The charming countryside
Japanese countryside is incredibly diverse, it is home to dramatic mountain ranges, flat rice fields, and green forests that are studded here and there with charming small towns and temples from Edo period. Unfortunately, due to earthquakes, fires and WWII. many of the historical districts and traditional houses were lost. However, there are still places in Japan that feel like the time has just stopped. Narrow streets, wooden houses and local people will welcome you, you can try their traditional local dishes, go for a hike in the mountains or just wander around the streets. Here is my selection of beautifully preserved small towns in Japan that will leave you speechless.
Shirakawa-go
Shirakawa-go is a prototype of the most beautiful Japanese village set in a picturesque countryside, surrounded by impenetrable mountains of Nagano prefecture. Because of the mountain range surrounding the area, the foreign influences did not reach the village. Therefore, you will find here only traditional wooden houses built in gassho-zukuri style. Gassho-zukuri architectural style was preferred among farmers, artisans and merchants during the 19th century. The translation means “housing for the people”. Nowadays, the village is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is still fully-functioning village where people live their everyday lives, but you will find here ryokans, restaurants, shops etc. to cater tourists and visitors.
Gassho-Zukuri Minkaen Museum
If you wish to see how people really lived here in the past, you can visit Gassho-Zukuri Minkaen, an open-air museum where you can go inside the houses which remained intact. It is truly remarkable. The museum is open daily from 8:40 till 5 pm from March to November. During winter months from December to February the museum opens from 9 am to 4 pm. The admission fee for an adult is 600 yen, and 400 yen for children.
Ainokura and Suganuma
If you are exploring the area by car, I would highly recommend you to visit two more gassho-zukuri villages nearby Shirakawa-go. They are called Ainokura and Suganuma and both of them are also listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1995. They are even deeper in the mountains and they are a bit smaller, but also much quieter with less tourists. Most of the houses are private residences, but some have been turned into museums of traditional dwellings or craft shops. Because they are so remote, they have been able to maintain a lot of their original culture.
Kurashiki
Kurashiki is often described as the most beautiful city in Japan and when you visit its Old Historical Quarter Bikan, you will believe it too. The townscape of Kurashiki is characterized by beautiful houses with white facades. The historical city centre is cut through with canals with colourful koi fish and lined with willows. During spring and summer, the canals are frequented with motorless boat tours.
Kurashiki lies in Okayama Prefecture near the shores of the Inland Sea. It was officially founded only in 1928, but it served as an important river port since the Edo Period (1603-1867). In the 1930, the first museum showcasing Western art was founded in Kurashiki. It is called Ohara Museum of Art and you can admire works of Renoir, Monet, Gaugin, Matisse and El Greco here. Beside Ohara Museum, there are many other cute little museums and galleries. The canal area is lined with boutiques and restaurants. Just walk around to discover it for yourself, how magnificent this small Japanese town really is.
Narai-juku
Narai-juku is a historical town from Edo period, tucked in the mountains of Nagano prefecture. In the past, the town marked the half-way between Tokyo and Kyoto on the ancient Nakasendo Route. Most of the old towns on this route were modernised, but Narai-juku kept its traditional look. Because Narai served as a hub for merchants for centuries, the area became very rich. Throughout the history, it was often referred to as Narai senken or ‘Narai of 1000 Buildings’. Most of them are well-preserved up to this day.
The main street, lined with hundreds of the old wooden houses, looks straight like from a movie set. Most of them serve as restaurants and souvenir shops where you can buy unique local products. However, if you would like to see how people lived in this town in times of its biggest glory, you can visit the Nakamura Residence that was turned into a museum. Unfortunately, during our visit many places, including shops and restaurants, were closed, but it is a truly beautiful place nevertheless. You will feel like you stepped into a postcard.
Oshino Hakkai
Oshino Hakkai is a small village surrounded by scenic countryside with views over Mount Fuji. The village is particularly picturesque because of its several ponds with water so clear that you can see the bottom with all the fish and unusual plants. The eight ponds are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site and they are fed by melted snow from the slopes of Mt. Fuji.
Oshino Hakkai is quite small. You can walk around in one afternoon. There are street vendors, souvenir shops and restaurants around the town. The town has also an open-air museum – Hannokibayashiminzoku Museum, located in the city centre. The museum is really beautiful, full of traditional houses with thatched roofs. The majestic Mount Fuji in the backdrop is just a cherry on top. Hannokibayashiminzoku Museum is open every day (except of Thursdays when it’s closed) from 9:30 am to 4 pm. The admission for adults is 300 yen.
Hida - Takayama
The charming city of Takayama is located deep within the mountains of central Japan, in Gifu Prefecture. Because the city was isolated for centuries from outside influences, it developed its own unique culture and cuisine. The centre has beautifully preserved architecture with old houses lining the main Sanmachi Suji street full of craft shops and family-owned restaurants.
The name Takayama can be translated as ‘tall mountain’. There are more places in Japan that are called Takayama, so it is often referred to this particular Takayama as Hida-Takayama. Hida refers to the old Hida province in Gifu.
Takayama ranks as one of the most popular cities to visit among international and Japanese travellers. It is fairly large, yet it gives you the countryside feeling. In 2017, Lonely Planet ranked Takayama in their top 10 cities to visit in Asia. Shirakawa-go is also not far from here, so you can visit both in one weekend. However, if you don’t have enough time to explore both, there’s an open-air museum of a traditional folk village – Hida no Sato, where you can see similar gassho-zukuri style houses as in Shirakawa-go.
