Alternative Japan is your guide to the Japan that locals know and love. Forget the crowded, overpriced, and hollow experience of the standard tourist trail. Find a richer, more authentic, and far more rewarding journey.

• Instead of Tokyo, discover the cool, breezy port city of Yokohama, the birthplace of Japanese jazz.
• Trade the tourist traps of Osaka for the unapologetic samurai soul and hearty cuisine of Nagoya.
• Swap the crush of Kyoto for the exquisitely preserved samurai and geisha districts of Kanazawa, a city of art and power that the tourist herd hasn't discovered yet.
• And forget the miserable, commercialized climb up Mount Fuji; instead, traverse the spectacular, multi-stage alpine route across the "Roof of Japan" from Toyama.

You'll learn how to:

• Eat like a local: Master the art of Japan's food apps to find the local ramen joints and sushi counters that tourists overlook.

• Travel smarter: Japanese domestic market hotels (not advertised in English) for comfy stays at comfy prices.

• Experience the real culture: From the unspoken rules of the sento (public bath) to the etiquette of a local izakaya, move through Japan with the grace and confidence of an insider.

Alternative Japan is an invitation to experience Japan on your own terms.

Stop waiting in line. Start living a Japanese adventure.