HIDDEN JAPAN
GIROPPONANDO
Discover the Japan
only locals know
WHAT WE COVER
Three ways to taste Japan
Architecture
Centuries-old temples, brutalist landmarks and the neighbourhoods where Japanese design takes shape.
Explore Architecture →Activities
Tea ceremonies, artisan workshops and the experiences that turn a trip into a memory.
Explore Activities →LATEST STORIES
From the magazine
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A Forest of Glass: The National Art Center, Tokyo
Three thousand panes of glass, no two alike, washed by hand one at a time: a full circuit…
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A Suit of Steel: 21_21 DESIGN SIGHT
At Tokyo Midtown, Tadao Ando folded a 54-metre steel sheet like a length of cloth, following Issey Miyake’s…
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The House Built So You Won’t Die: Inside the Reversible Destiny Lofts, Mitaka
Primary-coloured walls, rolling floors, spherical rooms. Arakawa and Gins completed this Tokyo apartment building in 2005 as a…
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Wrapped in White Curves: Musashino Place, Musashisakai’s Living Room
One minute from Musashisakai Station, Musashino Place is a library of soft white curves that won the Architectural…
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In a Cave of Stone, Face to Face with Coffee — Ogawa Coffee Laboratory, Sakurashinmachi
In a quiet residential corner of Sakurashinmachi hides a black box: Kyoto roaster Ogawa Coffee’s laboratory wins you…
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The Dancing Soufflé Pancake of Harajuku: Inside MICASADECO&CAFÉ JINGUMAE
A three-star, award-winning soufflé pancake near Harajuku and Omotesando, born from an unlikely paint-company café with a story…
OUR PHILOSOPHY
“The best of Japan isn’t in the guidebook —
it’s behind a door a local opens for you.”
We connect travellers to the real Japan. The places we share on social become stories — and tailor-made tours, made just for you.
TAILOR-MADE TOUR
We’ll plan your perfect trip
Tell us what you love — food, architecture, activities — and we’ll craft a private itinerary with the spots only insiders know.
@REAL_JAPAN_TOUR
Follow the journey
Daily videos from the hidden corners of Japan.