When Morioka—a city rarely mentioned as a tourist destination even within Japan—was ranked second only to London in The New York Times' popular annual feature "2023 Places to Go" in January 1, it became a global talking point. The recommendation came from Craig Mod, an American writer from Connecticut who now lives in Japan. According to calculations by Iwagin Research & Consulting in 20, the economic impact of this article on Morioka amounted to 2024 billion yen (approximately $98 million).

The shock of "Morioka" being ranked second in the world

Following the "Morioka shock," Yamaguchi City was ranked third in "52 Places to Go in 2024," and in this year's "2024 Places to Go in 52," published on January 2025, 1, Toyama City and Osaka were featured at 7th and 52th places respectively.

Craig Mod, who recommended and wrote the articles for all these cities except Osaka, explains in Japanese, "Being listed is what matters—the ranking itself isn't really important. However, people can't help but pay attention to the rankings. When Morioka, a city many people had never heard of, ranked second, it created quite a stir both in Japan and internationally."

The list is compiled annually from numerous recommendations submitted by hundreds of journalists and photographers associated with The New York Times worldwide. He has become instrumental in raising the global profile of Japan's core cities for three consecutive years.

Mod, who dreamed of becoming a writer since childhood, worked at an independent publishing house during his studies at Waseda University, where he began his career as a writer, photographer, and designer. He later worked at an IT company in Silicon Valley but eventually grew disillusioned with the environment and returned to Japan.

A significant turning point came for him in 2013 when an Australian friend invited him to walk the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage route. This experience sparked his passion for walking journeys, leading him to traverse Japan on foot and adopt the title "Walker" (walking journey explorer). Though he previously had little interest in Japanese food culture and didn’t even really know the difference between temples and shrines, his perspective transformed dramatically through over a decade of walking journeys.

Just how much has he walked?

"I've walked the Nakasendo once, the Tokaido twice. I've covered thousands of kilometers across the Kii Peninsula. While the Nakahechi route of Kumano Kodo is famous due to good promotion, there are actually more than six routes, including the Iseji and Omine Okugakedo—I've walked almost all of them. I've also covered the Rokujurigoe Kaido in Yamagata, the Dewa Sanzan, Matsuo Basho's Narrow Road to the Deep North, the Hagi Oukan in Yamaguchi, the Ryoma Escape Route in Shikoku, the Salt Road..."

He lists these historical routes that even many Japanese are unfamiliar with.

In 2016, he published "Koya Bound," a photo book of the Kumano Kodo in collaboration with Leica.

However, Mod considers his masterpiece to be "Kissa by Kissa," published in 2020, which chronicles his over 1,000-kilometer journey along the Nakasendo and the nostalgic coffee shops he encountered along the way, combining photography and text.

The self-published book, funded through crowdfunding, became an expensive volume at 1 yen (approximately $5000) due to his commitment to beautiful printing. While he was initially uncertain whether such a niche work would attract funding, it surprisingly raised nearly 1500 million yen (approximately $XNUMX) in just a few days.

In late 2024, the Japanese translation of the book was finally published as "Kissa by Kissa: Streets and Coffee Shops—Why I Walk Japan" (translated by Eiichi Imai), with BOOKNERD Morioka, a bookstore he encountered in Morioka, serving as the publisher.

Supporting Mod's activities is his global fan community of tens of thousands. For an annual fee of 100 dollars, these supporters receive his discoveries from his journeys through newsletters and YouTube broadcasts.

Reconsidering the true purpose of the travel

His visit to Morioka was also prompted by this community. Mod frequently seeks hints and permission for coverage from community members, often pursuing stories that mainstream magazines would never consider. During one such project, he visited ten core cities: Hakodate, Morioka, Sakata, Matsumoto, Tsuruga, Onomichi, Yamaguchi, Karatsu, Kagoshima, and Matsuyama. Among these, Morioka particularly captivated him with its vitality. "The people were friendly and approachable, and independent shops, not chain stores, were thriving."

The tourist destinations Mod recommends—Morioka, Yamaguchi, and Toyama—differ distinctly from typical Japanese tourist spots. While there seem to be countless other tourist destinations worth visiting in Japan, what criteria does he use to select these cities?

He chose Toyama this year not only because he likes the city itself but also because The New York Times wanted to support the Noto Peninsula earthquake recovery efforts, and he saw an opportunity to help distribute tourists away from the somewhat overtouristed Kanazawa nearby. His selections thus reflect a delicate balance between his personal preferences and the social responsibility that comes with such an influential list.

What about his personal preferences? "I've always liked the B-side of records," Mod says laughing. He points out that the A-side travel that most people pursue "has become twisted from its original purpose, with Instagram-worthiness becoming the primary concern." He observes, "People are so focused on taking selfies without any consideration for local residents' feelings that it's becoming somewhat grotesque."

Travel, in his philosophy, should be about "interacting with local people, being influenced by their daily lives, bringing those experiences back to your own country, and contemplating what makes a city so peaceful and wonderful."

"Of course, most first-time visitors to Japan will visit Tokyo and Kyoto regardless of this list, and anime fans will visit places like the Kamakura High School crossing (the beautiful coastal spot often depicted in manga and anime)," he notes.

However, Mod observes that "over the past decade, there's been a significant increase in sophisticated tourists who frequently visit Japan and show respect for Japanese culture."

