8 naturally Japan experiences, perfect for Reset Jetters

Elevating your health this year is as simple as visiting one of Japan’s key destinations for mindfulness.

‘Reset jetters’ is a growing trend group of travellers for good reason. More and more, travellers are focusing on restorative, wellness-oriented trips to rejuvenate, both physically and mentally. In Japan, mindfulness and restorative practices aren’t trends, but traditional ways of life dating back centuries. Practices like forest bathing – the practice of mindfully immersing into a forest environment – and the ritual of visiting an onsen.

Pair practices like these with a diverse landscape, ranging from volcanic mountains to tranquil forests, and you’ve got pockets in every corner of the country seemingly designed to help you slow down, relax and reboot.

You can find a new you anywhere in Japan, but we recommend getting started with one of the following eight wellness highlights:

1. Yakushima

Mononoke Forest Yakushima Island — Head into the moss-covered world of Yakushima. (Image: Marek Piwnicki)

Picture a mystical, moss-covered world filled with ancient cedars and dramatic canopies of entwined evergreen branches and take off your shoes: Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located off the southern coast of Kagoshima Prefecture, welcomes you to engage in what could be the world’s most picturesque session of forest bathing.

Also known as shinrin-yoku, forest bathing – the act of consciously connecting with a natural environment – has long been known to boost immunity, lower blood pressure, reduce fatigue, and lessen anxiety and depression. Something to think about as you undertake the 20-kilometre Seibu Rindo Forest Path that passes through untouched wilderness teeming with Yakushima monkeys and deer.

2. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park

Hakone Ropeway, Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park — Take the Hakone Ropeway over onsen. (Image: Jenna Neal)

There’s bathing, and then there’s melting – body and soul – into an onsen shaped by thousands of years of volcanic activity, gazing up at Mt Fuji as you unwind. In Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, located just southwest of Tokyo, the question isn’t so much about where, but which one? The park offers an abundance of adventure across four distinct areas stretching from the iconic mountain to a sprinkling of islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Ride the Hakone Ropeway up to Owakudani which, thanks to sulfur vents and a concentration of onsen, is known as the ‘great boiling valley’. Be sure to visit or a stay at one of the many public bathhouses and ryokan located in Yumoto, Hakone’s largest onsen town. Popular options include the outdoor baths of Tenzan, and the stone and wood baths of Hakone Kamon.

3. Shikoku Pilgrimage

offerings at the temple, Shikoku Henro — Temple offerings along the Shikoku Pilgrimage. (Image: Sarah Reid)

Atonement, spiritual reflection, or perhaps just a desire to leave daily distractions behind; no matter the reason, Shikoku (the smallest of Japan’s main four islands) invites positive change in the most picturesque of settings: via its 1200-kilometre Shikoku Pilgrimage.

Believed to have been started over 1200 years ago, the circuit takes in 88 temples, mist-covered mountains and bubbling hot springs as you embrace the centuries-old cultural tradition of osettai (hospitality towards other pilgrims along the route).

While traditionally walked, you now have the option of completing the pilgrimage by car, bus or train. Discover Shikoku can help visitors incorporate the pilgrimage into their travel plans by booking accommodation, as well as providing transport and outfitting.

4. Matsushima

Soak in the striking scenery of Matsushima Bay. (Image: Nakae)

Countless studies over the years have shown that the mere act of looking at beautiful landscapes can not only reduce stress and fatigue, but also elevate feelings of well-being. While scenic spots across Japan are hardly in short supply, it’s hard to argue against a visit to Matsushima Bay, a destination that’s considered one of the country’s three most scenic spots in the country.

Located on the eastern coast of the Tohoku Region, there are plenty of ways to take in both the sight of Matsushima’s 260 pine-clad islets and harness the feel-good energy of those views. You can book a boat tour of the islands, explore Oshima Island or Fukuura Island on foot, or just enjoy incredible views from Mt Otakamori or Mt Tomiyama.

5. Tottori

Tottori Sand Dunes, Japan — Paraglide over the Tottori Sand Dunes.

At Tottori Sand Dunes, the expansive desert-like landscape along the Sea of Japan, it’s a big yes to all of the above, plus so much more as you explore the dunes with childlike wonder.

