Japan offers a variety of surprises for travelers, from urban paradises in Central Osaka to farmland ziplining, Japanese toilet museums, and downtime at the Gate Hotel Fukuoka. Four new spots in Osaka are Grand Green Osaka, a new urban retreat that combines city parks with upscale dining, design-forward shopping, and wellness moments. The area features local pastries, coffee, sushi omakase, open-kitchen steak dinners, and flagship stores. The Time Out Market, a buzzing urban paradise, features top chefs serving delicious food and live cultural events. Visitors can enjoy rooftop onsens, meditation rooms, or simply watch the city come alive in this new urban paradise.
In the forests of Chiba, the Farm Slow Mountain Narita offers a slower, more grounded kind of getaway. Accommodations include glamping tents, cottages, and cabins scattered across a spacious, tree-lined property.
Mornings start with fresh, local food, while the rest of the day is open for zipline rides, vegetable harvesting, or following an AR-powered trail through the woods. In the evening, communal barbecue dinners bring people together under the stars. Find beauty in the stillness of Farm Slow Mountain Narita, easily accessible via car from Tokyo, and via bus or car from Narita Airport.
The newest addition to the INAX MUSEUMS in Tokoname, Aichi, the Toilet Museum celebrates Japan’s design-forward approach to one of life’s most overlooked essentials that the country does best. Exhibits walk you through the history of toilets in Japan, from early wooden bowls to the high-tech fixtures now famous around the world. It’s a clever, unexpectedly engaging stop that fits perfectly into the INAX MUSEUMS’ larger focus on ceramics, design, and everyday innovation. The museum is accessible by a 10-minute car ride from Chubu Centrair Airport, or a 40-minute limited express train ride from Meitetsu Nagoya Station.
For travelers heading to Fukuoka, the GATE HOTEL FUKUOKA by HULIC brings a sense of calm and polish to the city center. Set on the upper floors of a new commercial complex, the hotel is directly connected to Tenjin Station. Its top-floor lounge opens onto a breezy terrace with wide views of the skyline, and the in-house restaurant, Anchor Grill Fukuoka, puts local ingredients at the center of every dish. Guestrooms feature sleek, thoughtful interiors, with suites like THE GATE offering views all the way out to Hakata Bay.
Each of these destinations offers something a little unexpected—an experience you didn’t know you were looking for. Taken together, they show how Japan continues to evolve and delight, not by following trends, but by quietly raising the bar.
