I spent a year traveling around Japan. Skip the crowded tourist spots and head to these 4 destinations instead.

Hakone and Sapporo are two of my favorite places to visit in Japan. Sarah O'Keefe After traveling all around Japan, I've found places I love more than tourist hot spots like Tokyo. Instead of visiting popular cities like Kyoto, I recommend checking out Miyajima's architecture. My favorite, less crowded option for seeing cherry blossoms is in Sapporo. From slurping steamy ramen to strolling through cherry blossoms and searching for vintage Pokémon shirts, Japan has become one of my favorite ...