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

Godzilla Or Hello Kitty!

We enjoyed a day trip to Awaji Island also known by many as "Godzilla Island" because Awaji Island is where the legend of Godzilla was born in 1954.  Its here where the giant lizard arose from the depths to terrorize Japan and the world ever since. The "Godzilla...

A Fast Tour of Seven Amazing Places!

Uploaded a short, fast paced video yesterday featuring seven of our favorite cities with things to do in them.  Most of them are little known places in these areas, while a couple are very popular spots.  Nice thing about most of these is that they are not overrun...

A walk through a Japanese Post Town

After several months, I've uploaded another video.  This time I'm documenting our visit to the historic post town of Ouchijuku.   A "post town" in Japan refers to a town that during the Edo Period from the mid 1600's to the late 1800's served as a stopping point along...
Formula One In Japan!

Formula One In Japan!

In early April, Nagoya will host the Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit.  This is the only Formula 1 event in Japan and happens once a year.  We just posted a new video on the event along with some of the many other amazing things to do while in Nagoya other...

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Japanese New Year – Knoxville

Japanese New Year – Knoxville

This past weekend, we were invited to present Uncharted Japan at the annual Japanese New Year event hosted by the Japan Outreach Initiative in Knoxville, TN.  JOI is a cross cultural program of the Japanese government to increase knowledge of Japanese culture in the...

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Osaka EXPO 2025 Is Here!

Osaka EXPO 2025 Is Here!

This will be the biggest event in all of Japan in 2025.  Its Osaka Expo 2025 and it has been twenty years since the last time an expo was held in Japan, and likely another twenty years till the next.  Therefore, if you are visiting Japan, you simply must include a...

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