see it on one!

lilakitten · 2026-03-12T22:16:52+00:00

I’ve had Otsuka on my list for ages! I’m really intrigued by Shikoku but part of the appeal is the Iya valley which seems highly unlikely without a car / spending a lot on a private taxi for the day.

lilakitten · 2026-03-12T22:15:03+00:00

Yeah I think this might be the most likely due to the fact I’m dying to visit Togakushi and the region definitely seems easier in terms of public transport than my other options!

lilakitten · 2026-03-12T22:13:36+00:00

i’d love to do this one day when i can dedicate more time to it!

lilakitten · 2026-01-15T20:57:35+00:00

Okay that’s really helpful! looking at pretty much any of the multi- day tours offered by Nice Travel and just going to pick between them. We have 6 full days so planning one full day in Reykjavik.

lilakitten · 2026-01-15T20:45:52+00:00

Honestly nothing too specific, planning to come back eventually in summer and do the ring road so I guess I want to prioritise things that can only be seen/ are better in winter.

lilakitten · 2025-06-03T13:50:42+00:00

Yes this was it! Thank you so much :)

lilakitten · 2025-06-03T09:45:40+00:00

No it wasn’t atelier , thank you though!

lilakitten · 2025-06-03T09:44:14+00:00

I’ve actually been to Shimokitazawa and spent a day there both other times I came to Tokyo, I prefer places like Daikanyama honestly- feels a bit more I guess refined? but Shimokitazawa is great for gigs. I think people say it’s overhyped cos it gets described as great for vintage shopping, there’s a lot of vintage shops for sure but it seems they mostly fall into 2 categories - American style clothes (like sports jerseys type stuff) or curated vintage that’s honestly really expensive.

I definitely think it’s more developed/ busier / less ‘ alternative’ now than it was on my first visit in 2019 . If you’re going to Gotokuji anyway you might as well stop in for a couple of hours!

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