Stories
From the Field
allItinerary· June 18, 2026
Tsuruoka and the Shonai Plain: Yamagata's Gastronomy Coast
Tsuruoka, on Yamagata's Sea of Japan coast, became Japan's first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in 2014. Its kitchens, temples, and farm fields make the Shonai plain one of the country's most quietly serious food destinations.
allItinerary· June 18, 2026
Tono: Walking Through Japan's Folklore Heartland
Tono is a quiet valley in eastern Iwate where Japanese folklore was first written down. A walk through Tono means tracing kappa, oshirasama, and the magariya farmhouses that gave the Tono Monogatari its enduring shape.
allItinerary· June 17, 2026
Tohoku Without a Car: How to See the Region by Train and Bus
The idea that you need a rental car to see Tohoku is one of the region's most persistent myths. Visiting Tohoku without a car is not only possible, it is often the smarter, more relaxed way to travel northern Japan.
winterItinerary· June 17, 2026
Tohoku in Winter: The Complete Guide to Snow Country
Tohoku winter travel rewards those who come for the snow rather than in spite of it. This is the complete guide to Japan's snow country, from Ginzan Onsen under heavy drifts to Zao's frosted ice monsters and the lantern festivals of the deep north.
allItinerary· June 16, 2026
The Perfect Tohoku Itinerary from Taipei
A day-by-day Tohoku itinerary from Taipei, built for travelers who already know Tokyo and Kyoto and want the quieter north. This 7 to 8 night plan covers flights, rail, onsen, and seasonal timing for a Tohoku trip from Taipei.
allItinerary· June 15, 2026
Ouchi-juku: The Thatched Post Town of the Aizu Mountains
Ouchi-juku is a single street of thatched-roof houses in the Aizu mountains of western Fukushima, preserved much as it stood when feudal lords passed through. The Edo-period post town now draws travelers for its soba, its winter snow festival, and its rare survival.
allItinerary· June 13, 2026
Hirosaki: Castle, Cherry Blossoms, and Apple Country in Aomori
Hirosaki is the old castle town of the Tsugaru clan, where one of Japan's three greatest cherry blossom displays unfolds each spring beside a moat that turns pink with fallen petals. Beyond the Hirosaki cherry blossom season lies a year of apple orchards, samurai streets, and Western architecture rarely found this far north.
allItinerary· June 12, 2026
The Art of Aomori: Towada, the Aomori Museum, and the Region's Modern Soul
Aomori art has quietly become one of the most compelling reasons to travel north, anchored by the Towada Art Center and the Aomori Museum of Art. This is contemporary culture rooted in a prefecture better known for snow, apples, and the deep past.
allItinerary· June 11, 2026
How to Get to Tohoku from Tokyo: The Complete Transport Guide
How to get to Tohoku from Tokyo: a complete guide to the Tohoku Shinkansen, its branch lines, flights, rail passes, and which gateway to choose for each part of the region.
allItinerary· June 9, 2026
Aizu-Wakamatsu: The Samurai City of Fukushima
Aizu-Wakamatsu in western Fukushima is a samurai city defined by its red-roofed castle and the tragic story of the Byakkotai. A guide to the castle, the history, the craft, and how to visit.
allItinerary· June 5, 2026
Japan Less Crowded Than Kyoto: Where to Go Instead
Looking for a Japan less crowded than Kyoto? These Tohoku alternatives offer the temples, gardens, old towns, and hot springs travellers go to Kyoto for — without the crowds.
allItinerary· June 4, 2026
Morioka or Sendai? How to Choose Your Tohoku Base
Morioka vs Sendai: a clear comparison of Tohoku's two main hub cities — size, atmosphere, food, transport, and day-trip range — to help you choose the right base for your trip.
allItinerary· June 4, 2026
Miyagi Travel Guide: Beyond Sendai to the Coast and Mountains
A Miyagi travel guide that goes past Sendai: the pine islands of Matsushima, the hot springs and kokeshi of Naruko, the Zao foxes and frost trees, and the oyster towns of the Sanriku coast.
allItinerary· June 3, 2026
Morioka Travel Guide: The City the New York Times Put on the Map
A Morioka travel guide to Iwate's capital: castle ruins and red-brick banks, a celebrated three-noodle food culture, the looming cone of Mt. Iwate, and an old-school coffee and jazz scene.
allItinerary· June 3, 2026
Aomori Travel Guide: Japan's Northernmost Honshu Frontier
An Aomori travel guide to the top of Honshu: the Oirase Gorge and Lake Towada, Hirosaki's castle and apples, the Hakkoda mountains, the haunting Osorezan, and the best tuna in Japan.
allItinerary· June 2, 2026
Authentic Japan Travel: Where to Find It (and Why It's in Tohoku)
Authentic Japan travel has become a marketing phrase. This is an honest look at what authenticity means now, why the famous routes have lost it, and where in Tohoku it survives.
allItinerary· June 2, 2026
Northern Japan Travel: A Guide to the Regions Beyond Tokyo
Northern Japan travel begins where the bullet trains thin out. A guide to what "north" means in Japan, how the regions differ, and why Tohoku is the part most travellers miss.
allItinerary· June 1, 2026
Tohoku Travel Guide: The Complete Introduction to Northern Japan
A complete Tohoku travel guide to northern Japan's six prefectures: what each region offers, when to go, how to get around, and how to build a route that is worth the trip north.
allItinerary· June 1, 2026
Kakunodate: Walking Tohoku's Best-Preserved Samurai District
The Kakunodate samurai district is the most intact street of feudal residences in Tohoku — black-walled estates, weeping cherry trees, and a 300-year-old cherry-bark craft. Here is how to visit, and when.
summerItinerary· May 29, 2026
Tohoku in Summer: The Season That Gets Overlooked and Shouldn't
Summer is when Tohoku's three great festivals happen, when the mountain trails open, and when the rest of Japan is too hot to travel comfortably. The case for going north in July and August.
allItinerary· May 27, 2026
Yamagata Travel Guide: Onsen Villages, Sacred Mountains, and Japan's Finest Rice
Yamagata holds the two most iconic experiences in Tohoku — Ginzan Onsen and the Dewa Sanzan pilgrimage — and a food culture built on rice, fruit, and sake of national distinction.
allItinerary· May 27, 2026
Fukushima Travel Guide: The Region That Earned Its Second Chapter
Fukushima's story is now one of recovery, craft, food, and mountains. The parts open to visitors are exceptional, and the misconceptions keeping travelers away are, by and large, wrong.
allItinerary· May 26, 2026
Iwate, Japan: Gold Temples, Three-Noodle Cities, and an Unvisited Pacific Coast
Iwate is Japan's second-largest prefecture by area and one of its least internationally known. It contains a UNESCO World Heritage site, the food culture of Morioka, and a Pacific coastline that most visitors never reach.
allItinerary· May 26, 2026
Akita, Japan: Sake, Samurai Districts, and Lanterns at Night
Akita produces Japan's finest sake, preserves one of its best samurai districts, and hosts the Kanto Festival — one of August's great spectacles. Here is the complete guide.
allItinerary· May 25, 2026
Sendai, Japan: The Gateway City That Rewards a Longer Stay
Most visitors pass through Sendai on the way somewhere else. The ones who stay for two nights leave understanding why Tohoku's largest city has its own gravity.
allItinerary· May 23, 2026
The Perfect 10-Night Tohoku Itinerary from London and Sydney
From London via Helsinki or Dubai. From Sydney direct to Tokyo. Here's the 10-night Tohoku itinerary for long-haul travelers.
allItinerary· May 23, 2026
Tohoku by Rail: The Ultimate JR Pass Guide for First-Timers
Tohoku is easier to navigate by train than most visitors expect. Here's the complete guide to passes, routes, and what the rail network can and cannot do.
allItinerary· May 19, 2026
Japan's Golden Route Is Broken. Here's What to Do Instead.
The Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka itinerary still works. It just no longer rewards. Here is the alternative — and why it is better.
allItinerary· May 18, 2026
Tohoku vs Hokkaido: Which Region Should You Choose?
Both are in northern Japan. Both have onsen, nature, and food cultures worth traveling for. Here is how to choose.
allItinerary· May 13, 2026
How Many Days Do You Need in Tohoku? (An Honest Answer by Trip Type)
The honest answer depends on what you want from Tohoku. Here's a guide by trip type: 3 nights, 5 nights, 7 nights, and 10+ nights.
allItinerary· May 13, 2026
How to Plan a Slow Travel Week in Tohoku: Onsen, Sake, and Silence
Seven nights. No rushing. The Tohoku slow travel itinerary for people who want to actually feel a place rather than photograph it.
allItinerary· May 11, 2026
Why Japan's Best Experiences Are All in Tohoku Now
The classic Japan itinerary — Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka — still works. It just no longer rewards. Here's where the best of Japan actually is now.
allItinerary· May 11, 2026
The Case for Visiting Tohoku Before Everyone Else Does
Everyone who has been to Tohoku says the same thing: I had no idea. Here is the argument for going before that changes.
allItinerary· May 10, 2026
Akita Travel Guide: The Tohoku Prefecture Nobody Has Figured Out Yet
Akita sits in the northwest corner of Tohoku, facing the Sea of Japan, and most travelers never make it here. That oversight is the reason to come.
allItinerary· May 10, 2026
The Perfect 10-Night Tohoku Itinerary from Hong Kong
Hong Kong to Tohoku: the route, the logistics, and ten nights that will reset your idea of what Japan can be.
allItinerary· May 5, 2026
The Perfect 7-Night Tohoku Itinerary from Singapore
Seven nights is the right amount of time to understand Tohoku. Not to see everything — that would take a lifetime — but to arrive, slow down, and leave changed. This itinerary is designed for travellers flying from Singapore who want depth, not distance covered.
allItinerary· May 5, 2026
Tohoku vs Kyoto: Which Is the Real Japan?
Every year, millions of travellers visit Kyoto and leave convinced they have seen Japan. They have seen a Japan — a beautiful, preserved, occasionally overwhelming one. Tohoku offers a different answer to the same question, and it is one that fewer people have heard.