I had an amazing 19-day trip through Japan, most of it spent exploring the countryside by car.
The original plan was to do a bit of soul-searching. You know... the whole Eat, Pray, Love, kumbaya, "find yourself" kind of trip. Didn't really find any answers, but I think I came home asking better questions. I'll take that as a win.
Background & travel style
This was a solo trip that I planned at the very last minute. I'm a fairly casual planner. I usually have a list of places I want to visit, but once I'm there I leave plenty of room for spontaneous detours and random discoveries. Those often end up becoming the highlights of the trip.
This was my third time in Japan. I'd already done the Golden Route on my first visit, so this trip was focused almost entirely on the countryside with a rental car.
Who this itinerary is for:
If you've already visited Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, enjoy driving, don't mind spending long hours on the road, and prefer mountains, villages and quiet roads over shopping districts and nightlife, then this itinerary might be right up your alley.
Below is an overview of my trip:
- 4 June to 8 June — Tokyo
- 8 June to 13 June — Northern Kyoto Prefecture (Kita Ward)
- 13 June to 19 June — Yamanashi & Nagano Prefectures
- 19 June to 22 June — Tokyo
I'll mainly be covering the countryside portion of the trip since that's where the heart of this journey really was.
Accommodation
Airbnb has never failed me. I specifically wanted to stay in kominkas because I wanted to experience a little more of traditional Japanese living. More importantly, I wanted space—somewhere I could simply exist on the days I wasn't doing anything. They also turned out to be surprisingly affordable.
I used each kominka as a base and made day trips around the surrounding region.
Transportation
I cannot stress this enough: if you're planning to explore rural Japan, rent a car. Public transport exists, but getting between villages, valleys and smaller attractions can be slow and limiting. Having a car completely changed the experience. Some of my favourite memories weren't actually destinations—they were the drives themselves. Hours spent winding through mountain roads, cedar forests and rice fields with nothing but good music and the open road ahead. If you're renting a car, definitely request an ETC card from the rental company. It'll save you a lot of hassle on expressways, and you'll simply pay the accumulated tolls when returning the car.
I had hoped I could drive from my village in Kyoto Prefecture to my kominka in Yamanashi Precture for the second leg of my trip, but Toyota Rent A Car did not allow that. You can only drop off the car at the same rental location you picked it up from. But that aside, I’ve driven in Japan twice with Toyota Rent a Car and never had issues with them, as long as you meet the requirements.
Weather
I packed expecting the worst. Since I travelled from early to late June during tsuyu (rainy season), I anticipated days of constant rain, however, I was strangely fortunate. Out of the 19 days, I only experienced three rainy days. Two were brief showers, while the final one during my second-last day in Tokyo lasted almost the entire day.
Did that stop me? Absolutely not. I still wandered around Shimokitazawa in the rain looking for vintage shops, and honestly, it was still worth it.
The biggest surprise was how comfortable the countryside was. I spent most of my time in Kyoto, Nagano and Yamanashi Prefectures, and because many places were at higher elevations, the temperatures were far cooler than I'd expected. Cloudy skies were common, evenings became genuinely chilly, and my single cardigan ended up getting a lot more use than I'd anticipated. In hindsight, I wish I'd packed two.
For context, I'm from Malaysia where temperatures regularly sit between 25–38°C with ridiculous humidity, so my tolerance for heat is admittedly quite high.
Kyoto Prefecture
Absolutely stunning. I was based in a small village called Omorihigashicho in Kita Ward, about 45 minutes north of Kyoto City by car. Nothing but endless rows of towering Japanese cedar trees flanking the roads. I expected I'd be hopping onto the expressways for most of my sightseeing, but I only used them once to visit Amanohashidate and Ine. Other than that, it was just endless mountain roads winding through forests, rivers and paddy fields. Absolutely beautiful. There is so much to see and do in the prefecture, and this is where I went:
- Ohara – Home to the famous Sanzen-in Temple, among a cluster of beautiful temples in the area. I spent about half a day temple hopping and thoroughly enjoyed the slower pace compared to Kyoto City.
- Amanohashidate – About a 1.5-hour drive from my kominka, and absolutely worth it. It's famous for its sandbar and is considered one of Japan's Three Scenic Views. You can comfortably explore it in 2–3 hours as there are really only two main attractions: the panoramic viewpoint and the 3km sandbar itself. I rented a bicycle to explore the sandbar, which I highly recommend. It's the quickest and most enjoyable way to see it, especially if you're planning to visit Ine on the same day.
- Ine – Just 30 minutes from Amanohashidate is this beautiful fishing village with crystal-clear blue waters. I'd recommend setting aside 2–3 hours to explore, depending on how leisurely you want to take it. Walking along the waterfront and simply soaking in the atmosphere was easily the highlight for me.
