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Otaki is a small castle town deep in the wooded hills of the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo Bay. It was once ruled by Honda Tadakatsu, one of the shogun's most celebrated generals, and it still moves at farm-country pace beneath its rebuilt keep.

The castle museum overlooks the town and tells the Honda story. Nearby Yoro Valley turns color later than almost anywhere in the Kanto region, giving autumn leaf chasers one last chance in early December, with riverside trails linking small waterfalls and dark-water hot springs.

In spring, bamboo shoot dishes reach the tables, the local specialty of the season. The one- and two-car trains of the Isumi Railway reach Otaki through the countryside, half the charm of the trip. Pair the town with the Boso coast for an unhurried rural day out of Tokyo.