Uncovering Japan's Road Less Traveled

"Tourism is a relatively new phenomenon for Japan. The country's current global status as a hit factory of style, food, design, technology, nature, deep history, and pop culture now draws tourists in fast-increasing numbers. The number of overseas visitors has been increasing significantly after COVID, reaching a record high, about 37 million in 2024, Japan is on track to welcome its official goal of 60m annual tourists by 2030, more than currently visit Britain or Greece."

"Today, the country regularly tops 'bucket-list' surveys of the most desirable travel destinations, boosted by the growing millions of travelers sharing their photos online, creating a viral marketing effect. As a result, the main tourist trail is becoming congested, with nearly all visitors following the same 'Golden Route' bullet-train route between Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, leaving the vast majority of the country unexplored."

"Japan Heritage is a resource that tells the stories of traditional communities, local crafts, and hidden treasures. Discover exquisite fabrics and ceramics, sample regional culinary specialities and experience stories that leverage a diverse range of cultural assets as elements of storytelling in landscapes ranging from tropical islands to snow-capped volcanoes. Japan Heritage's web page also offers practical guidance for tourists through suggested routes, walking tours, transport links and hotel recommendations across a range of half-day to three-day itineraries."

Japan has rich cultural, artisanal, and spiritual traditions accessible through curated heritage routes. Rapid growth in inbound tourism—about 37 million visitors in 2024 and a government target of 60 million by 2030—has concentrated travelers along the Tokyo–Kyoto–Osaka 'Golden Route', leaving much of the country unexplored. Japan Heritage maps and interprets regional stories, crafts, cuisines, landscapes, and historical sites, offering suggested routes, walking tours, transport links, and lodging recommendations for half-day to three-day itineraries. The program highlights local assets from tropical islands to snow-capped volcanoes and showcases regional narratives such as roads, shrines, woodcarving, pearl diving, and historic strongholds.

Read at Elite Traveler