Blanketed in snow in winter and vibrant with purple scallion blossoms come late October/early November, Tottori Sand Dunes – part of the Sanin Kaigan National Park – spans 16 kilometres and offers a wealth of mesmerising activity options. Sandboarding or paragliding sessions complete? You can retreat to the observation deck of the Tottori Sand Dunes Center, where you can watch the movement of the tides and the coastal winds shape-shift an ever-changing landscape.

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6. Kamikochi

Solo female on a hike in the Chubu-Sangaku National Park, Japan — Kamikochi is suitable for all hiking abilities. (Image: Getty Images/visualspace)

Take a pristine Alpine valley teeming with lush forests, crystal waters and dramatic peaks, and you’ve got the ultimate hiking destination – the perfect place to improve your cardiovascular health and build stronger muscles and bones.

Kamikochi, a largely undeveloped resort in the Northern Japan Alps, has long been popular with hikers (and wildlife such as Japanese serow, deer, foxes and the occasional shy bear) in the know, but that sweeping mountain scenery can be enjoyed by walkers of all abilities. Take a day to tackle the relatively flat trails along Azusa River from Taisho Pond to Myojin Bridge. Or if you’re feeling adventurous (and have plenty of hiking experience), say yes to climbing those surrounding peaks.

7. Daisetsuzan National Park

person walking through wildflowers in Daisetsuzan National Park hokkaido summer guide japan — Time your walk through Daisetsuzan National Park with the wildflowers. (Image: Getty/ Perry Svensson)

Embracing the power of colour therapy is as simple as taking a hike in Daisetsuzan National Park, an unspoiled mountain wilderness located in Hokkaido that’s celebrated for its volcanic landscape and hiking trails.

The first place in Japan to see the vibrant pops of foliage in autumn – not to mention the region’s famous crystalline snowscapes – the best way to harness the energy of colour is by taking a hike through this rugged expanse. Short hikes, such as the Sugatami Pond Walking Path (taking in Mt Asahidake’s fumaroles), punch well above their weight. But it’s hard to beat the Nakadake Onsen hike, which guides you up towards natural hot springs and back again.

8. Koyosan

Okunoin Cemetery in Koyasan — See the temples of Koyosan. (Image: Getty/ ncousla)

On paper, it’s a remote cedar woodland area to the south of Osaka, but Koyosan is at its heart home to one of the major sects of Shingon Buddhism. Introduced some 1200 years ago by one of Japan’s most significant religious figures, Kukai (also known as Kobo Daishi).

Here, in a world either ablaze with spring cherry blossoms, covered with a rich tapestry of autumn leaves or blanketed in glistening snow, you are presented with the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of pilgrims. Not only as you traverse atmospheric forest paths to holy Buddhist sites, but as you bed down in one of 52 traditional shukubo temple stays and see and learn the inner workings of monastic Shingon life.

For further information on wellness and mindfulness in Japan, please visit japan.travel.

After youth-led protests in 2025, this year Nepal elected a 35-year-old former rapper as Prime Minister. In a country where tourism is its biggest industry, what’s next for travellers?

In 1986, Nepal changed its clock. It had used India Standard Time since 1920 so, to differentiate, it wound its clock 15 minutes ahead of, not behind, its big-brother neighbour. Boss move. “Nepal is strongly opposed to the idea that our identity is connected to India,” says Community Homestay Network (CHN) guide Bikal Khanal.

Tharu dance is traditionally set to hand drums. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

Today, Nepal is the only independent country with a 45-minute deviation to universal time; an oddity that’s become a symbol of national pride. The quirk is nearly as endearing as Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan airport where carved varnished wood and shiny red bricks rule. One sign points to a ‘Travelator’ and another to a ‘Grievance Handling Desk’ while visas are noisily stamped at customs for US dollars, cash only. When am I?

Spot the endemic Nepal gray langur. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The 15 or 45 minute anomaly sees me tap out completely on timezone calculations. Why bend my brain calculating if it’s quarter to or quarter past elsewhere when I’m in the honking here and now of Kathmandu where the air is high-altitude crisp, the prayer flags flutter and the street dogs howl?

How tourism is changing in Nepal

Bardiya National Park is rich with wildlife. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

India is not the only association many Nepalis would like to shake. With eight of the world’s 10 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest and Annapurna, Nepal has long attracted mountaineers and trekkers, and expedition numbers are continuing to rise.

Tourism is one of the country’s biggest sources of foreign currency, so this growth is not negative, per se. But according to Ang Tshering Lama, who co-founded Phaplu Mountain Bike Club, being reduced to a mere trekking destination is limiting.

