Much as I love Japan, my heart bleeds as soon as I set foot in its desolate rural vastnesses. By that I don’t mean the pretty little ruins, but the old villages and other secluded places whose lives seem to be ebbing away.

On the other hand, there are passionate bloggers all around the country who go out exploring whenever they have a spare minute and then share their trips and discoveries. Thanks to their tireless work, these places have a voice, an online presence. But regrettably their efforts are overshadowed by bigger websites, despite a comparative lack of depth.

Jipangu was designed to help resolve the two sides of this question. The spots visited by the bloggers are marked on a single map, so curious travelers can discover Japan from several angles, as well as many places they’d never have stumbled on otherwise.