Free daily briefing on global business news.
Kanazawa's untouched samurai district, Miyajima's floating torii gate, Kochi's outdoor market — the places that make a Japan trip feel like more than Tokyo and Kyoto on repeat
Sora Sagano / Unsplash
Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka make up what travel specialists call Japan's Golden Route, and for good reason, but the country's excellent rail network puts an entire second tier of destinations within easy reach of that same circuit, places that see meaningfully fewer international visitors while offering scenery, history, and food that rival the country's most famous stops.
This list covers the destinations that reward moving beyond the standard three-city loop, organized so each one connects reasonably easily to the broader Golden Route rather than requiring an entirely separate trip.