“Trekking is just one layer of our identity,” says Ang. “When it becomes the dominant narrative, it limits how we’re seen and how we see ourselves.” Nepal’s recent success, however, in diverting trekkers to less-trafficked areas such as Manaslu mofuntain, where visitor numbers rose by 117 per cent last year, offers hope that tourism can diversify even more radically.

Local men in Bhada village. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The founder of CHN, Shiva Dhakal, wants that change. “The whole idea of the Community Homestay Network is to promote experiences outside of trekking,” he says. “Community tourism changes lives and helps kids stay home instead of coming to the city or migrating to the Middle East.”

Ang grew up seeing people leave, “not because they wanted to but because there weren’t enough opportunities to stay”, he states. Yet from remote villages to living traditions; food, art, music and emerging subcultures, “there’s so much that’s not being seen.”

CHN is opening some of those doors. It doesn’t own, or fund, any homes. Rather, it promotes homestays to travellers on a single, slick platform, while fostering entrepreneurship in places where women, marginalised castes, Indigenous people and the youth stand to benefit the most.

A new generation demanding more

Dalla Town Hall, where volunteers discuss anti-poaching tactics. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The future prospects of next-gen Nepalis can no longer be ignored. On a Kathmandu tour with 33-year-old guide Monica K.C, we pass buildings torched in the September 2025 ‘Gen Z protests’, including the Supreme Court and Parliament House. Seventy-two people died. “They were anti-corruption protests,” says Monica. “Politicians’ children are living a lavish life but the airports are crowded with youngsters leaving to find work.”

We stop in ‘little Tibet’ at the wondrous sixth-century Boudha Stupa. “The wheel of life is Buddhism in a nutshell,” says Monica. “Things such as hate, ignorance and anger keep you rotating around the wheel, so you must follow the principles of Buddhism to detach. If you can’t, there’s no nirvana for you.”

Boudha Stupa's prayer wheels — Boudha Stupa’s prayer wheels are used to recite Buddhist prayers. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

In a sun-drenched twist to the usual temple visit, we ascend the stupa’s sloping plinth and roam its whitewashed dome. Tendrils of diaphanous prayer flags stream from a steeple-like structure where the Buddha’s unblinking eyes stare out. No nirvana for you…

bouda stupa prayer flags — Tibetan-style prayer flags embellish the whitewashed dome of Bouda Stupa, a Buddhist temple. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

The dome is delightfully free of guard rails or chiding from security. There is, however, a stern ‘No TikTok’ sign, perhaps in response to the youth’s newly flexed power. The booted-out Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, was replaced in a resounding election victory in March by 35-year-old Balendra Shah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) – a former rapper and mayor of Kathmandu. The RSP’s manifesto indicates tourism is a priority, and that Nepal’s cultural identity in areas such as gastronomy will be strengthened.

Boudha Stupa vendors — Vibrant souvenir shops and cafes around Boudha Stupa. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

A more confronting stop awaits at Pashupatinath Temple. Today is Bala Chaturdashi, a Hindu festival where thousands of devotees gather to honour their dead ancestors. Vendors hauling foam mattresses do a lucrative trade as people set up for a night of vigil. This includes burning the bodies of recently deceased relatives on bamboo pyres in the Bagmati River, which flows into the sacred Ganges.

A woman at annual Hindu festival Bala Chaturdashi, in Kathmandu. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Wrapped in a shroud, the bodies are positioned with their heads facing north to the Himalayas where Lord Shiva resides. They’re covered with flowers and straw and set alight by male family members.

Hours later, the ashes are swept into the river where devotees will take a holy dip the next day. As much as Monica assures us it’s not voyeuristic to watch, I struggle to do so. “Here you see the reality of life because everyone ends up there,” she says, gesturing to the river.

Life unfiltered in the Terai region

tharu woman — Tharu woman and master weaver Parbati Chaudhary in Bhada Village. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The reality of life needs processing time, which the western Terai region delivers in spades. The Terai is largely separated from India by the Karnali River and Bardiya National Park, where elephants, rhinos and the elusive Bengal tiger roam.

Once a nomadic tribe, the Indigenous Tharu people are now the largest ethnic group here. “They didn’t know their daily life was interesting for international travellers but they’re starting to understand now,” says CHN founder Shiva.

