Hidden Japan Gems

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Hidden Japan Gems Tired of Japan’s main tourist spots? https://hiddenjapan-gems.com/

24/10/2026

It's easy to look only at Mt Fuji. In August I went round the Former Togawa Residence in Fujiyoshida instead, a 1768 house where pilgrims climbing the mountain in faith were lodged. It reopened in April 2026 after two years of earthquake-proofing.

The well-worn clothing and an oshi's wicker travel case stayed with me. No one was giving explanations, so I used an app. 30–40 minutes, ¥100.

https://hiddenjapan-gems.com/oshi-togawa-house-fujiyoshida/

Ogoto Onsen: a one-night hot-spring stay 19 minutes from KyotoOgoto Onsen sits on the west shore of Lake Biwa in Otsu, S...
23/10/2026

Ogoto Onsen: a one-night hot-spring stay 19 minutes from Kyoto

Ogoto Onsen sits on the west shore of Lake Biwa in Otsu, Shiga. A JR Kosei Line local from Kyoto takes 19 minutes and costs ¥320 (JR West timetable, October 2026). The Special Rapid does not stop at Ogoto-onsen; if you are on one, get off at Hieizan-Sakamoto.

The guide compares six of the town's nine inns on their official Japanese pages: which rooms have an open-air bath of hot-spring water (one inn's page says two of its open-air room baths are not), pick-up hours, tattoo rules, and day bathing from ¥800 to ¥2,750 (one inn adds ¥50 bathing tax). There is also a one-night plan with Hiyoshi Taisha the next morning; the shrine gives mid to late November as its usual best autumn colour.

https://hiddenjapan-gems.com/ogoto-onsen/

No context. Just Kansai 🇯🇵12 photos from our time exploring the region. There's no itinerary, no recommendations, just ...
23/10/2026

No context. Just Kansai 🇯🇵

12 photos from our time exploring the region.
There's no itinerary, no recommendations, just some of the places and little moments that caught our eye ✨

Which one is your favourite? 👀

1–12 ⬇️

TokyoTravel JapanLovers ExploreJapan JapanPhotos

23/10/2026

Does Uber work in Japan? Yes, mostly as a taxi app. Uber Taxi runs in all 47 prefectures on the taxi meter, Premium hire cars run in some cities, and private-driver rideshare runs only in limited areas and hours, under Japan's 2024 taxi-company rideshare scheme, where it operates. The post also covers GO, DiDi, S.RIDE, whether Grab still works, the Haneda and Narita fixed taxi fares, and Tokyo meter rates. Checked 19 October 2026.
https://hiddenjapan-gems.com/uber-in-japan/

23/10/2026

Hard Off and Off House Kawaguchiko reopened on 16 September after the June earthquake, and I went on 15 October.

Less to browse than the Hachioji store, but still a lot: turntables, Leica and Contax cameras, guitars, a sneaker wall, a rail of kimono. I bought a Studio Ghibli VHS for ¥100 and it played fine at home. I've also written down how to read the price tags.

https://hiddenjapan-gems.com/hard-off-off-house-kawaguchiko/

22/10/2026

Takamatsu in one day, on foot and by Kotoden. Ritsurin Garden is ¥500 and its boat ¥850; Tamamo Park, the castle ruins with a sea-water moat, is ¥300; Kotoden from Takamatsu-Chikko to Ritsurin-koen is ¥250 from 1 October 2026.

The route, five udon shops and their hours, the arcades, and the Naoshima ferry times if you swap the afternoon.

https://hiddenjapan-gems.com/takamatsu-one-day/

Chasing autumn down Mt Fuji: golden larch and two quiet waterfalls• High first: the Fuji Subaru Line's road operator put...
22/10/2026

Chasing autumn down Mt Fuji: golden larch and two quiet waterfalls

• High first: the Fuji Subaru Line's road operator puts the roadside larch colour at roughly mid-October to early November.
• Then lower down. On my 2025 visits: larch still gold on 2 November, maples at Kaneyama Falls in Fujiyoshida on 12 November, and Taro and Jiro Falls in Tsuru still in colour on 27 November.
• All three are free to visit; the Subaru Line is a toll road, and it closes temporarily in snow and high wind.
• No car: buses to the 5th Station from Fujisan and Kawaguchiko stations. The timetable effective 1 October 2026 lists five departures each way daily.

https://hiddenjapan-gems.com/quiet-fall-foliage-spots/

Otaguro Park, Ogikubo: autumn leaves and the 2026 light-upOtaguro Park is a Japanese garden run by Suginami City, free t...
22/10/2026

Otaguro Park, Ogikubo: autumn leaves and the 2026 light-up

Otaguro Park is a Japanese garden run by Suginami City, free to enter by day, a 10-minute walk from Ogikubo Station on the JR Chuo Line. It was built on the estate of the music critic Otaguro Motoo and opened in 1981. From the hinoki gate, a 70 m granite path runs between ginkgo trees more than 100 years old, then the garden opens onto a lawn and a koi pond with a small pavilion.

The 2026 autumn light-up runs from Friday 27 November to Sunday 6 December. On light-up days everyone leaves at 16:30 and the gate reopens at 17:00 with the lights on. Evening hours, the fee and ticketing have not been announced yet. The park says further details are to be posted on or after 1 November. In 2025 evening entry was ¥300 for adults. Tripods are not allowed through the whole period (a monopod is fine); a separate photo session on 26 November, the day before, permits them.

I photographed the garden between about 14:38 and 15:02 on 5 December 2025: the ginkgo avenue was still yellow and the maples red and orange.

https://hiddenjapan-gems.com/otaguro-park/

22/10/2026

Two nights above Atami with our two pets. The open-air bath at the cottage was the best part: an October night, hardly any insects, and real hot-spring water.

Early the next morning we went up to Nishi-Tanna Parking on the Izu Skyline and watched Mt Fuji turn pink. On the last day we walked in to a mikan farm: ¥1,000 for two, eat as many as you like. Bring cash for the Skyline tolls.

https://hiddenjapan-gems.com/izu-skyline-mt-fuji-sunrise-atami-onsen-mikan/

21/10/2026

Fujiyoshida's weaving festival, the Hataori-Machi Festival, ran on 17 and 18 October 2026.

A report from the Sunday afternoon in Shimoyoshida: tufted mats, clothes and folk toys, South Indian meals for lunch at Kariamudhu, a crowd that changed with the time of day, very little English guidance, and Mt Fuji in view.

https://hiddenjapan-gems.com/hataori-machi-festival-fujiyoshida-2026/

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幸町15-7
Kawagoe-shi, Saitama
350-0063

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