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Feb 25, 2026

Japan's biggest oversells?

I mentioned in a Q&A recently that I went to a place several years ago called Minetopia Besshi in Ehime, which branded itself as Japan's Machu Picchu. It was a big oversell! BigFamJapan also mentioned that there's a place in Saitama branded as Japan's Cappadocia, which also might be a bit underwhelming for some! It doesn't have to be somewhere necessarily compared to another world famous spot, but have you found many places here that oversell themselves? I'm not often disappointed when I visit places here, so when I am it's probably all the more noticeable.

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genkidesu

genkidesu

Love to travel, interested in J-beauty products and consider myself a convenience store snack aficionado. Navigating the ever-present challenges of expat life, particularly about my TCK's (third culture kids).

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  • BigfamJapan

    BigfamJapan

    19 hours ago

    Right now the only one I can think of Japan's Cappadocia, the 100 Caves. Like you, most of the time I am not disappointed, but I have a niggling feeling that there was somewhere else that I felt was an oversell, but I just can't recall right now where it was!

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1 Answer

Japan's biggest oversells?

I mentioned in a Q&A recently that I went to a place several years ago called Minetopia Besshi in Ehime, which branded itself as Japan's Machu Picchu. It was a big oversell! BigFamJapan also mentioned that there's a place in Saitama branded as Japan's Cappadocia, which also might be a bit underwhelming for some! It doesn't have to be somewhere necessarily compared to another world famous spot, but have you found many places here that oversell themselves? I'm not often disappointed when I visit places here, so when I am it's probably all the more noticeable.

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