koko
The Ronin
浪人 (rōnin), historically a masterless samurai, now shorthand for going your own way.
MICHIKUSA family道草Doesn't need the group, the guidebook or a reason to get off at a station they've never heard of.
Independent and comfortable going their own way. You like Tokyo alone and far from the centre: a quiet train to a station nobody recommended.
Your four letters
OffbeatDiscovery
Prefers local, niche, unexpected or lesser-known experiences.
The other side is C, Classic.
SpontaneousPlanning
Likes flexibility, improvisation and changing plans.
The other side is P, Planned.
RoamRange
Happy travelling across the city or beyond for something worthwhile.
The other side is N, Near.
Tokyo, for an OSZR
Where to stay
Anywhere near a big JR station. You won't be in the room much.
Okutama
Two hours west and still technically Tokyo: river gorges, cedar forest, nobody.
Chichibu
A mountain town with old shrines and quiet trails, one slow train away.
The Miura Peninsula
Ride to the end of the line for a fishing port and a tuna lunch.
What to skip
The group tour. Any group, really.
Your people, and your problem
MICHIKUSA道草
“The detour is usually the point.”
Michikusa literally means eating the grass by the roadside: what a horse does when it wanders off the route. Michikusa travelers treat the plan as a suggestion and the side street as the destination.
How to travel: Book the bed and almost nothing else. Pick a station you've never heard of, get off, and walk. Tokyo is one of the safest and densest cities on earth to be aimless in.
Not sure this is you?
Two minutes, no wrong answers. Koko works out your four letters and picks places in Tokyo to match.
Take the quiz