Kibune
In the forests on the north of Kyoto, not far from the city centre, there’s a charming little village called Kibune. It is known for epic mountainous scenery and a lovely Kifune shrine, with a path lined with dozens of bright red lanterns. The shrine is dedicated to the god of water and rain, and the protector of the seas. A legend says that the god travelled on a boat all the way from Osaka and Kifune shrine was founded at the place, where the journey ended.
Kibune is a serene place, not far from the buzz of the big cities such as Kyoto and Osaka. The old houses in the village were turned into ryokans and kaiseki restaurants, where you can relax after a day of hiking. Kibune is set in the Kibune River valley. During summer months, restaurants set up terraces on the river where they serve you the most delicious meal from locally sourced seasonal ingredients. The town is also very popular in autumn, because of the countless maple trees that play with all the colours. You can read more about autumn in Kyoto in my article here. Kibune can also experience some snowfall in winter. During my latest visit in January, the whole town turned into a true winter wonderland.
Omihachiman
Omihachiman is not a very old town. It was founded only at the end 1500s by nephew of Toyomi Hideyoshi, the unifier of Japan and founder of Osaka Castle. Even though it is “quite young”, the city centre features picturesque wooden houses lined along a canal. Over the centuries, Omihachiman prospered as a business hub due to its convenient location on the ancient Nakasendo Highway between Tokyo and Kyoto. Merchants of the area accumulated a small fortune and built their houses and shops that are still there today. You can visit Nishikawa Residence to see how people lived here in the past. One of the best-preserved streets is Shinmachi Merchant Street.
Omihachiman is located on the shores of Lake Biwa, in Shiga Prefecture. From the lake, there are canals cutting through the town, where you can embark on a boat tour. The most famous one is Hachiman-bori Canal in the city centre.
Mount Hachiman is rising above the town and it has great views over the Lake Biwa. You can either hike up there, or take Hachimanyama Ropeway. Omihachiman is also home to Omi beef, one of the top 3 wagyu beef producers in Japan with the longest history of 400 years.
On the north of the town, there’s also a very picturesque confectionery called La Collina. They sell their own home-made pastry, such as Baumkuchen, but there’s also a café, outdoor space, garden, shops and several spots to take photos.
Ine
I will conclude my list of beautiful small Japanese town with a very special one called Ine. Ine is located on the north of Kyoto prefecture on the shores of the Sea of Japan, in the Ine Bay. Ine is actually quite large, as it includes part of the coastline and nearby mountains. The most interesting area is around the Ine Bay, where you can find traditional Funaya – fishermen’s houses built on the water.
Even though tourism has been blooming in Ine in the last years, it is still mainly fishing that the town survives on. The water in the bay has incredible blue colour and it’s very clean. Each house has its own boat garage under the living quarters. The whole setting of this town is incredibly peaceful and beautiful.
I would strongly recommend staying in one of funaya over-night. It is not a cheap stay, but it is an experience that you’ll never forget. We stayed in the Waterfront Inn and we ordered breakfast and dinner. I have never eaten a fish more fresh and more delicious! The breakfast was traditional Japanese breakfast consisting of more fish, pickled vegetables and a raw egg that you are supposed to mix with your hot bowl of rice.
Ine can be visited in a day from Kyoto or Amanohashidate. There are several restaurants and shops around the bay. You can also embark on a sightseeing cruise. I absolutely adore this place!
Best time to visit Japan
There isn’t a wrong time when to visit Japan, because each season brings out something unique, especially if you decide to wander “off-the-beaten-path” and explore these cute towns.
Spring
Generally, the cherry blossoms start to bloom at the end of March and beginning of April (but this depends on the particular area of Japan and also the weather so you better check before your visit). Each of these towns has some cherry trees which make the scenery particularly beautiful. Later on, you can expect azaleas or wisterias to bloom. Read my article about flower viewing in Japan so you can maybe plan your trip around your favourite flowers in bloom.
Summer
Summers in Japan tend to be very hot and humid. In June and July, you can expect higher rainfall. Don’t get sad though, because a lot of rain means blooming hydrangeas. The hydrangea season is almost as beautiful and as important as sakura season. I wrote a separate article about where to see hydrangeas in Kansai region that you can read here. In summer, everything is lush and green with buzzing cicadas everywhere. Mountains have a different charm in the summer too. Just don’t forget to use sunscreen and drink a lot of water because sun can be very strong.
Autumn
Autumn in Japan is simply spectacular. Everyone is out and practicing momijigari – autumn leaves viewing. This season, unlike elsewhere in the world, starts later on (usually in November, but again it depends on particular areas in Japan), and it is still pleasantly warm and very sunny. Autumn is my favourite season in Japan.
Winter
We visited some of these towns during winter because Japanese mountains get a lot of snowfall and the whole countryside looks like a fairy tale. The cherry on top is soaking in an onsen hot spring in the evening with snowflakes falling on your head. These experiences are priceless.
I strongly believe that one should experience the countryside when visiting Japan. Yes, the colourful neon lights and busy life in the cities is captivating, but it has very little in common with the true nature of the country that you can experience only when you get out of the city buzz. I hope this article inspired you to add some of these places into your itinerary.
5 Day Tokyo Itinerary
Tokyo is the largest city in the world, so it can be a little bit daunting to visit it for...
Best Places to visit around Mount Fuji
After living in Japan for over 2 years, we finally made our way to the icon of Japan, almighty Fuji-san....
Small Japanese Towns with Traditional Architecture
Table of Content hide The charming countryside Shirakawa-go Kurashiki Narai-juku Oshino Hakkai Hida – Takayama Kibune Omihachiman Ine Best time...
it’s very nice and clear, I think perfectly described places and beautiful photos.
it is the inspiration for people who want to visit the Japan:-)