Take a Jeep safari through Bardiya National Park. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

We fly Buddha Air to Dhangadhi airport and drive five hours to stay in Tharu homes. The journey to Bhada village is a blur of roadside fruit stalls, traffic-stopping sacred cows and fields sown with wheat, rice, mustard, spinach, cauliflower and potatoes. Nepal’s agriculture feeds only Nepal.

Marigolds are an important part of Hindu rituals. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

“The only thing we export is young people,” says our guide Bikal. As the light dims and we plunge evermore rural, mysterious mounds of compacted hay – some house-sized – loom like the creatures from Where The Wild Things Are. Even our trusty driver gets flummoxed by a dirt road that abruptly ends and we find ourselves hurtling across a paddock.

On arrival, some are ferried to mud-walled cottages greened by gourd creepers, with thatched roofs and rustic-chic mosquito nets. Myself and two others are ushered to the home of corner store owner, mechanic and mushroom farmer Man Kumar Chilaruwa and his wife Rajkumari.

community homestay entrance — A warm welcome at a community homestay. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

They escort us to a bunker-esque back building with steel doors and a folding security gate, behind which is gleaming linoleum, dolphin-printed tiles and a shower cavity that must be gingerly stepped through to reach the toilet.

The ceiling lights emit a rainbow of colours (the bathroom light gets stuck in, frankly, a quite frightening red). We’re nevertheless touched that our hosts invested in all this bling when the average salary is around $275 a month.

In the coming days, we participate in Tharu traditions such as making moonshine, dancing, weaving straw handicrafts and gold-panning. We’re fed well with staples of rice, mustard greens, lentil pancakes, daal, curried chicken and tomato chutney served on antibacterial saal leaves.

food at community homestay — Dig in. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Sonara community homestay president Indradevi Tharu tells us river snails are often served, and the boiled and pickled flesh of rats hunted in the rice fields. “Perhaps next time?” we say and all have a laugh.

The power of community homestays

community homestay owners in Nepal — Barda community homestay owners Parbati Chaudhary and Ram Krishni Devi Chaudhary. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

Immersing Western visitors in foreign cultural practices is not new. But with the Tharu, I never get that uneasy sensation that I’m being performed for. Despite being the only tourists, there’s no ‘othering’; just warm, composed and ultra-dignified welcomes. Like we’ve always been here.

“I love to have travellers in my village so I can see the world,” says local woman Parbati Chaudhary. “Why would I travel the world when the world comes to me?”

The graceful acceptance the Tharu offer, as well as the slow pace, works miracles on my frazzled nervous system. One day I even take a nap on a vacant homestay bed.

Sonara community room — An authentic stay in the Sonara community. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Roosters strut and goats bray as we sit on the ground in al fresco kitchens, rolling rice flour into cylinders steamed to make dhikri (dumplings). When water is needed, we fetch it using a hand-operated pump as a family of ducks strolls by, side-eying us like curious neighbours.

Animal lovers will delight in Tharu villages. Kind and resourceful inventions are everywhere, such as snacking stations where two posts lean together, with leafy boughs dangling on rope for baby goats to forage from.

CHN’s CEO, Aayusha Prasain, nods knowingly when one in our group says she cried when she left her host, Shayam Chaudhary, in Bhada. Shayam’s 17-year-old son, Prashant, had translated, which deepened the connection.

“Community tourism turns travel into a relationship, not a transaction,” says Aayusha. “It places decision-making power in the hands of local communities, especially women and youth.” Since 2018, CHN has hosted more than 4000 travellers from 52 countries in 408 households, and estimates women’s participation has increased by 381 per cent.

In the Bardiya community, where vexing human-animal conflict has been a balancing act for decades due to elephants raiding crops, long-time homestay operator Salik Ram Chaudhary says young people keep the older ones on their toes.

“We can’t keep homestays stagnant,” he says. “We have to upgrade our service and redefine our product or young people won’t see it as an attractive business. If we can keep evolving with this travelling trend we’re confident the youths will stay and continue it.”

Back in Kathmandu, Monica explains that after the deaths of young protestors in September, a determination had spread to not let their sacrifice be in vain. “We want to keep holding the government accountable,” she says. “We don’t know what situation we’re facing, but we’re ready to face it.”

Interested in Nepal but prefer to experience it in total comfort? Read our guide to luxury travel in Nepal.