Like so many British travellers, Japan had been in my (global travel editor Annabel Grossman) sights for years. But there was a bit of a snag: I'm not a fan of crowds. I also tend to avoid destinations where tourists flock, and my planned trip was a time when tourism to the East Asian country was surging – in 2025 the country topped 40 million tourist arrivals for the first time. Rather concerningly, tourism has become a problem in some areas, particularly the city of Kyoto, with the increase in visitors causing congested roads and disruption to daily life, and residents complaining of inappropriate or offensive behaviour. Unusually for me (most of the time I like to organise my own trips) I travelled with a tour company Wayfairer Travel and, rather than avoid the capital which had been my initial thought, they recommended experiencing the city with the rather brilliant Freewheeling Tokyo. Within 24 hours of arriving in Japan, I was cycling through the blissfully quiet backstreets of the capital city, along golden paths carpeted with the leaves of ginkgo trees, dipping into quiet temples and drinking coffee in hipster neighbourhoods. I even gazed upon the majestic Mount Fuji in the distance as we paused for a moment outside Setagaya-Daita train station. This was just the start of a trip that found me skiing in Shiga Kogen's mountains, exploring the Samurai town of Kansawa and meditating with monks just outside Fukui city; a trip that made me realise that it is possible to experience the beauty of this incredible country without being shoulder to shoulder with tourists. |
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Annabel cycling in Tokyo's outer neighbourhoods |
Other travel writers have discovered a more peaceful side of Japan and shared their stories with The Independent. Like me, one of Samantha Herbert's best experiences in Japan was on two wheels. She has written about the joy of cycling the Shimanami Kaidō route that connects six islands via six bridges. She writes: "Pedalling over it [the Kurushima Kaikyo bridge] in the first week of October, under a bright blue sky in 30C heat, with a pleasant cooling wind as Japan's humid summer draws to a close, I'm in a state of absolute bliss." For Venus Wong, the most magical side of Japan is to be found in the city of Kobe, which is still remarkably under-appreciated by foreign tourists, where she delighted in sampling the marble beef and sake, relaxing in the mineral-rich spring water and uncovering vintage pieces in the second-hand shops. Anyone travelling in the summer might like to take the advice of Marianna Hunt and head to Japan's paradisiacal Okinawa archipelago, where she took a kayak excursion through the mangrove forests. "It was deliciously peaceful," she writes. "Just the chatter of a ruddy kingfisher for a soundtrack, and so far from the frenetic pace and sensory overload you imagine when you think of Tokyo or other parts of mainland Japan." Read on for more Japan travel inspiration, as well as our favourite articles from this week. Introducing Independent Trips: Explore the Atlas mountains on an adventure through Morocco |
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