Please recommend small cities to visit

Hello
I'm planning to visit Japan soon.
Well, for me, a big busy cities are not cup of my tea.
That's why I'm leaving this message here for help.
I'm looking for a city where I can feel real Japan.
Thank you for your help.

All cities and towns and villages are part of Japan. Are you saying that Tokyo is not part of Japan? A fake Japan? The capital, with the largest population, with the best innovations, technological advancements, and great food is not part of Japan....


How small is a small city? Population size? Land area? Gross Annual production?

If it just small than I would recommend:
Koya
Kyoto
Ise
Uji
Nara
Fukuoka
Kii-Katsura
Miyazaki

The list is too long.... Please find the rest yourself

Your question seems too vague for anyone to give appropriate answer.

Anyway take your pick:-
List of cities in Japan
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_in_Japan

Hello
I'm planning to visit Japan soon.
Well, for me, a big busy cities are not cup of my tea.
That's why I'm leaving this message here for help.
I'm looking for a city where I can feel real Japan.
Thank you for your help.

ummmm technically everything in Japan is well....Japan.

I think you mean Traditional towns and cites.

If that is the case,

Kyoto http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2158.html
Kamakura/Enoshima http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2166.html
Kinosakionsen http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3525.html
Takayama http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5900.html
Shirakawa-go http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5950.html
Kanazawa http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2167.html
Himeji http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3500.html
Matsumoto http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6050.html
Hiroshima/Miyajima Island http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2160.html
Nara http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2165.html
Mt Fuji http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2172.html
And many many more.

Hope this helps!!!
Have Fun!!

Naoshima.
Art island,it's like time stood still.

The country is mixed and varied - each city contributes to the whole, including Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagoya and Osaka (the larger ones). Sounds like you are wanting older style places and less touristy. Some suggestions:

Kagoshima (Kyushu) and you can head to Ibusuki for a sand bath.
Nagasaki (Kyushu)
Takamatsu (Shikoku) - not the most interesting place we've been.
Tottori/Niigata/Akita/Aomori - i.e. the west coast of Japan (and probably Matsue, but I haven't been there yet)

You could also look at small towns - lots are accessible, but you might find tourism is not as well supported.

I can't see what type of town you would like to visit.

If you might be interested in deep zone of japan like Yokai or the legends explained the following site, it might be one way to visit the towns concerning with Yokai.

http://hyakumonogatari.com/

The next site is written in Japanese.
The town are
Chofu-shi in Tokyo
Oboke-yokai-village in Tokushima
Sakaiminato in Tottori
etc

http://homepage3.nifty.com/saitamasite/tour/town.html

The legendary birthplace of Tono monogatari is Tono in Iwate prefecture.
It is also near Hanamaki ,the birthplace of Miyazawa Kenji.

http://www.kanko-hanamaki.ne.jp/en/kenji/

Usually when people say they want the "real Japan" (or any country), they mean they are looking for someplace that is off the typical tourist path. That's what you mean, right?

It's a bit difficult to make recommendations with no regional limitations or specific definition of exactly HOW rural you want to be, but I'll try to list a few.

First, you may be interested in Hattoji Villa. It offers an opportunity to stay in a traditional farmhouse in a VERY rural area:
http://www.international-villa.or.jp/villa/hatto0904.htm

* Takahashi is a great place. Very rural and typically few tourists but still has top-knotch places to visit:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5775.html

In addition to the above sites, the Fukiya area is impressive:
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Takahashi#Fukiya_area

* Ainokura. It has a lot of atmosphere but much less of the tourist buses than Shirakawa-go:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5955.html

The island of Shikoku is great as a whole for someone who is not interested in the huge cities and tourists. There ARE of course some cities and still many tourists but the cities are more quaint and charming (not at all intimidating) and the tourists are comparatively low. Also, the island is home to many of the country's original castles, some nice onsen, lots of historic temples, traditional towns, etc.

The San-in Region is also overall a great place to see a lot in a more rural/relaxed area. I haven't been to the Tohoku region, but outside of Sendai, it also seems to satisfy your desires.

Gooday. I dont like big cities but then small towns can be a little hard, especially for a first time tourist. A good loop of the Tokyo and Kyoto places, using shinkansen mainly would be Tokyo (actually Narita is a quite nice town) to Karuizawa to Nagano (maybe an onsen town near it, I stayed at Bessho Onsen last trip which was good) to Kanazawa to either Takayama first then Hikone (next to Maibara) or just to Hikone, then Kyoto and especially Nara, then finishing off at Enoshima/Kamakura (which is close to Ofuna and you can take the NEX back to Narita from there).

In our last trip we only stayed in Tokyo on the first night, which suited us perfectly.

I recommend Kitsuki:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4725.html

And Ogijima:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5413.html

There are many facets to Japan - if you don't like big cities, that is fine. Southern Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu offer a wealth of good places that are not overrun by the tourists.
Miyama north of Kyoto is very quiet and tranquil, with a taste of old Japan. If you want to go deeper into things like this, try Shirakawago & Takayama.
Okayama is not far from Osaka and it is famous for its castle, plus Korakuen Garden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zAI3_N7NEM
which is one of Japan's Top 3, and also the Handayama Garden is beautiful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGQ8o7k9GbA
The half day hike up to Konpirasan in Kotohira, Kagawa
is stunning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ley9rVIewoQ
Going to Takamatsu is also nice - it has one of Japan's finest gardens also, called Ritsurin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afx-Ju52FiY
Hiroshima also has a number of good places. Miyajima is the most famous, and aside from Hiroshima itself, Onomichi with its temple tour and Kosanji Temple is spectacular.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Q5EjEOXI8
Just beyond Miyajima also lies Iwakuni with its historical bridge and castle on top of the mountain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0COOZXi66mM
And if you really want something mind blowing, go see the Akiyoshido Limestone Cave in Yamaguchi - a 300 million year old marvel with an underground river going through.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqIKC9S8TFQ
Hagi is also a joy with old time flavour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjw577xBinI
For Fukuoka, there are many open parks, shopping, seaside historical areas, and urban neon. See this site as a detailed guide:http://www.thejapanfaq.com/fukpic.html
Don't miss the Nanzoin Temple which is one of Japan's finest yet, almost totally unknown to the tourist book "experts" and completely free!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT4VQFmHFyM
Look into a Fukuoka Tourist City Pass also:
http://goo.gl/XFQSwe
You can also see a lot of previews on the best there is to see at
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7LcPcmoSg-j4RLa6iC7ayvBAbOn8-0...

In terms of history and varied points of interest, Nagasaki is really the most interesting city on the island.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7LcPcmoSg-gbw2yXNLK92siHyNqSNx...
Gunkanjima is simply unforgettable.
You should have plenty to see and do with all that.