Travel articles
- 3-Day Mashiko and Kasama Pottery Trip from Tokyo Without a Car
Tochigi and Ibaraki
Researched itineraryA car-free three-day route through two pottery towns north of Tokyo, with a Mashiko wheel class, the Mashiko–Kasama rail link, museums and a breakdown of published prices.
Updated: October 26, 2026
- Hachinohe and the Tanesashi Coast: Planning 2 Days Around a Huge Market That Appears Only on Sunday Mornings
Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture
Researched itineraryThe Tatehana Wharf Morning Market with its 300 stalls, Kabushima and its 30,000 black-tailed gulls, and the natural lawns of the Tanesashi Coast. Almost nothing on a Hachinohe trip charges admission, so most of the budget goes on the Shinkansen and food. I planned a 2-day, 1-night trip in earnest, staying Saturday night for Sunday morning.
Updated: October 7, 2026
- Daisen and the Hiruzen Highlands by Scenic Drive: 3 Days and 2 Nights for Two on ¥150,000
Yonago and Daisen Town, Tottori Prefecture / Maniwa, Okayama Prefecture
Researched itineraryFrom Tokyo, 3 days and 2 nights for ¥150,000 for two. Day 1 is Daisenji Temple and Kaike Onsen; on Day 2 the route crosses the Hiruzen Daisen Skyline to the Hiruzen Highlands. A trip plan that uses a rental car only between Yonago Station and Yonago Airport.
Updated: October 5, 2026
- Daisen, Sakaiminato and Kaike Onsen: 2 Days and 1 Night for Two on ¥100,000
Yonago, Daisen Town and Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture
Researched itineraryThe first morning flight from Haneda to Yonago. Day 1 is a walk to Daisenji Temple and the Okunomiya of Ogamiyama Shrine, with a night at Kaike Onsen. Day 2 takes the Sakai Line to Mizuki Shigeru Road in Sakaiminato. The plan gets on and off the Sakai Line at different stations going out and coming back, so the route never doubles back.
Updated: October 5, 2026
- From the Gorge to Tateyama and On to Toyama: Planning 3 Days in Kurobe Gorge, Tateyama and Toyama City for Two on ¥150,000
Kurobe, Tateyama Town and Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture
Researched itineraryThe Kurobe Gorge Torokko train, now running over its full line again, and Murodo at 2,450 m. Toyama Prefecture's two great mountain routes are in fact linked by a single railway, the Toyama Chiho Railway. A seriously researched 3-day, 2-night plan from Tokyo for two on a ¥150,000 budget, running from Kurobe Gorge via Tateyama to Toyama City. In spring, the Yuki-no-Otani Snow Wall; in autumn, the autumn leaves. The main target is next year's season.
Updated: October 5, 2026
- The Kurobe Gorge Torokko Runs the Full Line Again, but Aim for Next Year: Planning 2 Days in Unazuki Onsen for Two on ¥100,000
Kurobe, Toyama Prefecture
Researched itineraryTwo years and nine months after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, the Kurobe Gorge Torokko train resumed service over the full line from Unazuki to Keyakidaira on October 1, 2026. Right after the reopening, though, the affordable rooms for this autumn are already starting to fill up. A seriously researched 2-day, 1-night plan from Tokyo for two on a ¥100,000 budget, aimed at next year's season.
Updated: October 5, 2026
- Blue Hydrangeas in Oga and a Giant Mural in Akita: 3 Days, 2 Nights for Two on ¥200,000
Oga and Akita City, Akita Prefecture
Researched itineraryA 3-day, 2-night plan from Tokyo for two on a ¥200,000 budget. Day 1: the hydrangeas of Unshoji Temple and a stone-boiled dinner in Oga Onsen. Day 2: Cape Nyudozaki and the Namahage Museum. Day 3: Fujita Tsuguharu's giant mural in Akita City. An Oga Peninsula plan built on the Shinkansen and a reservation-only shuttle.
Updated: October 5, 2026
- A Night in the Dancing Town: Planning 2 Days in Gujo Hachiman on a Gujo Odori Weekend
Gujo, Gifu Prefecture
Researched itineraryOn 30 summer nights, the canal-lined castle town of Gujo Hachiman holds a bon dance that anyone can join. A seriously researched 2-day, 1-night plan from Tokyo: Shinkansen and highway bus there, a night of dancing, food-replica making, and the Nagaragawa Railway home.
