Your guide to Japan, beyond The Golden Route with InsideJapan

Offering an intoxicating blend of inspiring creativity, world-renowned cuisine and historic sites, Japan’s balance of deep-rooted tradition and cutting-edge innovation makes it a magnetic destination.

Unsurprisingly, Japan is topping bucket lists and travel guides across the globe; its proximity and affordability have Australians hooked. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, it ranks among the top five destinations for Australians in 2025, with nearly triple the number of Aussie visitors than a decade ago. But don’t let the thought of overtourism deter you; the true heart of Japan lies between the hot spots.

From mountain towns to coastal communities, there’s a wealth of regions most international travellers have never set foot in. Japan is a trove of neighbourhoods and districts that are less about ticking boxes and more about being part of something meaningful.

InsideJapan makes ventures into the unknown seamless, with cultural adventures created by destination specialists who live and breathe the Land of the Rising Sun. Choose a small group tour or have a trip curated to your own pace, passions and priorities to see Japan through its local makers and storytellers. You’ll experience triple-checked logistics, a totally tailored InfoPack trip bible and 24/7 on-the-ground support.

Discover some of the best underrated Japanese destinations to add to your itinerary.

Toyama

Ainokura is the most remote village in the Gokayama region, insidejapan — See traditional farmhouses around Gokayama.

This charming coastal city on Japan’s main island, Honshu, is still astonishingly off the tourist radar. Right now, 99 per cent of international tourists never set foot here – but you can be one of the special few.

Framed by some of the nation’s biggest mountains and the coast of the Sea of Japan, Toyama is an eye into rural life. Here, a rich culture and natural beauty are in abundance. You’ll find mountains and valleys that change colours through the seasons, deep blue rivers flowing from mountain to sea and a bustling city hub.

Ainokura is the most remote village in the Gokayama region, and one of the most spectacular. With 20 gassho-zukuri (traditional farmhouses) in the hills of Nanto, it feels like it’s frozen in time; discover a vivid yet rare glimpse into Japan’s history.

Toyama’s dedication to craft and artisanal flair also sets it apart. Uncover a living tapestry of shokunin – master artisans who dedicate their lives to perfecting their craft, preserving traditions passed down to the next generation. Wander the cobbled streets and find meticulously crafted keepsakes shaped by passion and patience, from glassblowing to the quiet precision of woodcarving.

Nagasaki

On the north-west coast of the island of Kyushu, Nagasaki is a port city synonymous with the tragedies of the Second World War – but it’s so much more than its storied past.

Once considered Japan’s ‘window to the world’, this peaceful, historic city is now one of the country’s most multicultural destinations, with Japanese, Chinese and Dutch influences woven throughout. There’s even a word to describe its unique multicultural identity: wakaran.

Vibrant festivals, like Nagasaki Kunchi, are a kaleidoscopic expression of the wakaran culture. You can savour a slice of castella (sponge cake) as Dutch-inspired floats parade the streets alongside dancing Chinese-inspired dragon puppets.

The city is relatively walkable, but its retro tram system is a unique way to soak up its eclectic architecture. After a day of exploring, round it out with a cable car ride up Mt Inasa for a new view of the city, with lights twinkling across the hillside.

Yamaguchi

streets of hagi japan — Explore the castle town of Hagi.

Stretches of sandy shorelines, limestone caves and coastal cliffs aren’t usually what springs to mind when imagining Japan. But the rural coastal town of Yamaguchi delivers them all in abundance.

Discover Hagi, an old castle town right on the coast that has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years. Here you’ll find traditional samurai houses and architecture from when it was the capital of the Mori samurai clan. Or take a soak in the traditional (and Yamaguchi’s oldest) hot spring of Nagato Yumoto Onsen. Spend time in ryokan guesthouses, and sit down for tea and sweet baked treats at cafes in the traditional houses dotting the riverbanks.

No visit to Yamaguchi would be complete without a cinematic drive over Tsunoshima Bridge, or a taste of its famed fugu (the infamous blowfish delicacy).

