There was recently an internet poll of three thousand people in Japan asking the following question:
Which prefecture do you think of the least?
The answer to the above question reveals a list of underrated, underappreciated, and undervisited prefectures… hence a great list of places off the beaten path to visit.
The ranking of the prefectures follows with one being the least thought about or noticed prefecture in Japan!
- Shimane
- Fukui
- Saga
- Tokushima
- Ibaragi
- Oita
- Yamaguchi
- Tottori
- Fukushima
- Yamagata
- Miyazaki
- Iwate
- Ishikawa
- Gunma
- Gifu
I wouldn’t be surprised if people who live in Japan haven’t heard of some of these prefectures. All of them have unique and wonderful features and all of them are worth visiting.
Actually, the number one prefecture on this list, Shimane Prefecture, is one of my favorite places in Japan to visit. It has nice beaches on the Japan Sea, beautiful camping areas, onsen hot spring areas, and long beautiful, winding drives.
One of my favorite trips is to drive down to Hiroshima (not on the list) and stay the night, then continue down to Tottori (number 8) and stay there, finishing up in Shimane (number 1). The drive is beautiful, and there are great places to stay and eat.
If you are thinking of coming to Japan and seeing more rural areas, please take a look at the list above, and as always, if anyone has any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. As I build this site up further, I hope to talk about all 47 of Japan’s prefectures and how to travel cheaply and have fun in each of them.
Actually, the photo in my header was taken at a beach in Tottori!