Expect the Most Pleasant Unexpected: Urban Sanctuaries, Ziplines, Toilet Museums, and Luxury Hotels in Japan
Japan Monday, May 05, 2025Japan never runs out of ways to surprise travelers. One moment you’re in an urban paradise in Central Osaka that combines parks, malls, and fine-dining. In the next, you’re ziplining over farmland after a breakfast of local food in Chiba, wandering through a museum of Japanese toilets in Aichi, or appreciating the down time life gives us in the terraces of the Gate Hotel Fukuoka. Across the country’s many prefectures, new places are opening their doors, offering different places to stay and explore. If you’re looking for new places to captivate you, here are four fresh spots that deserve a place on your next itinerary.
In the heart of Osaka, Grand Green Osaka unfolds as a new kind of urban retreat, where city parks meet upscale dining, design-forward shopping, and slow moments of wellness. Days begin with local pastries or pour-over coffee on terrace cafes, followed by sushi omakase, open-kitchen steak dinners, or a stroll through the flagship stores. Below ground, the buzzing Time Out Market gathers top chefs to serve some of the best food across Kansai, alongside live cultural events and performances. Soak in a rooftop onsen, wind down in 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.
Photo courtesy of ©INAX MUSEUMS
The newest addition to the INAX MUSEUMS in Tokoname, Aichi, 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.
