A Japan travel guide written by someone who actually lives here.
I live in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Not as an expat on a two-year contract — this is my home. And after years of watching foreign visitors follow the same Tokyo-Kyoto-Osaka loop, I wanted to build something different.
MEGURI exists to show you the Japan that guidebooks ignore. The pottery town where an 80-year-old master will teach you to throw a bowl. The ¥100 shop where everything costs seventy cents and the quality puts Western stores to shame. The coastal shrine where you will be the only foreigner — possibly the only person — watching the sunrise.
"MEGURI" (巡り) means "to journey through" or "to make a circuit." It is the Japanese word for exploring a series of places with intention and curiosity — not just checking landmarks off a list.
No press trips. Nobody flew me anywhere or gave me a free hotel room. Every recommendation on this site comes from places I have visited on my own, paid for with my own money.
No sponsored content. When I recommend a restaurant, it is because the food is good — not because someone paid me. Affiliate links exist on this site (they help keep the lights on), but they never influence what I recommend.
Local knowledge. I know which convenience store onigiri is the best. I know which JR platform to stand on to get a seat. I know which "hidden gem" is actually overrun with tourists and which one genuinely has nobody there. This is the knowledge you get from living here, not visiting.
Our free articles give you knowledge. Our premium route guides give you a plan. Each PDF includes a day-by-day itinerary with exact train times, restaurant reservations, hotel picks, and Google Maps links for every stop. You wake up, open the PDF, and follow the plan. No research needed.
They are built for people who want to explore Japan beyond Tokyo and Kyoto but do not have time to spend weeks planning. Everything is tested and written by someone who has actually walked these routes.
Have a question about traveling in Japan? Want to suggest a topic? Just want to say hello? Email us at hello@gomeguri.com — we read and reply to every message.