Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaido, the small towns the bullet train skips. Routes that respect the season and the local pace.
Western Honshū's Sea of Japan coast never got the bullet train. Three unhurried days down the San'in Main Line — Matsue's water castle, ancient Izumo, the Tottori dunes. JP: 新幹線が通らない山陰海岸、三日間の旅
Yamagata prefecture sits two hours from Tokyo by shinkansen, yet most visitors pass through without stopping. Here is why that is a mistake. JP: 山形四日間：温泉、漆器、そして静けさ