An earlier trip to Kagoshima in southern Kyushu presented an entirely different experience of Japanese culture. After a night at an onsen resort in the misty Kirishima mountains—just 15 minutes from the airport—I ventured into Kagoshima City. At restaurant Sanei, I savored tender kurobuta pork belly simmered in shochu and miso, a signature since Sanei first opened in 1933. Later, I squeezed into a tiny izakaya with an L-shaped counter and received an impromptu education in Kagoshima’s beloved shochu from a friendly local. The proprietress, with her raspy laugh and unfiltered commentary, cracked jokes every time she filled my glass.
My journeys beyond Japan’s metropolitan centers have revealed so much about a country I thought I knew, but clearly didn’t. These unhurried explorations have uncovered facets of the culture I’d overlooked during my many years in Tokyo—moments of connection and splendor in family-run eateries and artisan workshops that no guidebook can truly map.
For your own off-the-beaten-track adventures, consider travel during off-peak seasons—from mid-May to early June, or October to early November—when the weather remains pleasant but crowds thin considerably. If you have a valid license, rent a car and avail yourself of Japan’s myriad michi no eki—roadside stations offering hyperlocal produce and regional specialties directly from farmers. Most importantly, leave room for spontaneity in your itinerary—for some of my most treasured memories came from taking a local’s advice, or simply following my nose.
The Japan that continues to captivate me exists in the Land of the Rising Sun’s quieter corners, where the country reveals itself at its own deliberate pace, and only to those who are patient enough to notice. —Melinda Joe
Melinda Joe is a journalist based in Tokyo. She writes a regular column for The Japan Times and has contributed to publications including BBC, Nikkei Asia, Newsweek, CNN, WSJ, Eating Well, and Departures Magazine.
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To experience under-the-radar Japan for yourself, reserve your spot on Japan: A Cultural Journey, one of two trips designed with the travel company Abercrombie & Kent as part of our new series Curated Escapes. In addition to showing you another side of Tokyo and Kyoto, the trip takes you to lesser-known coastal enclaves like Kaga and Kanazawa. Book now
Credits
Lead editors: Arati Menon, Shannon McMahon, Sarah Allard
Additional reporting: Kat Chen, Matt Ortile
Visuals: Nicole Motta, Pallavi Kumar
Social media: Mercedes Bleth, Lucy Bruton
Audience development: Abigail Malbon, Amber Port
Production: Kat Chen, Connor Sturges