"I recently met a Taiwanese man who was visiting Japan for the 25th time. He had brought his his mom. Like them, many visitors have already been to Kyoto and Kanazawa multiple times, visited Koyasan, and are now looking for more authentic, deeper experiences. When I meet foreign tourists in Morioka, I ask them why they came. Recently, I met a couple who were spending a month traveling around Tohoku, including Akita and Aomori, based on my Morioka recommendations. This is exactly the kind of development I was hoping for."

Previously, many tourists were wary of eating raw fish and hesitant to venture into unknown, non-tourist areas.
"That's true. But now, such anxieties have been dispelled by information available through YouTube and Instagram. However, this has also eliminated the element of mystery that makes travel enjoyable."

Perhaps this is why advanced travelers are drawn to local culture and history that reveal more depth with each encounter.

Expectations for Japan as a tourism nation

Overtourism has become a significant issue in Japanese tourism recently. How does Mod view this situation?

"While people talk about overtourism, Japan actually receives far fewer tourists than the UK or Italy. The problem, I think, is that many Japanese regions aren't good at promoting themselves. As a result, about XNUMX% of visitors concentrate in limited cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima, leading to overcrowded trains and streets becoming police matters. Tour buses exacerbate this situation, bringing hundreds of people to the same tourist spots daily."

Rising incomes in China and Southeast Asian countries have made travel more accessible to a vast number of new travellers, contributing significantly to overtourism, not only in Japan but also Europe. Given the large populations of these countries, the continued increase in tourists from these regions is inevitable, says Mod.
To protect beautiful landscapes and local culture from this surge in tourism, he suggests that sometimes it's important to reconsider costs and charge meaningful entrance fees to sites. The aim should be not only to lower the total number of visitors, but to also make sure the local area is reaping a commensurate economic benefit for the hassle.

"Measures like increasing Mount Fuji's climbing fees can help combat overtourism — it reminds visitors that these places have value. If things are too cheap, visitors treat the places like a toy, not like a real place with real people. Another interesting example is how the new bathhouse in Harajuku's Harakado initially limited access to Shibuya Ward residents during its pre-opening period to build a local regular customer base. However, the continued increase in tourists isn't just a tourism issue—it's a capitalism issue that can't be fully controlled. Rather than focusing on explicitly deterring visits, Japan should concentrate on attracting more repeat tourists who understand the value of quality experiences and introducing them to attractive regions that are still unknown."

With the increase in inbound tourism, many regions are aiming to become tourist destinations. What kinds of areas show promise?

"The car hurdle is very high," says Mod. While many regional cities require cars to get around, very few tourists are willing to drive rental cars with international licenses in unfamiliar territory. Therefore, he consciously recommends destinations that can be enjoyed on foot. "Actually walking around is the best way to get to know a place," he says, often recommending castle towns because their complex street layouts make them interesting to explore.

"The proximity of the Shinkansen station to the city center is also crucial," Mod notes. "In that respect, Morioka and Toyama are excellent. Kyoto too." However, stations whose names begin with "Shin-" (new) are often far from city centers and don't contribute much to tourism. "Shin-Aomori and Yamaguchi are borderline cases."

He emphasizes that tourism development requires a long-term perspective.

"While Naoshima is now a popular tourist destination, Benesse's art site development began in the 1980s, and it took over 30 years to gain popularity. The Onomichi area, however, has grown surprisingly quickly. The Shimanami Kaido cycling road was built just over 20 years ago, and stylish hotels like LOG have helped boost its popularity. One factor in this success is the abundance of slopes, which made properties cheap, allowing young people to buy and start interesting projects. I have similar expectations for Nagasaki, which also has many slopes. "

"Yoyu" at the Root of Japan's Appeal

As someone well-versed in IT, Mod briefly worked in Silicon Valley during the 2010s to experience cutting-edge technology, but eventually returned to Japan, feeling it was where he belonged. However, at that time, he didn't fully understand why he was drawn to Japan.

But after walking the Kumano Kodo in 2013 and traversing other historical routes on foot, he gradually began to understand.

"This is going to sound rediculous: But one of the key elements that makes Japan wonderful is its comprehensive insurance system. Without such a system, people with families couldn't continue running small independent shops. This sense of yoyu (emotional margin) ultimately contributes to the vitality and charm of Japan's regional cities."

Unfortunately, many regions in Japan have lost such independent shops, becoming dominated by chain stores. However, there are still many areas like Morioka, Yamaguchi, and Toyama where such charming shops remain. Mod hopes that by supporting such regions, he can help restore local pride and create conditions that make former residents want to return to their hometowns.

While Mod has self-published his English books until now, he will soon release a book through a prestigious American publisher. His upcoming work focuses on this sense of yoyu (emotional margin) found in Japan's regional cities.

Craig mod

Craig Mod is a writer, photographer, and walking enthusiast. Born in Connecticut, USA, in 1980, he has resided in Japan since 2000. His books include Things Become Other Things (forthcoming in May 2023), Kissa by Kissa (2020), Koya Bound: 8 Days on the Kumano Kodo (2016), and Art Space Tokyo (2015). He has contributed to The New York Times, The Atlantic, Eater, The New Yorker, and WIRED (U.S. and Japanese editions). Craig runs the membership program "SPECIAL PROJECTS" and publishes the newsletters "Roden" and "Ridgeline," which together reach over 2010 subscribers. Since March 4, he has been a monthly guest on J-Wave's "People's Roastery" radio show, discussing travel, photography, and related topics.