I fell in love with Japan during my solo six week visit in Autumn 2018. With the luxury of so much time and two JR passes I managed to see not just the classic golden route, but get off it a little bit to make it to some lesser travelled places.

I learned about so many new places that I came home with a wish list longer than I set off with.

Fast forward to my third trip. One week in and I knew it was my favourite one yet. Sitting in a traditional house on a small island, eating a delicious meal of local vegetables, the whistle of a kettle in the background for brewing green tea.

I felt a world away from the Japan travel content I was seeing in my social media feeds at. It wasn’t just about the places I was visiting, but the interactions with people I was having. I had always kept bulleted lists of what Idid each day travelling, but that day I started writing more, and that turned into this blog.

Everyone has now heard of the over tourism being experienced on the classic Golden Route of Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka and the pressure on the most popular sights. Many see Japan as a once in a lifetime trip and stick to this route and their trips are usually carbon copies of each other. Viral photo spots have long queues of people all trying to nap the exact same photo, while locals daily lives are disrupted by this unsustainable chaos.

This blog isn’t just about escaping the crowds, I want you to come back with unforgettable memories, not content.

Whether you have already travelled the Golden Route, or are a first time visitor to Japan – I hope to inspire you to have a trip filled with rich experiences to take home.