Updated: October 2, 2026
- Castle Town to Castle Town by Bus over the Mountains: Planning 3 Days in Hagi and Tsuwano for Two on About ¥150,000
Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture and Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture
Researched itineraryThe airport is called Hagi-Iwami, yet Hagi is 70 minutes away from it. A seriously researched 3-day, 2-night plan from Tokyo for two, with a ¥150,000 budget, linking the World Heritage castle town of Hagi with Tsuwano, the little Kyoto where koi swim in the canals. Depending on how you book your rooms, it can come down to the low ¥100,000s.
Updated: October 2, 2026
- Iwami Ginzan and Yunotsu Onsen: Can a 2-Day Trip from Tokyo Stay Under ¥100,000?
Oda, Shimane Prefecture
Researched itineraryA researched 2-day, 1-night plan from Tokyo by air to Iwami Ginzan, the World Heritage silver mine, and the old port hot-spring town of Yunotsu. Whether it fits within ¥100,000 per person depends on when you book your flights.
Updated: September 30, 2026
- Oarai and Hitachinaka: Planning an Overnight Stay on a Day-Trip Coast
Oarai and Hitachinaka, Ibaraki Prefecture
Researched itineraryAn hour and a half from Tokyo by limited express: a hill of blue nemophila, dawn at a torii gate in the sea, and a seafood bowl at the fish market. Is there any reason to stay the night in Oarai, well within day-trip range? I planned it in earnest, on a budget in the ¥30,000s per person.
Updated: September 30, 2026
- 5-Day Bonsai Japan Itinerary: Tokyo, Omiya & Kawagoe
Tokyo and Saitama
Researched itineraryA car-free 4-night Japan itinerary for bonsai lovers, with Omiya Bonsai Village, Shunkaen, Kawagoe, seasonal advice and realistic budgets from Tokyo.
Updated: September 14, 2026
- Can You Reach Iya and Oboke Without a Car? A 2-Day Plan from Tokyo
Miyoshi, Tokushima Prefecture
Researched itineraryA researched 2-day trip from Tokyo to Iya and Oboke using only trains and local buses, with the gorge cruise, vine bridge, hot-spring lodging, and the timetable constraints that make or break the route.
Updated: September 13, 2026
- Iwakuni, Miyajima and Hiroshima: a three-day autumn plan from Tokyo
Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture; Hatsukaichi and Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture
Researched itineraryA researched three-day, two-night plan from Tokyo for two people with a ¥200,000 budget: Kintaikyo Bridge and Iwakuni Castle, autumn leaves on Miyajima, then Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
Updated: September 12, 2026
- Mt. Mihara’s Crater and 18,000 Years of Volcanic Layers: 2 Nights on Izu Oshima for Two on ¥100,000
Oshima Town, Tokyo
Researched itineraryA high-speed jet ferry reaches Izu Oshima from Takeshiba in Tokyo in about 1 hour 45 minutes. Sea conditions determine whether you arrive at Motomachi Port or Okada Port. This 2-night plan links Geonos, the Great Cutaway Cliff, Mt. Mihara’s crater, and the Urasabaku Desert by public transport for around ¥100,000 for two.
Updated: September 12, 2026
- Matsumoto and Azumino in spring: cherry blossoms and picture-book art with my mother and aunt
Matsumoto City and the Azumino area (Matsukawa Village), Nagano Prefecture
A two-day spring trip with my mother and aunt to Matsumoto Castle, Kobo-yama Kofun, KAI Matsumoto and Chihiro Art Museum Azumino, including what the three of us spent.
Updated: September 11, 2026
- Three days in Kyoto and Osaka from Tokyo, staying by Lake Biwa
Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Kyoto and Osaka
My November 2024 trip with my mother: two nights by Lake Biwa, exploring Kyoto and Osaka from our lakeside base, for about ¥200,000 for the two of us.
Updated: September 10, 2026
- Ueda and Bessho Onsen: an overnight plan from Tokyo
Ueda, Nagano Prefecture
Researched itineraryA researched overnight plan from Tokyo to Ueda and Bessho Onsen, with temples, public baths and a budget of about ¥46,000 per person when two adults share a room.
Updated: September 10, 2026
- Tomonoura and Fukuyama: planning a two-day trip from Tokyo
Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture
Researched itineraryA researched overnight itinerary from Tokyo to Tomonoura, the port town associated with Ponyo, and Fukuyama Castle: what to see, where to stay and what it might cost.
Updated: September 9, 2026