In this episode we sit down with John and Josephine, hosts of the YouTube channel "Uncharted Japan".

Check out Uncharted Japan on YouTube

John and Josephine have spent years traveling around Japan, often finding some of their favorite experiences well beyond the places that dominate most Japan itineraries.

Josephine also has an extraordinary connection to the country. Her family's history in Japan stretches back to 1861, and she grew up in Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe.

Together, John and Josephine created Uncharted Japan, a YouTube channel focused on the places, people, history and experiences they've discovered during their travels.

In this episode, we talk about how they choose where to go, why they don't feel the need to cram every famous destination into a trip and what they've found by exploring more of regional Japan.

We also get into castles, onsen and ryokan stays, renting a car in Japan, some memorable wrong turns and the remarkable encounter in a small rural community that helped inspire Uncharted Japan.

And we talk about something that can have a surprisingly big influence on your own trip: the travel algorithm. When YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and even AI keep showing travelers the same places and experiences, it's easy to start building a trip around what keeps appearing on your screen rather than what you're actually interested in.

There's nothing wrong with visiting Japan's famous destinations. We certainly aren't suggesting you skip Tokyo or Kyoto just to be different. But there's a lot more Japan out there, and sometimes the places you weren't originally looking for become the ones you remember most.

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Episode Chapters:

(00:00) Intro & Overview

(02:05) Meet John & Josephine

(08:47) Planning Advice

(13:00) Castles & Other Gems

(21:50) Onsen Hot Springs

(25:55) Local Japan vs What Visitors Tend to See

(30:58) YouTube - Uncharted Japan

(55:12) Takeaway Advice & Thoughts

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Music:

Island Travel - by Anonyment

旅ゆけば - by Tinymemory

Investor Night - by Anonyment

(all tracks with Dova Syndrome Music Materials License (dova-s .jp)

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The Uncharted Japan YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@UnchartedJapanTravel

... and their travel blog & photos etc:

https://unchartedjapan.net/

(Cover Art for this episode by Uncharted Japan)