Japan’s Hidden Gems | 3-Day Itinerary in Rural Kansai Off-the-Beaten-Path
Once you get out of Kyoto-Osaka’s main tourist areas, it’s amazing how Japan seems to really come to life 🤗 I always recommend people to visit a more countryside, less tourist-dense destination when they come to Japan, so I’m super excited to show you.
This trip, I based myself out of The Fairfield by Marriott at Hyogo Kannabe Highland! I recommend basing yourself out of one of their many hotels across Japan, as they are all placed strategically in rural locations that serve as a great place to explore the surrounding countryside.
The Fairfield by Marriott Michi-no-Eki Project currently has 29 hotels in 14 different prefectures across Japan and the hotels are situated so that guests can embark on their own journey to discover the more unknown attractions unique to each region all while being near a roadside station.
The hotel’s concept is “Discover Hidden Gems Across Japan” or「未知なるニッポンをクエストしよう」
See the Fairfield by Marriott Michi-no-Eki Project: https://fairfield-michinoeki-japan.com/
#フェアフィールドバイマリオット兵庫神鍋高原
#FairfieldbyMarriottHyogoKannabeHighland
#フェアフィールドバイマリオット兵庫但馬やぶ
#FairfieldbyMarriottHyogoTajimaYabu
#日本をもっと楽しむ旅へ
#michinoekiproject
#discoverwithFairfield
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Day 1
🌿 Take the limited express train from Osaka or Kyoto to Toyooka Station ⇒ Eat soba and explore Izushi Castle Town, check out the castle and Eirakukan ⇒ Check in to the Fairfield by Marriott at Hyogo Kannabe Highland ⇒ Dinner at a local restaurant (Shunsai Ryori Iwaki)
Day 2
🌿 Head over to Kinosaki Onsen and go up to Onsenji Temple, explore town and do a bath or footbath, eat lunch in town (OFF KINOSAKI) ⇒ Go to Kinoshita Sake Brewery and try some sake ⇒ grab a snack at Tango Jersey Farm ⇒ Dinner at a local restaurant (Kushibozu)
Day 3
🌿 Do a short hike at Hattan Waterfall ⇒ See the “Castle in the Sky” Takeda Castle Ruins ⇒ Check out the rock formations and caves at Genbudo Park and Museum ⇒ Head back
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Japan’s Hidden Gems | 3-Day Off-the-Beaten-Path Itinerary in Rural Kansai
49 Comments
I would love to check out some of these places on our next trip to Japan. Thanks for sharing your trip. The Marriott Fairfield looks like a perfect place for us to stay too❤️
Awesome video and countryside scenery and sites. Definitely would like this kind of trip to be included on my next visit to Japan and the Fairfield looks very inviting for sure 👍
Def would love to see more videos like this! I’ll be in Japan for the first time next week!
Wait… all of those Fairfield Inns in Japan are linked together by a concept??? I was wondering why Marriott would have hotels in such remote places. Could elaborate on the concept some more?
Thanks for coming along with me on this trip and thanks to Fairfield by Marriott for the opportunity~~ I really enjoyed getting to see a part of Japan I've never been to before!! I really love the concept of basing yourself out of a Michi-no-Eki, it's an ingenious way to have a good base in a more local area (but still with lots to do…!) of Japan!
Thanks!
One of my favorite things about traveling, is meeting random strangers and striking up a conversation.
I feel like the rate of cute small thing per trip is just so high in Japan. We also went to a random Soba shop in Nagasaki which turned out to be in the Michelin Guide, had the best soba I've ever had in my life, and was just this cozy mountain Forest place full of chill people. I really enjoy rural Japan.
Plus I feel like the castle in the sky is also great if you go there at night, if there are lights shining on it, because the mountain underneath will be dark, making it look like a shiny castle in the sky. Fuji Hachiman has one of these and it's amazing.
The only fear I have is the language barrier when traveling outside the tourist traps. I’m trying to learn Japanese with Duolingo which is probably not the best.
Off topic, but that red sweater looks so nice on you!
Great video. The town seems a great place to relax.
And thanks for another amazing video. You always bring a great energy to our days😊
I have zero desire to go to Kyoto. Tokyo, Osaka and Hiroshima. Those 3 cities and a ferry through the inland sea.
I spent 8 days in Tokyo recently, my first trip to Japan(!!), and even in the big city I noticed that you could get off the beaten path fairly easily and my fellow tourists would fade away. A walk from Shinjuku to Ikebukuro led me through a bunch of residential areas where it was just me and the locals.
