Last Updated: Jul 4, 2024

Why I Love Japan

Five Reasons Why You Need to Visit

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium

One day while I was on the Gram, someone asked me out of the blue why I spend such a staggering amount of money traveling around Japan and promoting my content. This person was a fellow creator here in Tokyo, so I was initially taken aback by their sudden query. I mean, isn’t it blatantly obvious why I am so inescapably addicted to this amazing country? If anything, I am the one who is puzzled why someone wouldn’t want to throw all of their disposable income at exploring Japan. Honestly, what the hell else would I do with it? Let it sit in the bank?

Alas, I guess not everyone out there has drunk as much of the #LoveJapan Kool-Aid as I have yet. While Japan indeed ranks high on travelers’ lists of destinations when this global pandemic is finally over, I don’t think many realize just how special this country really is. I won’t go as far as fully indoctrinating you into the cult; however, I do want to provide you, the reader, with five reasons why I will forever be head over heels in love with exploring a different side of Japan.

So, without further ado…

Reason One: Endless Discovery

It’s not exactly a well-kept secret that the official slogan for the Japan National Tourism Organization (or JNTO for short) is “endless discovery.” That said, I don’t think many tourists realize exactly how apt of a catchphrase this really is. Put simply, my bucket list for places that I want to visit in Japan is now so long that I would require multiple lifetimes to complete it. Hell, one could live for over a century and never even scratch the surface of Tokyo, let alone the rest of Japan.

Though comparatively only the size of the state of California, Japan is chock full of attractions and hidden gems. In stark contrast to the excruciatingly humdrum suburban sprawl of North America, just about anywhere in Japan has the potential to intrigue overseas visitors. In fact, throughout all my travels across the vast Japanese countryside, I cannot recall a single trip that left me…