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Aomori

‘snow monsters’ Hokkoda Mountain Range — See the ‘snow monsters’ of the Hakkoda mountains. (Image: Getty/ Taka Mountain Gallery)

With one of the world’s longest and snowiest seasons, it’s no wonder winter sports enthusiasts flock to ski resort giants like Niseko and Hakuba. Yet few international travellers are aware of Aomori’s splendour.

At the northernmost tip of Honshu, it’s brimming with powdery snowfields, mineral-rich volcanic onsens and stunning caldera lakes, including Lake Towada.

During peak snow season, natural sculptures dubbed ‘snow monsters’ appear in the Hakkoda mountains; they’re truly an otherworldly phenomenon. Formed when strong winds blow water droplets onto the trees, where they freeze and accumulate, it’s as though you’re standing face-to-face with an army of silent sentinels.

Nagoya

Flying firmly under the tourist radar is Japan’s third-largest city, Nagoya. With a blend of feudal and spiritual heritage with a bustling modern metropolis, there’s undoubtedly more to this city than meets the eye – and its thriving art scene plays a defining role in its allure.

The city’s streets may appear urban, but they hum with creativity for those who know where to look. Step into art museums and galleries and unearth rare Japanese vinyl in vintage boutiques. Or discover artisanal treasures – from intricate pottery to whimsical illustrations – at slow craft markets.

As for the food, Nagoya has its own unique regional cuisine, Nagoya-meshi, that’s well worth a shinkansen journey all on its own. Tuck into rich, salty dishes like miso katsu (deep fried pork cutlet), ogura toast (sweet adzuki bean jam) and hitsumabashi (grilled eel over rice).

Start planning your ultimate Japanese adventure, away from the crowds, with insidejapantours.com/au.

After youth-led protests in 2025, this year Nepal elected a 35-year-old former rapper as Prime Minister. In a country where tourism is its biggest industry, what’s next for travellers?

In 1986, Nepal changed its clock. It had used India Standard Time since 1920 so, to differentiate, it wound its clock 15 minutes ahead of, not behind, its big-brother neighbour. Boss move. “Nepal is strongly opposed to the idea that our identity is connected to India,” says Community Homestay Network (CHN) guide Bikal Khanal.

Tharu dance is traditionally set to hand drums. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

Today, Nepal is the only independent country with a 45-minute deviation to universal time; an oddity that’s become a symbol of national pride. The quirk is nearly as endearing as Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan airport where carved varnished wood and shiny red bricks rule. One sign points to a ‘Travelator’ and another to a ‘Grievance Handling Desk’ while visas are noisily stamped at customs for US dollars, cash only. When am I?

Spot the endemic Nepal gray langur. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The 15 or 45 minute anomaly sees me tap out completely on timezone calculations. Why bend my brain calculating if it’s quarter to or quarter past elsewhere when I’m in the honking here and now of Kathmandu where the air is high-altitude crisp, the prayer flags flutter and the street dogs howl?

How tourism is changing in Nepal

Bardiya National Park is rich with wildlife. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

India is not the only association many Nepalis would like to shake. With eight of the world’s 10 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest and Annapurna, Nepal has long attracted mountaineers and trekkers, and expedition numbers are continuing to rise.

Tourism is one of the country’s biggest sources of foreign currency, so this growth is not negative, per se. But according to Ang Tshering Lama, who co-founded Phaplu Mountain Bike Club, being reduced to a mere trekking destination is limiting.

“Trekking is just one layer of our identity,” says Ang. “When it becomes the dominant narrative, it limits how we’re seen and how we see ourselves.” Nepal’s recent success, however, in diverting trekkers to less-trafficked areas such as Manaslu mofuntain, where visitor numbers rose by 117 per cent last year, offers hope that tourism can diversify even more radically.

Local men in Bhada village. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The founder of CHN, Shiva Dhakal, wants that change. “The whole idea of the Community Homestay Network is to promote experiences outside of trekking,” he says. “Community tourism changes lives and helps kids stay home instead of coming to the city or migrating to the Middle East.”

Ang grew up seeing people leave, “not because they wanted to but because there weren’t enough opportunities to stay”, he states. Yet from remote villages to living traditions; food, art, music and emerging subcultures, “there’s so much that’s not being seen.”

CHN is opening some of those doors. It doesn’t own, or fund, any homes. Rather, it promotes homestays to travellers on a single, slick platform, while fostering entrepreneurship in places where women, marginalised castes, Indigenous people and the youth stand to benefit the most.

A new generation demanding more

Dalla Town Hall, where volunteers discuss anti-poaching tactics. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The future prospects of next-gen Nepalis can no longer be ignored. On a Kathmandu tour with 33-year-old guide Monica K.C, we pass buildings torched in the September 2025 ‘Gen Z protests’, including the Supreme Court and Parliament House. Seventy-two people died. “They were anti-corruption protests,” says Monica. “Politicians’ children are living a lavish life but the airports are crowded with youngsters leaving to find work.”

We stop in ‘little Tibet’ at the wondrous sixth-century Boudha Stupa. “The wheel of life is Buddhism in a nutshell,” says Monica. “Things such as hate, ignorance and anger keep you rotating around the wheel, so you must follow the principles of Buddhism to detach. If you can’t, there’s no nirvana for you.”

Boudha Stupa's prayer wheels — Boudha Stupa’s prayer wheels are used to recite Buddhist prayers. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

In a sun-drenched twist to the usual temple visit, we ascend the stupa’s sloping plinth and roam its whitewashed dome. Tendrils of diaphanous prayer flags stream from a steeple-like structure where the Buddha’s unblinking eyes stare out. No nirvana for you…

bouda stupa prayer flags — Tibetan-style prayer flags embellish the whitewashed dome of Bouda Stupa, a Buddhist temple. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

The dome is delightfully free of guard rails or chiding from security. There is, however, a stern ‘No TikTok’ sign, perhaps in response to the youth’s newly flexed power. The booted-out Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, was replaced in a resounding election victory in March by 35-year-old Balendra Shah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) – a former rapper and mayor of Kathmandu. The RSP’s manifesto indicates tourism is a priority, and that Nepal’s cultural identity in areas such as gastronomy will be strengthened.

Boudha Stupa vendors — Vibrant souvenir shops and cafes around Boudha Stupa. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

A more confronting stop awaits at Pashupatinath Temple. Today is Bala Chaturdashi, a Hindu festival where thousands of devotees gather to honour their dead ancestors. Vendors hauling foam mattresses do a lucrative trade as people set up for a night of vigil. This includes burning the bodies of recently deceased relatives on bamboo pyres in the Bagmati River, which flows into the sacred Ganges.

A woman at annual Hindu festival Bala Chaturdashi, in Kathmandu. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Wrapped in a shroud, the bodies are positioned with their heads facing north to the Himalayas where Lord Shiva resides. They’re covered with flowers and straw and set alight by male family members.

Hours later, the ashes are swept into the river where devotees will take a holy dip the next day. As much as Monica assures us it’s not voyeuristic to watch, I struggle to do so. “Here you see the reality of life because everyone ends up there,” she says, gesturing to the river.

Life unfiltered in the Terai region

tharu woman — Tharu woman and master weaver Parbati Chaudhary in Bhada Village. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The reality of life needs processing time, which the western Terai region delivers in spades. The Terai is largely separated from India by the Karnali River and Bardiya National Park, where elephants, rhinos and the elusive Bengal tiger roam.

Once a nomadic tribe, the Indigenous Tharu people are now the largest ethnic group here. “They didn’t know their daily life was interesting for international travellers but they’re starting to understand now,” says CHN founder Shiva.

Take a Jeep safari through Bardiya National Park. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

We fly Buddha Air to Dhangadhi airport and drive five hours to stay in Tharu homes. The journey to Bhada village is a blur of roadside fruit stalls, traffic-stopping sacred cows and fields sown with wheat, rice, mustard, spinach, cauliflower and potatoes. Nepal’s agriculture feeds only Nepal.

Marigolds are an important part of Hindu rituals. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

“The only thing we export is young people,” says our guide Bikal. As the light dims and we plunge evermore rural, mysterious mounds of compacted hay – some house-sized – loom like the creatures from Where The Wild Things Are. Even our trusty driver gets flummoxed by a dirt road that abruptly ends and we find ourselves hurtling across a paddock.

