Walking Tour of Japan

Step into one of Japan's strangest and most photogenic landscapes: the Beppu Hells, or Jigoku Meguri, a circuit of seven boiling hot springs so violent that locals once believed the land itself was cursed. In this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, we walk the full circuit across the Kannawa and Shibaseki districts of Beppu, Kyushu, starting at the cobalt-blue Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell), formed 1,200 years ago by an eruption of Mount Tsurumi, and moving through the bubbling gray mud of Oniishibozu Jigoku (Monk's Head Hell), the six-in-one Kamado Jigoku (Cooking Pot Hell), the crocodile-filled Oniyama Jigoku, and the milky-white garden pond of Shiraike Jigoku. We finish in Shibaseki with the blood-red Chinoike Jigoku, Japan's oldest documented hot spring, and the dramatic geyser of Tatsumaki Jigoku.

Along the way, you'll learn how a 1910 entrepreneur turned a feared volcanic wasteland into one of Japan's top attractions, why locals steam rice, eggs, and puddings using nothing but hot spring vapor, and where to find the best jigoku mushi (hell-steamed) meals in town, including Jigoku Mushi Kobo Kannawa and the steam kitchen at Hyotan Onsen. We also point you toward nearby stops worth adding to your trip: the centuries-old Kannawa Mushi Yu steam bath, the pudding shop and mineral huts of Myoban Onsen, the historic sand baths of Takegawara Onsen, and the sweeping volcano views from the Beppu Ropeway.

Whether you're planning a trip to Kyushu or just want to experience one of the most otherworldly corners of Japan from wherever you are, this episode brings the steam, color, and history of the Beppu Hells to life.

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Step inside Nikko Toshogu, the dazzling mountain mausoleum built for Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who ended a century of civil war and unified Japan, then was declared a guardian deity after his death. In this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, we walk the full grounds of this UNESCO World Heritage shrine: the towering stone torii and red five-story pagoda at the entrance, the Sacred Stable's famous Three Wise Monkeys carving, the ceiling of the "crying dragon" that rings like a bell when you clap beneath it, the gold-leafed Yomeimon Gate with its deliberately imperfect upside-down pillar, the tiny Sleeping Cat carving tucked above a side gate, and the quiet, cedar-shaded climb of 207 stone steps to Ieyasu's actual tomb at the Okusha inner shrine. Along the way we share tips on the best time of day to visit, the quiet detour most tour groups skip, and a few carvings hiding in plain sight. We also point you toward lunch: casual yakitori and gyoza at Hippari Dako, refined vegetarian yuba kaiseki at Gyoushintei, and old-fashioned Meiji-era Western dishes at Meiji no Yakata, all within easy walking distance of the shrine. And we look beyond Toshogu to the sights nearby worth adding to your trip: the legendary vermilion Shinkyo Bridge, the gilded Buddhas of Rinnoji Temple, the older and simpler Futarasan Shrine, the more understated Taiyuinbyo mausoleum, and the mountain scenery of Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls.

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Step inside Japan's "Little Venice" on this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, as we walk the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter from its willow-lined canal to a hilltop shrine overlooking the whole town. Discover how an Edo-period rice-trading canal town became home to Japan's first museum of Western art, the story behind the Ohara Museum of Art's unlikely El Greco masterpiece, the ivy-covered red brick of the old Kurabo cotton mill at Ivy Square, and the centuries-old wisteria vine at Achi Shrine.

Along the way, we stop for coffee and cake at Cafe El Greco, rice bowls and pudding at Yuurin-an, and a relaxed build-your-own plate at Kurashiki Salad and Cafe Nagayamon, then point you toward Kojima Jeans Street, Korakuen Garden, and the Great Seto Bridge for the rest of your trip through Okayama Prefecture.

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Step inside the Nebuta Museum WA RASSE, the striking red waterfront building in Aomori City built to hold onto the memory of Japan's most explosive summer festival. In this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, we trace the more than three-hundred-year history of the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, walk through a darkened hall of massive illuminated floats built from washi paper and wire, and explore the traditions of haneto dance and matsuri-bayashi music that bring the festival to life even outside of its six nights each August. Along the way, we stop for a build-your-own seafood bowl at Furukawa Fish Market and browse the stalls of Auga Fresh Market, then look ahead to nearby stops including the ancient Sannai-Maruyama archaeological site, the Aomori Museum of Art, and the panoramic views from ASPAM tower.

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Step into the valley that turned a near-failed rice farm into one of Hokkaido's most photographed landscapes. This episode of Walking Tour of Japan takes you through Farm Tomita in Nakafurano, where a family's stubborn 1950s gamble on lavender - a crop nearly wiped out by cheap synthetic fragrance oil in the 1970s - grew into the rolling purple hillsides and rainbow-striped flower fields that now draw over a million visitors a year. Walk the historic Traditional Lavender Field up to its panoramic viewpoint over the Furano basin and the Tokachi mountains, wander the famously photogenic striped Field of the Flower People, and step inside the farm's working distillery where lavender oil is still extracted the same way it was decades ago. Along the way, we cover where to eat on the farm grounds and at the nearby Furano Cheese Factory, known for its wine-infused cheddar and wood-fired pizza, plus two easy add-ons for your itinerary: the artisan log cabins of Ningle Terrace and the strikingly blue waters of Biei's famous Blue Pond.

