Japan Travel Has Changed | Try this ALTERNATIVE 10 Day Itinerary

Planning a trip to Japan but want to keep away from the Golden Triangle which can be EXHAUSTING and confusing? This Alternative 10-day itinerary will make your japan trip Easy and unforgettable. In this video You’ll get tried and tested ideas to plan your trip to japan AWAY from the normal route. including less visited but amazing cities, best food to try in each city and sights to check out and activities in each city.

Starting and ending in Tokyo, Let’s head North to Tohoku!

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Japan is a country like no other this 10day itinery goes beyond the typical Golden Triangle route that everyone does exploring alternative cities and sites by heading north to Japan’s tohoku region starting and ending in Tokyo I guarantee culture welcoming people incredible sites delicious food and most importantly less tourist crowds perfect for the firsttime traveler or for those of you returning this itinery is efficient with as little backtracking as possible uses public transportation and can be extended or added to an existing trip so grab a pen take note don’t forget to subscribe to help the channel grow because your alternative to the Golden Triangle itinery starts here I personally visited every single location on this easy by train Northern Japan itinery as a tourist including a few more additions that I’ll mention at the end making mistakes along the way so that you don’t have to Tokyo to aizuwakamatsu one night and two full days arve early stay overnight and leave the following day in the morning or after lunch as needed our first stop is auu wakamatsu in just under 3 hours you’ll be transported to Japan Samurai City and escaping Tokyo’s busy streets located in Fukushima prefecture AA wakamatsu is really well set up for tourists and is a perfect blend of History culture and natural beauty explore suruga Castle an iconic symbol of Samurai resilience the ISU Samurai residence saai temple with its unique spiraling architecture or my personal favorite oraku Garden for Sam green tea known for its medicinal herbs and Traditional landscape design this Garden is a perfect stop to take a break nearby you’ll also find oi Juku a popular historic post Town famous for its well preserved Edo period buildings and its Main Street lined with thatch roof houses this is a great place to explore local shops selling handmade crafts and souvenirs from painting your own aabo at the many workshops to eating aakam Matsu’s take on Ramen my suggestion is to rent a bike take your time spend the night and enjoy the escape from Tokyo from aakam Matsu we head to Sendai in around 2 and 1 half hours you’ll arrive at Japan’s most populated city in the region of tohoku spend two or three nights here depending on side trips and how busy you want the trip to be there is plenty to do in this city and my suggestions include heading to the free observation deck of the AE building to get a view of the city explore the many covered shopping streets and many quiet stunning shrines like kosi Temple without crowds gutan which is beef Tang is a dish that should certainly be tried once in Sendai and the Sendai D Canon is usually missed by tourists but is a site to behold and if you’re visiting at the start of August then don’t miss out sandai famous tanabata Festival my suggestion is to make Sendai a base to explore nearby yamadera and matsushima Bay or even the very Scenic gay Baki Gorge all easily accessible and a reason to stay more than one night from sandai we head to aori just over two hours train ride away one night with two full days should be fine try to arrive early and leave at your convenience the following day at the very north of honu Island you find alodi a fascinating destination for tourists who appreciate nature history and vibrant cultural festivals the city is renowned for the amori Festival held at the start of August this Matsuri features large brightly lit floats and energetic dance performances and is amongst one of the most incredible experiences I have had in Japan alori is also famous for all things Apple from apple cider to apple juice apple drinks and even Apple sake alodi wants you to know that their apples are the best nature lovers will enjoy the hakoda mountains ideal for hiking in the summer and singing in the winter our Mod’s unique blend of natural beauty and cultural richness makes it an enchanting stop in any travel itinery throughout Japan I only stayed over one night but I can see how nature lavis could make alori a base to explore further from alori we head back to moroka getting there in around an hour and a half I suggest one or two nights here depending on side trips and your chosen Pace anyone who’s been following me knows how I think that moroka is one of the friendliest cities I visited in Japan not only that but moroka is is a very walkable city which makes it a dream destination if you like me and like to get lost through windy streets and areas that have a local field the city is full of history and surrounded by natural beauty walking to the modoka castle ruins makes for a great view of the city at changu Shrine and takura yam Shrine are Grand but with less tourists than what you would get in similar spots like in Kyoto and if you visiting in Spring then the rock spitting cherry tree is your spot moroka samasan Samuri is one of my top 10 experiences in the summer and for food LS you shouldn’t miss out on Mara’s free famous noodles Ryman a cold noodle dish Jamin a miso based noodle dish and Wango SOA wear small servings of sober noodles are continuously served in a fun all you can eat manner moroka is also a great location to go sacka tasting at nearby breweries too or for a really local F the very very very early morning Market might be for you with easy access to farm experiences and onsens like tagi onen I totally understand why the New York Times voted moroka as their top destination to visit in Japan for 2023 from moroka we head to the Western coastal city of Akita one night should be fine unless you want to explore the incredible nature