A really lovely video too watch.👍🥰
Getting away from the crowds for a few days on a trip to Japan sounds so appealing! I love your ideas to experience the countryside; I'd definitely like to do that waterfall hike and Takeda castle looks amazing! I had no idea there were basalt caves in Japan; it seems like there's so much to do.
That Fairfield is so aesthetic and beautiful – exactly the kind of vibe I'd be looking for in a Japan trip!
Really enjoyed your 3 day adventure. The Fairfield looks like a really nice place to stay. Thanks for sharing❤
Great video, Allison! Did you have to rent a car or how did you get around in Hyogo Prefecture after the train?
Great video, thanks Allison 😃 I recently spent 6 weeks travelling around Hokkaido and Tohoku region, so it was lovely to see you both enjoying and promoting more rural areas of Japan. These areas are so underrated, thank you for sharing 😃
"Such a charming itinerary! 🌸 Exploring the hidden gems of rural Kansai sounds like a dream—peaceful vibes, stunning landscapes, and local culture all in one. 🏞✨ Definitely adding this to my travel bucket list! ❤🇯🇵" Fyi.
The town that you went has very pretty places especially the Waterfall and the Onsen. I Love to Travel thanks for taking us along with you two. ❤
Great new format, but I need the Ghibly-music!
Thank you for visiting Kyotango! It’s nice to see more off the beaten track Kansai getting the spotlight~
All the places looked fantastic. I will definitely be putting them on the list. Thank you. Great video. 😊😊
Great information dear i live you're videos
I just got back from 3 weeks in Japan, and I think I already need to go back after this video!!
Thank you for getting off a beaten path!
looks beautiful!!
I was at kinosaki onsen a couple weeks ago!!! I loved it
mic sounding crispy
Arigatou gozaimasu! Lovely and love the michi no eki. Will have to check out Marriott's Michi No Eki project!
really nice to see some off the beaten track stuff – but it looked like you had a car taking you around. Could it be done without a car?
The small towns and countryside of Japan seem amazing, but my big concern is food – I'm vegan, and my fiance (not evgan) is extremely picky when it comes to food and he's allergic to a couple of different things (like seafood, seeds, nuts). So in big cities in Japan it can be a bit of a struggle for us to find food that we can eat, and I'm afraid that out in the countryside there would be nothing for us apart from like conbini food? 🙁 What do you think? Also we don't really speak Japanese so we cannot communicate with other people to tell them easily what we can or cannot eat.
What a nice trip! I would definitely do something similar. The area looks really beautiful and relaxed. I always love to be in the Japanese countryside ❤
Just came across your contents and you really have a amazing videos. Keep coming..!🥰🤩
Two videos inside of a week! Both great. I just watched the Shanghai video.
I used to live in a suburb of Osaka, so this area is particularly nostalgic for me. I haven't visited any of the places in this video, though, so I have definitely missed out. I love seeing places like this. Looks like you're getting a little YouTube famous. Congrats!!
i'm really enjoying your channel Allison 😍
What a great itinerary! You did so much just staying at one hotel and that monk was so considerate and knowledgeable!
I think the reason isn’t just that tourists don’t know about places other than Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, but also that a lot of them worry they won’t get far without knowing Japanese.
those baskets were sososo cutee!! それらのバスケットはとても可愛かったです！凄いね！
Really enjoying this video
More of Kyoto Appreciate very much and where I really want to visit too besides the other ones I mention and you spent the day here with a good friend too very nice to still see that with others 🇯🇵🇯🇵🇯🇵
🎎🎎🎎🎎🎎🎎🎎🎎
Wow! Genbudo Park looks SO cool! I have gone to a lot of lava caves in the western US but I’ve never seen anything that looked like that. I’d love to see it irl.
Thank you so much for the video, it was super interesting 🙂
Shouldnt you disclose that this whole thing is an ad / infomercial?
What an awesome trip! Japan is such a beautiful country. Thanks for letting us tag along. 😊
Did you book your hotel or just walk in? Was she your guide or just a friend? How do you get to all of those places?
Another great video Allison. I always enjoy seeing the different places you visit around Japan.
Hattan waterfall looks amazing, what a pretty location. Thanks for sharing with us. I love seeing natures beauty.
My daughter and I recently went to Japan in November for 18 days. We had lots of fun exploring many different areas.
Being there in autumn time was wonderful. I was excited to see so many beautiful trees.
I am sure to visit Japan again as 18 days was no where near enough time for me. There is so much to see and do there.
I had watched a lot of your videos beforehand which helped me plan my holiday. Thanks very much for sharing lots of helpful information here.
That looked amazing. I'm currently planning a trip to Japan, hopefully this May, and really appreciate this 🙂