Top Off-The-Beaten-Path Activities In Japan

While the typical tourist fare is available to those who want it, Japan has a lot to offer travellers with a taste for the bizarre and unusual. If you’re looking for something exotic, off the beaten path or just plain strange, this country has plenty of options to keep you interested. Hey, sometimes it’s okay to get a little weird.

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Zao Fox Village

Fans of cute animals and petting zoos need to look no further. This small village located at the base of Mt Zaō is home to more than 100 foxes that have become quite accustomed to human visitors. Many of the foxes at Zao Fox Village will even let you get close enough to pet them (provided you offer them a snack first).

If canines aren’t really your thing, consider a visit to Tashirojima, a small island in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan where the cats far outnumber the people. Believing the felines bring good fortune, local residents make sure the cats are well taken care of. This has led to the steadily increasing population of cats on the island.

Jigokudani Monkey Park

If you like hot springs, snow-covered mountains, and monkeys, Jigokudani has all three. To get to the park from Nagano station, you will have to take a local train to Yudanaka, then a bus to the snow monkey park, and finally a 40-minute hike to reach the hot springs. It’s a bit of a trek, but where else can you see families of monkeys bathing in a natural hot spring?

Hiroshima’s Hypocenter Plaque

This is Hiroshima’s Ground Zero: a small plaque located directly below the point in the sky where the atomic bomb was detonated. While the plaque itself may at first appear unremarkable, it is part of a number of sights and museums that can give visitors a clearer understanding of what the city looked like before it was destroyed.

Oya History Museum

A former mining site, the stone caverns of Oya have since been converted into a public museum. The atmosphere here is often compared to the ancient ruins of Egypt or Rome, and guests might feel like they’ve accidentally wandered into a scene from Indiana Jones. It seems fitting that the museum is a popular location for shooting movies and music videos.

Ghibli Museum

Many attractions are advertised as “fun for all ages,” but the Studio Ghibli Museum in western Tokyo truly is a spectacle for both young and old. Designed by legendary Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki, the museum is made up of a series of themed rooms meant to give visitors the feeling of being inside an artist’s storyboard. Each room has a unique theme, and every month there is a short film that can only be seen at the museum’s theater.

Parasite Museum

Guests are advised to have lunch before entering this small exhibit in Meguro, Tokyo. What the museum lacks in size it more than makes up for in weirdness, with two floors dedicated entirely to parasites around the world that infect both animals (1st floor) and humans (2nd floor). The museum’s claim to fame? It houses the world’s longest tapeworm, which is nearly nine meters long. While not an ideal spot for a first date, the Meguro Parasitological Museum is certain to satisfy travels with a curiosity for the strange.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.