Why you should look beyond Japan’s big cities and head to the countryside

Tokyo is bursting with energy, excitement and an endless list of things to do. But as it’s home to one-tenth of Japan’s population, it can also feel like you’re constantly surrounded by crowds and general chaos. Getting outside the city is the remedy. Hop off the tourist conveyor belt and hop on the shinkansen (bullet train) towards the Yamagata Prefecture instead. On the way, you’ll stumble upon untouched mountain ranges and picturesque lakes, and even if you do enter a bigger city like Yamagata, you’ll still get a taste of the Japanese way of life (and by that, we mean incredible food) but without the hordes of people. Read our guide to the Tohoku region here.

You’ve never truly lived until you’ve eaten buckwheat soba noodles in Ouchi-juku, the historic town famed for serving the dish. You’ve also never truly lived until you’ve tried to eat those buckwheat soba noodles with a long green onion instead of chopsticks, just like the locals do. It’s harder than it looks! And let’s not forget that there’s some of the best-tasting okonomiyaki and yakitori hiding in this region. We’d also suggest going for a round of shabu-shabu (thin slices of meat cooked in a hot pot), or Japanese nabemono hot pot.

Banish the thought of Tom Cruise blockbusters from your mind immediately. The true stories of samurai warriors are, yes, quite epic, but they are also humbling, admirable and powerful. If you head to Aizu-Wakamatsu you’ll find the Tsuruga Castle. This castle was originally built in 1384 and demolished in 1874, only to be reconstructed about 50 years ago. Today, the main tower functions as both a lookout and a museum. Here you can wind your way up the castle to explore the history of the feudal lords who ruled over Aizu, see weapons crafted by local swordsmen and learn stories of the Byakkotai, a group of 20 teenage samurai who committed suicide on a nearby hill during the Boshin War believing, wrongly, that the castle’s defences had been breached.

Thought Japan was all mega-cities and ancient monuments? Think again. You can have gorgeous wilderness experiences all over Japan. Our out-of-town pick? Mount Bandai. Think of it as the Mt Fuji of Fukushima Prefecture; a picture-perfect mountain that gets blanketed in snow in winter and is a wash of green in the warmer months. It’s primarily known as a skiing destination, but in summer there are several hiking trails in the area that show off countryside so pretty you’ll swear you’re staring right into a postcard. Serene rivers, lush cedar trees, multi-level waterfalls… Plus, the first time you glimpse the crystal-clear Lake Inawashiro, you won’t quite believe it’s real. It’s the fourth-largest lake in all of Japan and thanks to its transparency, the lake has earned the nickname “sky mirror lake”, acting like a mirror for Mt Bandai. Beautiful is an understatement.