Originally Posted by taintus (Post 571062)

I also enjoy the countryside--much nicer. I'm living in a small mountain village in Nagano, called Otaki. You can read a bit about it at my blog: In the Pines.

I've also lived in Kyoto, so I've been to Kobe, Osaka, Shiga, Mie, Nara, Wakayama--all of the Kansai region.

I've also been to:
Hokkaido--highly recommend.
Kyushu (Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Oita, Saga, Fukuoka)--wonderful onsens
Okinawa
Toyama
Niigata
Tokyo--the beast

Anyway, it's a wonderful country with wonderful places to visit.