Walking Tour of Japan - Details, episodes & analysis

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Walking Tour of Japan

Society & Culture

Frequency: 1 episode/6d. Total Eps: 31

Walking Tour of Japan is a podcast built to enhance how you experience one of the world's most captivating countries. By combining storytelling with location-based insights, we help you connect more deeply with the places you visit — before your trip, during it, or from the comfort of home. Our mission is to make exploration more meaningful, flexible, and accessible for everyone.

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Hakodate Morning Market: Live Squid Fishing, Seafood Bowls & Hokkaido's Postwar Market — Hakodate, Japan

Season 1 · Episode 31

Monday, November 2, 2026 • Duration 17:28

Step into the Hakodate Morning Market (Hakodate Asaichi), one of Hokkaido's most famous seafood markets, on this immersive audio walking tour of Hakodate, Japan. Starting just outside JR Hakodate Station, we wander through roughly 250 shops and stalls piled with king crab, hairy crab, sea urchin, salmon roe, scallops and sweet Hokkaido melons.

Along the way you'll learn how the market was born in 1945, when farmers sold vegetables by hand in the hungry months after World War II, and how it grew into the city's kitchen after settling at its current site in 1956. We stop at Donburi Yokocho (Rice Bowl Alley) for a seafood rice bowl breakfast, try our luck at the famous live squid fishing pond in the Ekini Market, and explore why squid is Hakodate's official city fish, from the summer Squid Dance to the recent decline in local catches. We visit the diner behind the original Tomoe bowl, the hand-shaved kelp and dried goods of the Morning Market Square, and the small stone monument marking the market's birthplace, before finishing at the harbor beside the retired Seikan ferry Mashu Maru with a view of Mount Hakodate.

Places to eat mentioned in this episode: Kikuyo Shokudo (seafood bowls over charcoal-steamed rice), Lucky Pierrot Hakodate Ekimae (local burger chain), Menchubo Ajisai JR Hakodate Station (Hakodate shio ramen), and Hakodate Beer (local brewpub).

Nearby sites covered: the Mashu Maru Seikan Ferry Memorial Ship, Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses, the Motomachi district, Mount Hakodate and its ropeway, Goryokaku Fort, and Hakodate Jiyu Market.

Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

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Ryoan-ji Temple and Kyoto's Mysterious Zen Rock Garden — Kyoto, Japan

Season 1 · Episode 30

Monday, October 26, 2026 • Duration 20:01

Fifteen stones, a sea of raked white gravel, and a mystery that has endured for more than five centuries. In this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, we take an unhurried audio walk through Ryoan-ji, the Temple of the Peaceful Dragon, home to the most famous Zen rock garden in the world and part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.

Starting at the temple gate in northwest Kyoto, we stroll past Kyoyochi Pond, a survivor of a Heian-era aristocratic estate, climb the mossy stone steps to the abbot's hall, and settle onto the veranda to face the karesansui garden itself. You'll learn why you can never see all 15 stones at once, how the oil-infused clay wall plays tricks with perspective, what scientists discovered hidden in the garden's empty spaces, and how the temple's founder, the warlord Hosokawa Katsumoto, helped ignite the very war that burned it down. We also visit the famous tsukubai water basin and its Zen riddle, explore the returned fusuma paintings, and finish with a quiet loop around the pond that most visitors miss.

Along the way, you'll get practical tips on beating the crowds, where to sit for the best view, and why a rainy day might be the perfect time to go.

Hungry after your visit? We recommend yudofu (simmered tofu) at Seigen-in inside the temple grounds, Kyoto-style okonomiyaki at the tiny, family-run Okonomiyaki Katsu, and ramen at Ramen KAZU near the Golden Pavilion. We also highlight nearby sites worth adding to your day: Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion), Ninna-ji, Myoshin-ji, and Toji-in.

Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

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Meiji Jingu Shrine: Tokyo's Sacred Forest Shrine to Emperor Meiji — Tokyo, Japan

Season 1 · Episode 29

Monday, October 19, 2026 • Duration 20:02

Step off the train at Harajuku and into a forest that didn't exist a century ago. In this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, we take an immersive audio walk through Meiji Jingu, Tokyo's grand Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken — and through the 170-acre man-made forest planted by more than 100,000 volunteers to surround it.

You'll pass beneath the towering first torii, stand between the famous walls of sake barrels and Burgundy wine barrels, and walk under the Otorii, Japan's largest wooden myojin-style torii, carved from 1,500-year-old Taiwanese cypress. We detour into the peaceful Inner Garden (Gyoen) to visit the imperial teahouse, the South Pond, the June iris garden, and the legendary Kiyomasa's Well "power spot," then continue to the purification fountain, the South Gate, the husband-and-wife camphor trees, and the main hall. Along the way you'll learn how to pray at a Shinto shrine, why the shrine's fortunes are written as imperial poems, how the shrine was rebuilt after WWII air raids, and why more than three million people visit for hatsumode each New Year.

After the tour, we share where to eat nearby: Forest Terrace Meiji Jingu right on the shrine grounds, AFURI Harajuku for yuzu shio ramen, Harajuku Gyoza Lou for cheap and delicious dumplings, and Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama for tonkatsu in a converted bathhouse. We also highlight other sites worth visiting nearby, including Yoyogi Park, Takeshita Street, Omotesando, the Ota Memorial Museum of Art, the Nezu Museum, and Togo Shrine.

Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

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Nara Park and Its Sacred Bowing Deer — Nara, Japan

Season 1 · Episode 28

Monday, October 12, 2026 • Duration 18:55

Wander among nearly 1,700 free-roaming sacred deer in Nara Park, the historic heart of Japan's first permanent capital. This audio walking tour begins at the edge of downtown Nara and leads you through Kofukuji Temple and its five-story pagoda (now under a once-in-a-century restoration), past the Nara National Museum, and up to the Great South Gate of Todaiji, where two eight-meter wooden guardian kings carved in 1203 tower over dozing deer.

From there, the walk heads east to the foot of Mount Wakakusa and across the quiet Tobihino meadow, then follows a moss-covered avenue of some 2,000 stone lanterns to Kasuga Taisha, the shrine whose legend of a god riding a white deer made Nara's deer sacred. Along the way you'll learn how to feed the deer with shika senbei crackers (and why they bow), visit the deer sanctuary that hosts the centuries-old October antler-cutting ceremony, and end with a quiet moment at Ukimido, the "floating" pavilion on Sagiike Pond.

Hungry? We recommend Nakatanidou for high-speed-pounded mugwort mochi, Kamameshi Shizuka for iron-pot rice with a crispy crust, the thatched-roof teahouse Mizuya Chaya for udon and matcha in the woods, and Hiraso for Nara's signature persimmon-leaf kakinoha sushi. Nearby, don't miss Isuien Garden, the old merchant lanes of Naramachi and Gangoji Temple, Shin-Yakushiji Temple, the Kasugayama Primeval Forest trail, and Todaiji's Great Buddha Hall.

Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

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Beppu Hells (Jigoku Meguri): Boiling Blue, Red, and Mud-Bubbling Springs — Beppu, Japan

Season 1 · Episode 27

Monday, October 5, 2026 • Duration 14:51

Step into one of Japan's strangest and most photogenic landscapes: the Beppu Hells, or Jigoku Meguri, a circuit of seven boiling hot springs so violent that locals once believed the land itself was cursed. In this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, we walk the full circuit across the Kannawa and Shibaseki districts of Beppu, Kyushu, starting at the cobalt-blue Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell), formed 1,200 years ago by an eruption of Mount Tsurumi, and moving through the bubbling gray mud of Oniishibozu Jigoku (Monk's Head Hell), the six-in-one Kamado Jigoku (Cooking Pot Hell), the crocodile-filled Oniyama Jigoku, and the milky-white garden pond of Shiraike Jigoku. We finish in Shibaseki with the blood-red Chinoike Jigoku, Japan's oldest documented hot spring, and the dramatic geyser of Tatsumaki Jigoku.

Along the way, you'll learn how a 1910 entrepreneur turned a feared volcanic wasteland into one of Japan's top attractions, why locals steam rice, eggs, and puddings using nothing but hot spring vapor, and where to find the best jigoku mushi (hell-steamed) meals in town, including Jigoku Mushi Kobo Kannawa and the steam kitchen at Hyotan Onsen. We also point you toward nearby stops worth adding to your trip: the centuries-old Kannawa Mushi Yu steam bath, the pudding shop and mineral huts of Myoban Onsen, the historic sand baths of Takegawara Onsen, and the sweeping volcano views from the Beppu Ropeway.

Whether you're planning a trip to Kyushu or just want to experience one of the most otherworldly corners of Japan from wherever you are, this episode brings the steam, color, and history of the Beppu Hells to life.

Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

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A Shogun Made Divine, Nikko's Gilded Mountain Shrine — Nikko, Japan

Season 1 · Episode 26

Monday, September 28, 2026 • Duration 13:29

Step inside Nikko Toshogu, the dazzling mountain mausoleum built for Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who ended a century of civil war and unified Japan, then was declared a guardian deity after his death. In this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, we walk the full grounds of this UNESCO World Heritage shrine: the towering stone torii and red five-story pagoda at the entrance, the Sacred Stable's famous Three Wise Monkeys carving, the ceiling of the "crying dragon" that rings like a bell when you clap beneath it, the gold-leafed Yomeimon Gate with its deliberately imperfect upside-down pillar, the tiny Sleeping Cat carving tucked above a side gate, and the quiet, cedar-shaded climb of 207 stone steps to Ieyasu's actual tomb at the Okusha inner shrine. Along the way we share tips on the best time of day to visit, the quiet detour most tour groups skip, and a few carvings hiding in plain sight. We also point you toward lunch: casual yakitori and gyoza at Hippari Dako, refined vegetarian yuba kaiseki at Gyoushintei, and old-fashioned Meiji-era Western dishes at Meiji no Yakata, all within easy walking distance of the shrine. And we look beyond Toshogu to the sights nearby worth adding to your trip: the legendary vermilion Shinkyo Bridge, the gilded Buddhas of Rinnoji Temple, the older and simpler Futarasan Shrine, the more understated Taiyuinbyo mausoleum, and the mountain scenery of Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls.

Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

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Walking the Bikan Historical Quarter's Canals, Cotton Mills, and Hilltop Shrine — Kurashiki, Japan

Season 1 · Episode 25

Monday, September 21, 2026 • Duration 14:30

Step inside Japan's "Little Venice" on this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, as we walk the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter from its willow-lined canal to a hilltop shrine overlooking the whole town. Discover how an Edo-period rice-trading canal town became home to Japan's first museum of Western art, the story behind the Ohara Museum of Art's unlikely El Greco masterpiece, the ivy-covered red brick of the old Kurabo cotton mill at Ivy Square, and the centuries-old wisteria vine at Achi Shrine.

Along the way, we stop for coffee and cake at Cafe El Greco, rice bowls and pudding at Yuurin-an, and a relaxed build-your-own plate at Kurashiki Salad and Cafe Nagayamon, then point you toward Kojima Jeans Street, Korakuen Garden, and the Great Seto Bridge for the rest of your trip through Okayama Prefecture.

Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

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The Nebuta Museum, Aomori WA RASSE and the Festival That Burns Bright, Then Disappears

Season 1 · Episode 24

Monday, September 14, 2026 • Duration 11:05

Step inside the Nebuta Museum WA RASSE, the striking red waterfront building in Aomori City built to hold onto the memory of Japan's most explosive summer festival. In this episode of Walking Tour of Japan, we trace the more than three-hundred-year history of the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, walk through a darkened hall of massive illuminated floats built from washi paper and wire, and explore the traditions of haneto dance and matsuri-bayashi music that bring the festival to life even outside of its six nights each August. Along the way, we stop for a build-your-own seafood bowl at Furukawa Fish Market and browse the stalls of Auga Fresh Market, then look ahead to nearby stops including the ancient Sannai-Maruyama archaeological site, the Aomori Museum of Art, and the panoramic views from ASPAM tower.

Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

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Nakafurano, Japan: Farm Tomita and the Furano Lavender Fields - Hokkaido's Purple Valley Grown from a Near-Failed Gamble

Season 1 · Episode 23

Monday, September 7, 2026 • Duration 09:42

Step into the valley that turned a near-failed rice farm into one of Hokkaido's most photographed landscapes. This episode of Walking Tour of Japan takes you through Farm Tomita in Nakafurano, where a family's stubborn 1950s gamble on lavender - a crop nearly wiped out by cheap synthetic fragrance oil in the 1970s - grew into the rolling purple hillsides and rainbow-striped flower fields that now draw over a million visitors a year. Walk the historic Traditional Lavender Field up to its panoramic viewpoint over the Furano basin and the Tokachi mountains, wander the famously photogenic striped Field of the Flower People, and step inside the farm's working distillery where lavender oil is still extracted the same way it was decades ago. Along the way, we cover where to eat on the farm grounds and at the nearby Furano Cheese Factory, known for its wine-infused cheddar and wood-fired pizza, plus two easy add-ons for your itinerary: the artisan log cabins of Ningle Terrace and the strikingly blue waters of Biei's famous Blue Pond.

Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

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Kiyomizu-dera: Kyoto, the Cliffside Temple of Pure Water

Season 1 · Episode 22

Monday, August 31, 2026 • Duration 10:57

Kyoto: Kiyomizu-dera - Climb the historic Higashiyama slopes of Kyoto to Kiyomizu-dera, a UNESCO World Heritage temple founded in 778 AD around a sacred spring. This episode walks you through the vermilion Niomon Gate and past its three-storied pagoda, out onto the temple's legendary wooden stage - built without a single nail and famous for the Japanese saying about taking a "leap of faith." You'll drink from the three blessing-streams of the Otowa Waterfall, pass the matchmaking stones of a hillside shrine, and learn the history behind a temple that has burned down and been rebuilt again and again for over a thousand years.

Along the way, we recommend where to refuel: hand-whisked matcha at GOKAGO, fresh fried donuts at loose kyoto, matcha soba noodles at Menkuroudo, and traditional sweets at Kasagiya. We also point you toward nearby Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka, Kodai-ji Temple, the Yasaka Pagoda, and the streets of Gion for the rest of your day in Higashiyama.

Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.

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Walking Tour of Japan - Details, episodes & analysis

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Walking Tour of Japan - Details, episodes & analysis

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