Jepara sits on Java's north coast, northeast of Semarang, and has a clearer identity than many towns along this busy shore. It is Indonesia's best-known centre for carved teak furniture, the birthplace of women's education pioneer R.A. Kartini, and one of the mainland ports for boats to Karimunjawa.
The town itself is not polished. Traffic, workshops, showrooms, and ferry errands all mix together, but that is part of the point. Jepara is a working craft town, not a beach resort pretending to be one.
Give it a day if you are already travelling the north coast of Java. Visit the Kartini Museum, look for weaving in Troso Village, and finish at Bandengan Beach or the harbour if you are catching the Karimunjawa boat.