Okuizumo, Unnan & Yasugi

When you’ve seen the big sights and are ready for timeless, scenic, rural Japan, head south of the Shimane Peninsula to the eastern edge of the prefecture. Many of the best things about getting off the beaten path in Japan—scenic mountain villages, hot-spring soaks, wholesome cuisine made with foraged and farm-fresh foods, local theater and craft traditions and proud community ties—are concentrated right within the arc traced by the cities of Okuizumo, Unnan, and Yasugi. Visit a rustic forge nestled amid forested land as you explore the last bastion of a unique steelmaking technique that wields premium blades from iron sand, using charcoal as fuel. Work with a dye artisan to create an original item of wearable natural indigo, and stay in an inn that stands on the grounds of a temple founded 1,400 years ago. Art lovers, too, will find some of the finest private collections of paintings and Bizen ware in the country.