VESPER & MILEJAPAN WORTH TRAVELING FOR.
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Ryokan lights beside the river in Kinosaki Onsen at night

VESPER & MILE — A JOURNAL OF JAPAN

Japan worth
traveling for.

Places that move you.
Journeys you can make your own.

Find your Japan ↗
KINOSAKI ONSEN · TOYOOKA · HYOGO↓
Photography: 663highland

161029 Kinosaki Onsen Toyooka Hyogo pref Japan02s.jpg · CC BY 2.5
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THE VESPER & MILE WAY

For the places
that stay with you.

Lanterns along a river. An island road opening to the sea. Old stone steps beneath the trees. A little further, and the rhythm of Japan changes.

We bring the feeling of a place together with the practical details of getting there. Begin with five destinations and eleven guides to making the journey.

01 / PLACES TO FEEL

Five places.
So many ways to feel.

Start with the landscape you want to wake up in.

Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge above the Seto Inland Sea

Shimanami KaidoFollow the light across the islands.

Photography: Nkns

Kurushimakaikyou ohashi01.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0
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02 / THE ATLAS

A place on the map.
A world of its own.

An island crossing. A forest path. A night in a hot-spring town. Start with a place that moves you.

HokkaidoAomoriIwateMiyagiAkitaYamagataFukushimaIbarakiTochigiGunmaSaitamaChibaTokyoKanagawaNiigataToyamaIshikawaFukuiYamanashiNaganoGifuShizuokaAichiMieShigaKyotoOsakaHyogoNaraWakayamaTottoriShimaneOkayamaHiroshimaYamaguchiTokushimaKagawaEhimeKochiFukuokaSagaNagasakiKumamotoOitaMiyazakiKagoshimaOkinawa (inset)OkinawaHokkaidoTohokuKantoChubuKansaiChugokuShikokuKyushu &OkinawaHokkaidoAomoriIwateMiyagiAkitaYamagataFukushimaIbarakiTochigiGunmaSaitamaChibaTokyoKanagawaNiigataToyamaIshikawaFukuiYamanashiNaganoGifuShizuokaAichiMieShigaKyotoOsakaHyogoNaraWakayamaTottoriShimaneOkayamaHiroshimaYamaguchiTokushimaKagawaEhimeKochiFukuokaSagaNagasakiKumamotoOitaMiyazakiKagoshimaOkinawa (inset)OkinawaHokkaidoTohokuKantoChubuKansaiChugokuShikokuKyushu &Okinawa

A locator map of Japan’s 47 prefectures and eight regions. Okinawa is shown in an inset; the Amami and Ogasawara islands are omitted. Not a route map. Natural Earth · public domain.

Map photography & credits

Square crops, resized and converted to WebP. Photo adaptations retain the indicated licenses.

All photography & licenses
Irori hearth in Chiiori, Iya — archival photograph from 2013
Photography: Alex Kerr

Chiiori irori floor hearths.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0
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A DIFFERENT KIND OF STAY / IYA

Sometimes the stay
is the journey.

Make room for a mountain night. Consider the road to your stay, the evening meal and the morning after.

Plan a stay in Iya ↗

Chiiori, photographed in 2013. An archival view, not a current room or availability listing.

03 / FROM INSPIRATION TO ITINERARY

The details make
the difference.

Good journeys leave room for wonder. Good planning makes that room possible.

01

A first night in an onsen town

Bath etiquette, ryokan rhythms and time to unwind.

02

An island ride, at your pace

Choose your distance before you choose your overnight stop.

03

A walk between old post towns

The Magome–Tsumago trail, with practical details for the day.

Search all 11 guides by place and travel style ↗

04 / THE NEXT STEP

Make the journey
your own.

The right overnight stop. The last bus home. A walk that fits your day. Plan the details, then continue to official information.

Explore all 11 practical guides ↗

Official information for Shimanami Kaido

Official stay directory (Japanese) ↗Official bicycle rental ↗Official access & timetables ↗Read the overnight planning guideRead the area guide first

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