surrounding the city arrive early and leaving the following day at your convenience should be fine Akita city has a different feel and Vibe and one of the city’s highlights is the Akita Kanto Festival which is held in August by but there are many other sites to explore making this a great spot to visit this might be the perfect opportunity to either rent a car to explore the surrounding nature or take it slower exploring with local public transport I visited Lake tazawa as a day trip and used the city as a stop of a location on the way back to Tokyo via the western coastline but I can see myself returning to explore further in the future a short one and 1 half hour train ride takes us to the next destination sakata one night is likely enough so a right early and leave the following day at your convenience at this point on the trip I can assure you that you’ll likely not be bumping into too many tourists which is exactly what you’re looking for and the reason why staying the night in what is a quiet but interesting town is worth it sakata is a quiet and picturesque Port town and a delightful destination that blends history with natural beauty appealing to tourists who seek a quieter more authentic experience the town is renowned for its well preserved Merchant Warehouse in the old District which reflects sakata’s prosperous days as a key port in the Ido period and for a tranquil Retreat people can head to horom my Gardens which offers a Serene landscape garden featuring traditional tea houses and stunning seasonal blooms but for me personally I found a row of shrines and temples along a road to be a real Hidden Gem not really mentioned in tourist guides I found sakata very walkable with many hidden gems including the tiniest Charming yokoo I’ve ever encountered in Japan an Alleyway of tiny zakaya and food stalls sakata really surprised me and I’m sure it will surprise you too nearing the end of our trip we stop at nigata around a 2hour train ride away in this instance you can either explore the city as a day trip before heading back to Tokyo which is 2 hours away by shansen or stay overnight to explore the city further nigata is quite an urban city famous for its rice and sake with numerous breweries like imayo sukasa sake Brewery providing tours and tasting highlights the Region’s Rich kinary Heritage and furachi is nagata’s historical district that shouldn’t be overlooked additionally and the reason why I visited was a trip to sadow Island accessible by fairy this island offers a unique escape with its Rich history traditional trai bu boats and thriving art scene however it’s highly highly advisable to rent a car as public transport on the island is not very frequent and getting to areas can take quite a bit of time overall whether you decide to stay overnight or pass through as a day trip on the way to Tokyo nigata serves as a gateway to both the traditional and contemporary aspects of Japanese culture following this itinerary will mean you fit all of tohoku’s prefectures plus an additional prefecture of nigata that’s a total of eight prefectures out of 47 only 39 to go and whilst you’re in the region here are some additional tips and locations you might want to consider checking out staying near a train station will be beneficial to to making the most of this itinery remember that when arriving early you can always use a coin Locker to hold your luggage at the station and to use check into your hotel or if your hotel is near the station then leave your luggage there before exploring don’t be scared of renting a bike it can be a great way to explore many of these locations staying at haino is a good alternative to staying in alodi and a quiet Seaside city which can make for a good spot to explore alodi from odate is a smaller city which is famous for all things Akita Inu the dog and can make for a good in between spot on the way to or from Akita if you wish to do less Hotel hopping and base yourself in one or two locations then moroka and Sendai make for good points to move for day trips to most of the areas in this itinerary but this also has its cons you’ll probably want to head out early as a result of public transport in the area which can end frustratingly early especially when doing day trips so make sure you research Bus and Train schedules so that you are not caught out using Google Maps or heading to the tourist office will really help consider using my sakuda mobile affiliate QR code or link to make sure that you stay connected especially in this region where looking at maps and information will likely be crucial I’ll receive a small commission at no additional cost to you and you’ll be helping me out if planning around any of the summer Matsui festivals then make sure that you book your hotels in advance and for ease of mind consider purchasing train tickets in advance too especially around public holidays and and weekends my cluke affiliate link or QR code makes it easy to support the channel whilst at the same time making all those bookings you were likely going to make anyway when moving between cities consider arranging luggage forwarding especially for those locations where you’ll be staying more than one night just remember to tell the hotel when and at what time you’d like your luggage to arrive at the next destination so that they can tell you when to drop off your luggage at reception you can even use this to your advantage sending most of your luggage forward a few in advance and traveling light in the interim tailor the trip to make it yours explore your interests and incorporate them into this itinery extend if you want to or make your own itinery around this as always if you have any additional tips for future Travelers let us know in the comment section and thanks for helping out till next time stay positive and be a happy gajen safe travels so you’re planning a trip to Japan well YouTube thinks that this video up here is going to be useful to you and that you’re going to find it interesting so check it out let me know in the comment section of that video which video it was and if it actually was useful I’m quite curious about this