Historic Areas
Japan's has some well preserved historic areas, many of them seeing like living museums. Check out:
- former samurai districts - Nagamachi in Kanazawa city and Kakunodate in Tōhoku are excellent examples.
- old merchant districts - head to the old town in Takayama, the canal area in Kurashiki or Nakamachi in Matsumoto.
- old post towns built for travellers - walk from Magome to Tsumago on the Nakasendō.
- historic farming town - Shirakawa-go and nearby Ogimachi.
- Ryūkyū culture - check out the living museum that is Taketomi island village in the southern Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa.