any ideas for an unconventional trip?

My boyfriend and I are planning to travel to Japan next October. We really want to attend the toshugu festival in Nikko, but otherwise are a little overwhelmed by the possibilites. We are young (in our twenties), and don't want our trip to be too 'touristy'. We would like a to experience a genuine taste of the Japanese culture, both historical and modern. Any helpful suggestions? Thanks!

you do understand, don't you, that the Nikko festival at the Toshogu shrine is one of the most"touristy" event in Japan? all the festivals and Matsuri are attended by huge crowds and I do mean huge. you need to be there (wherever you are going)very early in order to have a good location (then there are the problems of waiting in one spot for hours without food and bathrooms breaks)
basically many of the most interesting sights are also very popular and touristy. this is the same in many places around the world! on the other hand I do find fascinating places that the average Japanese and western tourists doesn't pay attention to because they aren't spectacular, beautiful etc. I like out of the way older residential areas.. houses, shops, parkings (check how people park their car by their home in a tight spot with inches to spare!), old fashioned covered shopping streets,tiny street shrines etc. that type of thing really interest me .
on the other hand there is nothing wrong with the "touristy" places that are truly beautiful(like Miyajima island, Himeji castle, the Fushimi Inari shrine near Kyoto etc. and of course Nikko, Kamakura, Nara etc.) the advantages of "ordinary" places is that you will be the only tourist and you will have a chance to "talk" to locals (I use basic words in 3 languages plus hand gestures). While the crowds visiting famous places can be tiring, yet isn't it heartwarming to see people from different cultures all enjoying a place?
I AM NOT BEING VERY HELPFUL
am I?
for a first trip I would suggest to "sample" only a few areas in and out of Tokyo but spending time in each one so that you become familiar with the place. Meaning that instead of trying to quickly see 5 areas in one day I would see only 2 at leisure then on a third day would go back to see 3 of the 4 areas seen before and so on. Another way is to stay in the same hotel for one week or more and take daily trips within the town and outside(this is when a JR pass is valuable as a shinkansen can take you quite far on a day trip). After 2 days you will have a favorite coffee shop near the hotel and their staff will welcome you etc.
whatever you decide you have to accept that Japan is too big and has too many "must see" sights for anyone. You can only "sample" a few things and places so don't make a long list. of course you also have to read all the travel and living pages on this site..

Hi,

There's plenty to see in Japan that's a bit different and you don't have to see the most obvious places. Going to the festival in Nikko sounds great though yes, it wil be touristy. In a lot of places though this is the case unless you go to further out places such as Shikoku. In Nikko though it's well worth seeing Lake Chuzenjiko which has Mt Nantai behind and the amazing Kekkon taki, plus you'll often see the Snow Monkeys.

In central Tokyo though there is plenty to give you some interestng flavours, such as Ameyayokocho and Tsukiji. Yes they're well known, but still interesting. Going to some places on the edge, such as Shimokitazawa or even somewhere like NishiOi (just south of Shinagawa) and seeing the narrower streets and day to day life makes a change.

I'd really recommend staying in onsen resort though, as generally you get huge meals with plenty of local Japanese specialities, and everyone going round in Yukatas is a great experience. There are plenty to name but resorts around Yudanaka and Odawara are two random Suggestions.

As for further afield, there's always Shikoku that seems to have less tourists than other areas. There's the Iya Valley (Boke/Oboke), which is great for scenery and then you could continue on train down to Kochi where you feel further away from things. You could always stay in Ryokans, and to be honest, dropping by random towns will give you a different flavour.

Other than that there are plenty of further out temples Kyoto and Nara that are a bit further off the beaten track worth going to. If you do a bit of research I'm sure you'll find some interesting ones. There are places such as Aamori and amazing scenery around there, though at that time of year, it might be starting to get a bit cold.

Overall though many of the great sights are well worth seeing and Japan takes a while to get to know. Too much to see, but I'm sure you'll have a great time. However, as Red Frog says, I wouldn't rule out a place just because it's seen as touristy.

Thanks for the advice. I think, though, that I should clarify what I mean by 'touristy'. We definately want to see as many things worth seeing as possible, but we are not attracted to the idea of taking a series of guided tours with flocks of other tourists. We kind of want to wing it. It seems like it would be more fun that way. Anyway, thanks again for the ideas. Any tidbit is helpful.

you don't have to do any guided tours at all. Japan is easy to travel around independently, so you can see all the sights (whether or not they are "touristy" ones) but you can see them on your own.

If you're going to Nikko at matsuri time, then maybe balance that with some visits to places where you are likely to be amongst the only (non-Japanese) tourists as a balance?

In my limited experience (only 4 trips), if you go anywhere north of Nikko; anywhere south/west of Hiroshima; or anywhere on the "opposite" coast to Tokyo/Osaka/Hiroshima (I think the correct term is the Sanyo coast. I mean basically anywhere off the main shinkansen route), then you'll not have problems with crowds.

There's lots of great mountain ranges all over Japan, and Kyushu and Hokkaido will give you a quiet holiday. Perhaps check out the info on this site about overnight trains. They're a great way to save time by travelling while sleeping (and they're also excellent fun and quite unique). Hope that helps

I dont know if you are interested at all but i just completed walking the 88 temple pilgrimage on shikoku island: http://wikitravel.org/en/88_Temple_Pilgrimage

by walking i finished in 42 days, spending a lot of time at each temple. This was an amazing an very organic experience that is not your typical tourist one. October is the ideal season for walking, i started on 15 october and finished on 25 november. it takes a lot of heart but its worth it. Good luck and you should consider this trip.

best,
adam