EASY Alternative Japan Itinerary: Japan with no Tourists!
Explore the hidden side of Japan with this 10-day Northern Tohoku itinerary! Step away from the Golden Triangle and dive into the culture, natural beauty, and history of lesser-visited cities in Northern Honshu. Starting and ending in Tokyo, this efficient itinerary is perfect for first-time travelers and returning visitors. Highlights include Aizu-Wakamatsu’s Samurai history, Sendai’s stunning shrines and festivals, Aomori’s breathtaking landscapes, Morioka’s vibrant local culture, and much more. Discover incredible food, welcoming locals, and peaceful escapes with minimal tourist crowds. Every destination has been carefully curated and personally experienced to give you the best trip possible. Whether you’re planning a trip or dreaming of Japan, this itinerary is packed with tips, advice, and insights to help you make the most of your adventure.
• Discover Samurai culture in Aizu-Wakamatsu.
• Experience Sendai’s Tanabata Festival and unique beef tongue dish.
• Marvel at Aomori’s Nebuta Festival and apple-inspired delights.
• Explore the charm of Morioka, including its iconic cherry blossom tree.
• Visit the serene port town of Sakata and its Edo-era history.
• Optional tips for extending your trip or making it your own.
Travel smart: Includes practical tips for public transport, luggage forwarding, and staying connected with a reliable SIM.
Helpful links:
👉 Stay connected in Japan: http://www.ninjsaru.com/sakura
👉 Book train passes and experiences: http://www.ninjasaru.com/klook
Let me know in the comments how you’ll tailor this itinerary to your interests, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!
Starting and ending in Tokyo, Let’s head North to Tohoku!
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Thank you for sharing this itinerary. Much appreciated !
I’m on a trip through tohoku now and over the last 2 days at Akita, i’ve seen almost no international tourists. Just amazing
At the same time because of less tourism in the area, the locals are not so used to international tourists so prepare yourself with some basic japanese phrases and google translate
Did the reverse golden route last April (Kyoto, Osaka, Himeji, Hiroshima, Shirakawa, Takayama, Fuji, Tokyo) and will be going by regions on my next trips starting with Kyushu hopefully by Autumn then Chugoku by Summer and so fort. Thanks for this idea on Tohoku since I was having a hard time planning for this particular region.
I plan to visit but have yet to find any non biased war ww2 museums. Many in China South Korea Germany USA what I can see from online reviews.
Thank you so much for video. I've been three times in Japan:
1. Golden Triangle with Hiroshima
2. Tokyo (travel South Korea + Japan)
3. Fukuoka-Kumamoto-Nagasaki
and I planned to go back this year to go North
So your video will help a lot
Thanks
Thank you for featuring tohoku. Definitely my new found favorite region!!
Awesome video. Thanks
Konichiwa! We just returned from a 13-day first time trip to Japan and I am so glad I found your channel in preparation for our trip!! Thank you for all your advice and tips! I can’t wait to go back and follow this new itinerary you suggest. 🙏
We will return to Japan for the 4th time in March and have planned a very similar itinerary: Tokyo – Aizuwakamatsu (3 nights) – Sendai (2 nights) – Matsushima Bay (2 nights) – Morioka (2 nights) – Kakunodate (2 nights) – Ginzan Onsen (2 nights) – Niigata (1 night) – Sado Island (3 nights) – Tokyo. We like to travel slowly, and as we both dont drive, will have to rely on public transport on Sado Island (hence 3 nights there). Thanks a lot for this video, your content is really good !
Great help!
My favourite video of yours! I will be going in december to north of Japan and want to visit some not popular places, thank you very much!
LOVE your videos! They have a great balance of being informative and interesting.
We are planning our second trip to Japan, and this time we'll be on our own in Tohoku for 5 days (in-between weekends visiting friends in Sendai). Your itinerary looks great, but would we need to rent a car for any of the towns/cities in this video if we're there for a day or so? We're not afraid of walking several kilometers a day. We're also thinking of adding Kakunodate. Thoughts? Would that need a car? Finally, which towns on this itinerary would you recommend renting a bike if there for one day? Sorry for all the questions, but I've seen a lot of travel Japan channels, and I trust your judgement more than anyone else : ) THANKS!!!!!
Thank you for the video! It was very interesting, and you were able to accurately describe the charm of each city. We are also coming to Japan this summer, and I’ve already booked a hotel in Sendai. I think this 10-day itinerary is really great.
Thank you. One of the best Japan itinerary videos I have seen
Thank you Nathan for the recommendation!
This is a helpful video–exactly what I'm looking for! It would be my first time in Japan later this year and looking forward to it. Would language be a big challenge when going around this places you've recommended?
Great content 😊. I’ll most probably follow this track.
I've been in Tohoku in my first trip to Japan last year. 7 nights in Sendai, 3 in Aomori, 1 in Akita, one afternoon in Morioka, and before all that, I spent 3 nights in Mito, Ibaraki. Best trip of my life. I will be in Tohoku again in the next trip next year.
Would you recommend this trip in May? I know the festivals went be then but we are thinking about doing this area to stay away from Kyoto and osaka as crowds really aren't our thing
Hello! I am loving these recommendations, thank you! I usually prefer to rent a car. Would driving to any of these destinations in February be difficult without AWD?
I wouldn't say no tourists but LESS tourists.
Can you do all this on public transport?
Hi there, I just stumbled upon your account and found that this video was extremely helpful for me as I'm currently planning my first trip to Japan. I particularly liked how you pointed out both food specialties and sights to see – and optional day trips to make.
A few questions came to my mind when watching your video:
1) When you rent a bike, what are typical prices to expect? Do you have to lock the bike whenever you stop or is it safe enough to just park it somewhere for a few minutes?
2) If you had to drop one of the cities on the west coast, which one would it be?
Hey, where is this big red bridge that we see at 3:03? Did you mention it somewhere in your video? Thanks
My husband and I will be spending our honeymoon travelling through Tohoku this winter! I just booked us a surprisingly reasonable ryokan at Mt Towada over New Year’s, so we have somewhere lovely to stay while everything is closed, and we’ll weave our way back down toward Tokyo from there. I suspect we’ll be spending a lot of time in Yamagata as well. I can’t wait to see the Zao Snow Monsters.
Is this good for December?
I’m planning my 3rd trip to Japan in October 2026, and this is perfect, thank you so much
I love your way of sharing information – nothing selfish, just helping information. I wish everyone had the same spirit!!
Can you share more about farm experience near morioka? I would like to see if i can arrange an activity for my kids in the short time i pass there on the way from ginzan to akita/aomori