Untouched Wilderness and Waterside Food Stalls: The Lesser-Known Pockets of Japan

Unfortunately, there’s no way to see every spectacular part of Japan in one trip. Or a lifetime, for that matter. But to really get lost in all of the country’s wonder, you have to veer a bit off the beaten path towards spots that are less known – but no less beautiful. Here’s what to see (and eat) in five prefectures worth steering your compass towards, including open-air grills for smoky riverside dining and a breathtaking national park where you can witness the wildest parts of Japan.

Hokkaido is known as a winter destination for a lot of Australians heading to ski fields like Niseko, and Noboribetsu Onsen is a popular spot to warm the bones in the darker months. But in summer, Hokkaido is where you can see Japan at its wildest and most elegant. On the north-eastern peninsula, Shiretoko National Park is one of the top unspoilt natural environments in Japan. The name Shiretoko means “end of the earth” in the Ainu language; it’s where a volcano erupted to form five small lakes surrounded by lush wilderness. There are several managed hiking trails, but the most popular is a guided route along a boardwalk through Shiretoko Goko Lakes. From May to July, the tours get you close enough to see brown bears, sea eagles and orcas. A hire car is the best way to explore the northern wilderness, but from late April to late October buses run twice a day from Shiretoko-Shari Station to Shiretoko Goko Lakes.

With some food, it’s worth going straight to the source for a taste of the real deal. Hakata ramen – a popular style with creamy tonkotsu pork broth and long, thin noodles – originated in Fukuoka and can still be slurped at the prefecture’s famous yatai, or open-air food stalls. Some other common yatai dishes include the savoury pancake-like okonomiyaki, yakitori, and dishes with mentaiko or pollock roe. Arguably your best chance of finding ramen or yakitori with a view is at a row of 20 or so yatai along the southern end of Nakasu in the middle of Fukuoka City. It’s the capital of Fukuoka Prefecture and the biggest city on Kyushu, Japan’s third largest island.

Find a tropical summer breeze in Okinawa, the chain of islands comprising Japan’s southernmost prefecture. Formerly known as the Ryukyu Kingdom, Okinawa was once an independent state that became an official prefecture of Japan in 1879. One of the most remote areas in the country’s south-west, it has a distinct culture and otherworldly coral reefs to explore. It’s also the birthplace of karate and home to Ryukyu-era castles that wouldn’t be amiss in old-school arcade games like Street Fighter 2. Venture further south-west to find Ishigaki Island, which boasts rich mangrove forests and is one of the best dive spots in the world to see manta rays and sea turtles. It’s also a likely spot to find a serving of Yaeyama soba, the local specialty of pork and seafood noodle soup.

In 2011, a tsunami hit the north-east Tohoku region of Japan and was particularly destructive along the Sanriku Coast. To promote reconstruction of the area, a 220-kilometre stretch of coastline has since been designated as the Sanriku Fukko National Park, designed to showcase both the beauty and precarity of coexisting with nature. Kitayamazaki is an eight-kilometre stretch of the park that offers a striking snapshot of natural Japan. The Tohoku region is accessible by shinkansen from major cities, and there’s a scenic “joyful” train with a kitchen and dining room that runs at a much more leisurely pace along the coast from Hachinohe to Kuji.

In the old Japanese calendar, October was known across Japan as the “month without gods”. Everywhere, that is, except Izumo, on the central coast of Shimane Prefecture. In this historic city, it was known as the “month with gods” – when all the gods from around Japan were said to assemble at Izumo Taisha, an ancient Shinto shrine considered one of Japan’s earliest and most important. While in Shimane Prefecture, hop between remote fishing villages that feel like stepping through time and sample local specialty wariko soba: buckwheat noodles served in a stack of three lacquered containers.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with the Japan National Tourism Organization.