Skip Tokyo crowds and slow travel through this Japanese hidden gem
6 min read
TOKYO and GIFU, Japan — After a few days in Tokyo, I was ready to trade the bright lights and chaotic streets for a breath of fresh air and quaint villages. My longing to relax and slow down is expressed through a Japanese sentiment known in the Kyoto dialect as “hokkori.”
It’s akin to letting your shoulders down, releasing the tension and sinking into the couch, explained my tour guide Eri Nakamura of EN Tour Design. I found my hokkori in Gifu Prefecture during my November visit, where I relaxed in a private onsen, sipped warm bowls of miso soup and witnessed the vibrant autumn hues of the countryside.
It was another side of Japan that most tourists don’t get to experience.
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While Japan is undeniably having a moment among travelers – the number of visitor arrivals by the end of November already made 2025’s total higher than all of 2024, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) – most stay within the confines of major cities Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, or seek out the most popular of attractions like Mount Fuji.
The surge in visitors to these hotspots has led to overtourism, straining the quality of life for many residents, resources and infrastructure. Last year, Kyoto hit a record 10.88 million visitors last year, prompting a 900% hike of its tourist tax to regulate numbers. Even Mount Fuji doubled its entry fee in March to curb the number of reckless hikers, and small towns put up 80-foot walls to stop hordes of tourists from taking photos of the country’s tallest mountain.
Straying off the beaten path gave me a deeply rewarding trip to Japan, one highlighting fresh regional cuisine, close encounters with culture and quiet moments in pristine nature. Having been to Osaka and most recently Tokyo, my time in the countryside helped me unwind and see Japan through a different lens.
Here’s how travelers can slow travel in Japan’s Gifu Prefecture.
Why you should slow travel in Gifu
If you’ve never heard of Gifu, you’re not alone. I’ll even admit to not knowing anything about it until my visit. The prefecture flies under most travelers’ radar, accounting for just 3.1% of all foreign visitors in 2024, according to JNTO. Meanwhile, Tokyo comprised half, followed by Osaka’s 39.6%.
Located smack dab in the middle of Japan, Gifu feels like the antithesis of Tokyo — even though it’s only two hours away by Shinkansen, the high-speed bullet train.
Home to charming villages steeped in cultural traditions and encircled by pristine mountain ranges, this hidden gem begs you to slow down.
Centuries ago, Gifu was a strategic center for both military and trade. “It was a central hub for major transportation, that’s where people had stopped and rested,” said Nakamura. Merchants gathered around Gifu, selling their crafts like pottery, washi paper and sake – and those traditions carry on today.
For years, Gifu has been a beloved road trip destination for locals, and recently built infrastructure has made the prefecture more welcoming to foreign visitors, she continued. “(Japanese) love to drive into Gifu for the autumn foliage and snow, it’s such a beautiful sight,” Nakamura added.
What to do in Gifu
Given that this is the countryside, the best way to explore Gifu is by car. Take a cue from the locals and embark on a road trip through several villages. Driving in a foreign country may seem intimidating at first, but help from a translation app and your phone’s GPS will go a long way, and I found most locals to be welcoming and helpful.
As a kicking-off point for your road trip, here are the towns I went to and what to do there:
- Mino – Explore Mino’s heritage of arts and culture by trying your hand at time-honored crafts like indigo dying and washi paper. At the Mino Washi Paper Museum and Workshop, I tried my hand at creating my own piece of paper, splashing and sifting the plant fibers until they set into translucent paper. At night, Mino’s Udatsu Preservation District is illuminated with stunning washi paper lanterns made by local artists. At Aiwayu in nearby Ikeda, husband-and-wife designer duo Kazuya and Miki Nohara run workshops allowing guests to learn the intensive process of indigo dying.
- Takayama – The most bustling of the towns I visited in Gifu, Takayama feels like a less touristy Kyoto, according to Nakamura. With its preserved Edo period buildings and one of the largest morning markets in Japan filled with vendors selling regional food, Takayama easily charmed me. (Try the regional miso for a rich umami and local Hida beef, which will blow Kobe beef out of the water.) This town is popular due to its proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Shirakawa-go, one of just a few places to see 250-year-old farmhouses made of thatched roofs. Apparently, a visit to the historic site is even more magical in the snow.
- Gujo – Set along a hillside, Gujo is a small castle town with a picturesque river running through it. Here, I got to enjoy a private onsen, or hot spring, before wandering through town and trekking up to the Gujo Hachiman Castle at the top of a hill.
Of course, tasting Japan is one of the most enticing ways to experience the country. When people gush about the food in Japan, it’s completely warranted. Following “kaizen,” or the Japanese pursuit of perfection, each meal was not only fresh but also thoughtfully prepared, from the light yet satisfying cold soba to personal yakiniku (grilling of bite-sized meat) teishoku sets with side dishes of pickled veggies and a savory broth to pour over my rice.
Where to stay
If you want to go the traditional route, you could book a ryokan, essentially a Japanese-style inn. At these cozy accommodations, you’ll take off your shoes in exchange for slippers, sleep on a tatami mat and have access to an onsen.
Travelers will also find Fairfield by Marriott hotels across Japan’s countryside as part of its Michi-no-Eki Project, intended to make travel around rural regions more accessible while also revitalizing these communities with tourism. Each of the 29 properties are adjacent to a Michi-no-Eki, a government-created roadside station comprising a small store and restaurant. Outfitted in a simple yet clean aesthetic rooted in Japanese style, every property also offer a laundry room, on-site drink vending machine and parking. Room rates start at ¥12,350 (about $80 USD.)
How to get to Gifu
There are no major airports in Gifu Prefecture, with the closest one – Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya – about an hour’s drive away. Thankfully, Japan is known for its bullet train, and the ride to and from Tokyo is only two hours or so. (It’s rather easy to navigate the train system for English speakers.)
Travel tips to Japan
- U.S. citizens with a valid passport and return or onward flight don’t need a visa for visits to Japan for up to 90 days. However, you will need to fill out an entry form for immigration and customs for a QR code that you can show upon arrival.
- I used Google Translate, Google Maps and the My Currency Converter apps to help me navigate Tokyo, and found them to be pretty accurate when it came to the trains. I did get lost a few times in Tokyo since some businesses are located within skyscrapers, so it can be tricky to figure out if you’re at the right building and which level it’s on.
- Being out in the countryside, Gifu is relatively affordable, especially for those who benefit from the exchange rate. For a dinner with five people at an izakaya, including sushi, mains and drinks, the total came to about $100. However, restaurants tend to close early at 7 p.m. so plan your meals accordingly.
- Japan is known to be a safe and clean destination, and I felt safe traveling (smartly) alone through Tokyo, even at night. The countryside is also safe but can feel much darker and isolated, so keep that in mind.
- Japanese restaurants don’t provide napkins – restaurants tend to offer only oshibori, or a wet towel to cleanse your hands – so bring some of your own.
Gifu took me by surprise, overshadowing my time in Tokyo with the way it immersed me in Japanese culture and beauty. As I think about my next sojourn to Japan, I’m already planning to go beyond city borders to see what else the countryside has to offer.
The reporter on this story received access from Fairfield by Marriott. USA TODAY maintains editorial control of content.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Skip Tokyo crowds and slow travel through this Japanese hidden gem