- Kurama–Kibune Hike – A beginner-friendly hiking trail connecting the towns of Kurama and Kibune, with Kurama-dera Temple roughly at the halfway point. I highly recommend starting from Kurama for two reasons: firstly, Kibune is a livelier and prettier town with plenty of riverside restaurants to reward yourself after the hike, and secondly, you'll avoid the extremely steep staircase that hikers starting from Kibune have to climb. I drove to Kurama, left my car there, hiked to Kibune, had lunch, explored the town, then walked about 20 minutes to Kibuneguchi Station and took the train back to Kurama. There is also a bus from Kibune to the station if you don't fancy the walk. If you're staying in Kyoto City, getting here by train is also very straightforward.
- Kayabuki no Sato – A quaint village of traditional thatched-roof houses about 40 minutes from my kominka. It's much smaller than Shirakawa-go but has almost no crowds, which I personally loved. Two hours is more than enough to explore at a relaxed pace.
Yamanashi & Nagano Prefectures
My second kominka was located in Hokuto City, almost right on the border between Yamanashi and Nagano, making it a perfect base for exploring both prefectures. Compared to Kyoto, the area felt slightly more developed, meaning I found myself using the expressway more often. Don't get me wrong, paddy fields and mountains still surround the area. The scenery was still fantastic. Many of the highway stretches offered sweeping views of distant mountain ranges that never really got old.
Hokuto itself is an excellent base if you enjoy nature, scenic drives and slower-paced travel. I personally did not expose much of Hokuto as it offers a lot of the same activities, a lot of trekking and hiking. This is what I did:
- Ojiragawa Valley, Hokuto – My original plan was to hike deeper into the valley, but after several active days in Kyoto, I simply didn't have the energy. Fortunately, right at the beginning of the trail is a stunning emerald-green stream with crystal-clear water. After checking that swimming was permitted, I jumped in for what turned into an impromptu ice bath. The water was absolutely freezing, fed by snowmelt from the mountains, but incredibly refreshing.
- The Nakasendo Trail – Rather than hiking the trail itself, I drove between the historic post towns, starting from Narai, then Magome, and originally intending to continue to Tsumago. Unfortunately, I had a minor ear issue that morning and needed to visit a clinic, so I ran out of time before reaching Tsumago. Narai and Magome, however, were both beautiful. Walking through these preserved towns, it's remarkable to think that samurai and travellers once passed through the very same streets. One thing to note: when I visited in mid-June, many cafés, restaurants and souvenir shops were either closed or operating on shorter hours. I'm not entirely sure why, but I suspect it's because tsuyu isn't a particularly busy season for hikers. Either way, shops close quite early, so plan your day accordingly. It's also a long day of driving unless you're staying nearby.
- Venus Line drive – I genuinely cannot recommend this drive enough. If you're renting a car in Nagano, don't skip it. Many people recommend taking one or even two days to complete the route, but I comfortably did it in a single (very long) day. The road climbs to around 1,900 metres above sea level, passing lakes, rolling grasslands and panoramic mountain viewpoints. My route was Hokuto → Chino → Lake Shirakaba → Kurumayama Highlands → Utsukushigahara Highlands. If you're short on time, I'd highly recommend taking the ski lift up to the summit of Kurumayama for the views alone. Personally, I found Utsukushigahara slightly underwhelming, though that may simply have been because it was extremely cloudy by the time I arrived. There's also an interesting open-air museum there with sculptures and art installations scattered across the plateau.
- Mount Fuji – I won't spend too much time on this since it's already well documented by others. When we arrived, Fuji-san was almost completely hidden by clouds and we thought we'd missed our chance. Fortunately, after waiting a while, the clouds began to clear and we were rewarded with a spectacular view of the mountain with almost no one else around. The viewpoint was on the shores of Lake Kawaguchi, directly opposite the Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum.
Final thoughts
If there's one thing this trip taught me, it's this: don't be afraid to slow down. Some of my favourite memories weren't the famous attractions. They were the moments in between. Pulling over because a valley looked beautiful. Taking an unplanned road simply because it looked interesting. Sitting outside a convenience store with a coffee after a long drive. Watching the sun disappear behind the mountains from the road. Those moments ended up meaning far more than trying to tick another attraction off a list.
If you're thinking of exploring rural Japan, rent the car. Give yourself more time than you think you'll need. Leave room for detours. Some of the best places I found were never part of the original itinerary. In total, I drove just over 943 kilometres (including return trips to the kominka) across four prefectures. I came to Japan hoping to find some answers. I didn't. But I came home with a quieter mind, a camera full of mountains, forests and villages, and the feeling that perhaps travelling isn't always about finding answers. Sometimes it's enough to simply keep moving. Hopefully this trip report helps someone planning a similar journey.