Thanks for a great TR - interesting not the mainstream Japan
Thanks!
By mainstream Japan I assume you meant the Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka - Hiroshima route...
Well yes I've done that back in 2014/2015.
Nothing wrong with it of course, and still the best for a first time visitor.
For me personally since I go back to Japan once or twice each year I always try to discover something new. So far I've been to (Prefectures):
Hokkaido, Iwate, Akita, Chiba, Tokyo, Nagano, Niigata, Toyama, Ishikawa, Gifu, Shizuoka, Shiga, Nara, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Oita.
Later this year I'll add Tochigi, Miyagi and Kagawa to that list
What I find fascinating about Japan is the strong sense of local pride and identity.
Whilst I think designing cartoons to represent local regions might not be everyone's cup of tea, but hey the Kumamon is cute!
Although Kyoto remains my favourite, it suffers greatly from overtourism IMHO. And more and more I like to explore small towns and countryside. Beppu, Kanazawa, Toyama, Takayama, Matsumoto, Hakodate...I'll go back in a heartbeat!