What is ikigai (生き甲斐)? Pronounced ick-ee-guy, ikigai roughly translates to ‘reason for being’, and is essentially your true passion and calling in life—what gets you up every morning. This age-old ideology offers the answer to the one question that has been on our lips since the beginning time.

A short trip from any major city, in any direction, is a Japan often overlooked. With plenty to see, do and eat, regional Japan is the place to be if you’re looking to avoid the tourist traps and discover the ‘other side’. On your next trip, take a step off the ‘Golden Route’ (Tokyo, Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima) and start ticking off some of Japan’s best kept secrets on the list below!

Karuizawa is a mountain resort town in Nagano Prefecture. From Tokyo, it’s a 65 min one-way trip by Hakutaka Shinkansen or 75 mins if you take the slightly slower Asama Shinkansen (both are covered by the JR Pass). In winter, Karuizawa is a popular snow resort, but doesn’t get the same quality or quantity of snow other Nagano resorts like Hakuba, so it’s more popular with locals than overseas tourists.