On arrival, some are ferried to mud-walled cottages greened by gourd creepers, with thatched roofs and rustic-chic mosquito nets. Myself and two others are ushered to the home of corner store owner, mechanic and mushroom farmer Man Kumar Chilaruwa and his wife Rajkumari.

community homestay entrance — A warm welcome at a community homestay. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

They escort us to a bunker-esque back building with steel doors and a folding security gate, behind which is gleaming linoleum, dolphin-printed tiles and a shower cavity that must be gingerly stepped through to reach the toilet.

The ceiling lights emit a rainbow of colours (the bathroom light gets stuck in, frankly, a quite frightening red). We’re nevertheless touched that our hosts invested in all this bling when the average salary is around $275 a month.

In the coming days, we participate in Tharu traditions such as making moonshine, dancing, weaving straw handicrafts and gold-panning. We’re fed well with staples of rice, mustard greens, lentil pancakes, daal, curried chicken and tomato chutney served on antibacterial saal leaves.

food at community homestay — Dig in. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Sonara community homestay president Indradevi Tharu tells us river snails are often served, and the boiled and pickled flesh of rats hunted in the rice fields. “Perhaps next time?” we say and all have a laugh.

The power of community homestays

community homestay owners in Nepal — Barda community homestay owners Parbati Chaudhary and Ram Krishni Devi Chaudhary. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

Immersing Western visitors in foreign cultural practices is not new. But with the Tharu, I never get that uneasy sensation that I’m being performed for. Despite being the only tourists, there’s no ‘othering’; just warm, composed and ultra-dignified welcomes. Like we’ve always been here.

“I love to have travellers in my village so I can see the world,” says local woman Parbati Chaudhary. “Why would I travel the world when the world comes to me?”

The graceful acceptance the Tharu offer, as well as the slow pace, works miracles on my frazzled nervous system. One day I even take a nap on a vacant homestay bed.

Sonara community room — An authentic stay in the Sonara community. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Roosters strut and goats bray as we sit on the ground in al fresco kitchens, rolling rice flour into cylinders steamed to make dhikri (dumplings). When water is needed, we fetch it using a hand-operated pump as a family of ducks strolls by, side-eying us like curious neighbours.

Animal lovers will delight in Tharu villages. Kind and resourceful inventions are everywhere, such as snacking stations where two posts lean together, with leafy boughs dangling on rope for baby goats to forage from.

CHN’s CEO, Aayusha Prasain, nods knowingly when one in our group says she cried when she left her host, Shayam Chaudhary, in Bhada. Shayam’s 17-year-old son, Prashant, had translated, which deepened the connection.

“Community tourism turns travel into a relationship, not a transaction,” says Aayusha. “It places decision-making power in the hands of local communities, especially women and youth.” Since 2018, CHN has hosted more than 4000 travellers from 52 countries in 408 households, and estimates women’s participation has increased by 381 per cent.

In the Bardiya community, where vexing human-animal conflict has been a balancing act for decades due to elephants raiding crops, long-time homestay operator Salik Ram Chaudhary says young people keep the older ones on their toes.

“We can’t keep homestays stagnant,” he says. “We have to upgrade our service and redefine our product or young people won’t see it as an attractive business. If we can keep evolving with this travelling trend we’re confident the youths will stay and continue it.”

Back in Kathmandu, Monica explains that after the deaths of young protestors in September, a determination had spread to not let their sacrifice be in vain. “We want to keep holding the government accountable,” she says. “We don’t know what situation we’re facing, but we’re ready to face it.”

Interested in Nepal but prefer to experience it in total comfort? Read our guide to luxury travel in Nepal.

Your guide to Japan, beyond The Golden Route

Offering an intoxicating blend of inspiring creativity, world-renowned cuisine and historic sites, Japan’s balance of deep-rooted tradition and cutting-edge innovation makes it a magnetic destination.

Toyama

Nagasaki

Yamaguchi

Aomori

Nagoya

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