Japan Nobody Tells You About

All 10 places on this map are pinned at their exact location. Each one comes with a short note on what it is and why it is worth your time. Browsing is free, and with an Ikuzo account you can copy the whole map and reshape it into your own trip.

More places

Octagon Tunnel

An eight sided tunnel lined with brick, hidden in the hills of Kumamoto.

Ikeshima

A vast coal mining island off Nagasaki, quietly emptying since the mine closed.

The Floating Torii Gate of Ouo Shrine

A torii standing in the Ariake Sea, reachable on foot only at low tide.

Aogashima

A volcano inside a volcano, 358 km south of Tokyo in the open Pacific.

Nishinoshima (Oki Islands)

Giant sea cliffs and grazing horses on the wild Kuniga coast of the Oki Islands.

Tsujunkyo Bridge

Japan's largest stone arch aqueduct, famous for its spectacular water release.

Mystery Circle Forest (Nichinan)

A forest planted in perfect rings, an old planting experiment that only reveals itself from above. Nichinan, Miyazaki.

Nakiri Shrine

A tiny seaside shrine on the Nichinan coast of Miyazaki.

Takeda Castle

The castle in the sky: ruins floating above a sea of clouds on autumn mornings.

Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple

The birthplace of the daruma doll, with thousands of red daruma left by visitors.