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Kyoto: Kiyomizu-dera - Climb the historic Higashiyama slopes of Kyoto to Kiyomizu-dera, a UNESCO World Heritage temple founded in 778 AD around a sacred spring. This episode walks you through the vermilion Niomon Gate and past its three-storied pagoda, out onto the temple's legendary wooden stage - built without a single nail and famous for the Japanese saying about taking a "leap of faith." You'll drink from the three blessing-streams of the Otowa Waterfall, pass the matchmaking stones of a hillside shrine, and learn the history behind a temple that has burned down and been rebuilt again and again for over a thousand years.

Along the way, we recommend where to refuel: hand-whisked matcha at GOKAGO, fresh fried donuts at loose kyoto, matcha soba noodles at Menkuroudo, and traditional sweets at Kasagiya. We also point you toward nearby Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka, Kodai-ji Temple, the Yasaka Pagoda, and the streets of Gion for the rest of your day in Higashiyama.

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Tokyo Tower isn't just a photo op - it's a 333-meter monument to a country rebuilding itself from the ground up, part of it literally forged from melted-down tanks left over from the Korean War. In this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, we start at the base of Foot Town and climb through the tower's history, its earthquake-defying engineering, and its glass-floored Main Deck and mirrored Top Deck elevator, before looking down on centuries-old Zojoji Temple and, on a clear day, Mount Fuji itself. Along the way, we point you toward a laid-back craft beer stop at RISE & WIN Brewing Co. KAMIKATZ TAPROOM, comforting Japanese plates at RED Shokudo inside Foot Town, and an elegant tofu kaiseki experience at Tokyo Shiba Tofuya Ukai - plus nearby detours to Zojoji Temple, Shiba Park, and the art-filled Roppongi district.

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Cross the swaying Deai suspension bridge into Ogimachi, the largest hamlet of Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage village hidden in the mountains of Japan's Gifu Prefecture. In this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, we walk beneath the village's famous gassho-zukuri farmhouses, steep thatched roofs built without a single nail to shed the region's heavy snow, and step inside the grand Wada House to uncover the secret trade that built this valley's fortune: silkworms raised in the rafters and gunpowder fermented beneath the floorboards. Along the way we visit the rare thatched-roof Myozen-ji Temple, the Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine and its autumn sake festival, and climb the mountain trail to the Shiroyama Viewpoint for the postcard panorama of the entire village.

After the walk, we share where to eat, including Soba Wakimoto for handmade buckwheat noodles and Hida beef, the tatami-mat dining room at Hakusuien, and the family-run Shiraogi. We also point you toward nearby detours worth adding to your trip: the Gassho-zukuri Minkaen open-air museum, the quieter Gokayama hamlets of Ainokura and Suganuma, and the historic old town of Takayama.

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Begin the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage where over a thousand years of henro have started before you - at Ryozen-ji, temple number one, in the coastal town of Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture. In this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, we step through the temple's Niomon Gate to trace the story of the monk Kukai, later honored as Kobo Daishi, and the 1,200-kilometer circuit of 88 temples that grew from his life and teachings across the island of Shikoku. Along the way, we visit the temple's pagoda, main worship hall, and Daishi Hall, learn how pilgrims outfit themselves for the road ahead, and explore the layered history of Mount Oasa, sacred to both ancient mountain worship and Buddhist tradition.

We also share tips on when to visit, how much of the pilgrimage to attempt, and where to eat nearby - including Ichifuji, Funamoto Udon Taima, and Monzen Ichibangai Kaze - plus other nearby sites worth your time, including the Naruto Whirlpools, the Otsuka Museum of Art, and Oasahiko Shrine.

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Step inside one of Japan's most distinctive landmarks on this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, as we climb the hill in Naha to explore Shuri Castle - the vermillion-red palace of the seafaring Ryukyu Kingdom. We walk the full ceremonial approach, from the iconic Shureimon gate once printed on the 2,000-yen note, past a sacred World Heritage stone gate, through the welcome gate and its shisa guardians, alongside the dragon-spout Ryuhi spring, and up through the inner gates to the striped main courtyard. We stand before the Seiden main hall - destroyed by fire in 2019 and now in the midst of an extraordinary public reconstruction, with its exterior unveiled in 2025 and full reopening planned for autumn 2026 - and take in the sweeping sea view from the eastern viewing platform.

Along the way we share where to eat nearby: classic Okinawa soba at Shuri Soba and Ukaji Soba, refined Ryukyuan cuisine at Sui Dunchi, casual taco rice at PICO by the monorail, and traditional sweets and tea at the Shuri Castle Teahouse. We also point you toward nearby gems including the historic Kinjo-cho stone-paved road, the royal mausoleum of Tamaudun, the garden villa of Shikina-en, and the centuries-old Ryutan pond.

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