YAZU

Yazu, a rural county in southeastern Tottori Prefecture, is for travelers who seek quality off the beaten path. Decompress here with forest strolls, hands-on craft workshops, and farm-fresh feasts. For lodgings, choose from among a number of beautifully renovated homes more than a century old, or glamp under the stars at Ooe Valley Stay, a boutique hotel in a former elementary school. In the township of Chizu-cho, walk in deep woods of cedar, maple, chestnut, and cherry, and tour the Ishitani Residence, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property, to see traditional Japanese architecture at its finest. Visit picturesque Mitakien for lovingly prepared fish and wild plants served in farmhouses with a waterfall nearby. In Wakasa-cho, meet with residents to fashion a deerskin pouch, and photograph another Important Cultural Property, Fudoin Iwayado. This striking temple, built into a rock face, has ninth-century origins. When hunger strikes again, Oenosato Resort in Yazu-cho is a gourmet emporium renowned for its velvety smooth pancakes made with eggs from its organic farm.