Uncharted Japan

Exploring places most visitors never see

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Why Uncharted Japan

I’m John Haynes and my wife, Josephine is the fourth generation in her family to have been born in Japan with her great, great-grandparents having arrived in September 1861 from New York only a few years after Japan opened to the west. Her ancestors served as missionaries there when Ronin (former Samurai) still roamed the countryside.  It was very much unlike today’s Japan.  Therefore her family has a very long history retaining many contacts and the family still keeps the family home there north of Nagano.  No one of whom I’m aware in the Japan travel community online or on Youtube has such a background.  We both love Japan and enjoy sharing our experience with others.  Read on to learn more.

From The Blog

New Video By Our Friends in Germany

Just prior to our visit to the Osaka Expo 2025, we received an email from Finn-Bo Loresnzen of the Germany based indie pop band "Roast Apple" informing us they would be performing at the Germany Pavilion during the Expo.  As it turns out, we were there the same days...

Reached 5,000 Subscribers!

The other day we celebrated one year on Youtube, and today we reached another milestone.   We now have 5,000 subscribers to our Youtube channel.  Hard to imagine that on June 8, 2024, we started with zero.  I'm told most new channels don't make it to one year or never...

We’re One Year Old!

On June 8th of last year, we published our first video on our visit to Takayama.  With no experience in video production or editing, and having never uploaded anything to YouTube, we took the plunge and launched Uncharted Japan on YouTube.  Its been quite the...
The Most Beautiful Garden in Japan

The Most Beautiful Garden in Japan

Japan is well known for its amazing gardens.  There are several types that follow different criteria and one of the finest, yet most overlooked is the Adachi Gardens and Museum just outside the town of Matsue.  Matsue is located on the Sea of Japan on the southwestern...

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An  Excellent Day Trip From Hiroshima

An Excellent Day Trip From Hiroshima

Hiroshima is one of the more popular destinations in Japan, and for good reason.  Of course there's its unique history with the atomic bomb drop on August 5, 1945 which is memorialized at the Hiroshima Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Dome.  Then there's the iconic...

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The Best Open Air Museum in Tokyo?

The Best Open Air Museum in Tokyo?

We recently discovered the Edo Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum on the edge of Tokyo.  It was an exceptionally nice find.  If you have only one day or two in Tokyo and want to get a true sense of its history through its architecture and culture, then you simply...

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