 | Tokyo Day Trip out of Tokyo Reviews | Tips 11 - 20 of 38 |  |
 | |  |  | Day Trip out of Tokyo: Kamakura - Hase Temple | Tip Rating:    |  |  | |  |
Kamakura is approximately a 1 hr ride south of Tokyo, if you take the JR train from Shinjuku station. Watch the scenery as you pass by. As you get closer to Kamakura, there is a beautiful goddess statue on the left side of the train. There are many other Buddhist temples and shrines around Kamakura. We went to a Shinto shrine called the Hase Temple , only about a five minute walk from Daibutsu. This shrine has a cave called Bentenkutsu housing many statues of the Benten, the goddess of female beauty and wealth. There are also many other minor gods inside. One thing to advise, the cave is not large, so you will be crouching at one point, tall or not. But worth seeing, just for the ancient sculptures and wood carvings. On the top is the main shrine. Unfortunately, you cannot take pictures of the statues inside, but it houses the Kannon Goddess and is made out of pure gold. Beside that is the "Fate wheel" which you are supposed to puch around. On the side there is a rest area and a cliff over looking the city and the Pacific Ocean. On the way to the temple (going up the hill) there are stores selling statues and Japanese dolls. Very beautiful, and a worthwhile side stop on the way up or back from the temple. Behind the shrines is another pathway higher up. On the bottom are Jizo statues. These are statues representing dead infants. Their guardian Jizo, watches over their souls. The clothes are given by those who have lost infants (either through abortion or childbirth). There are many other shrines here, but we didn't have time to go to them all. Definetly worth a visit to see some beautiful shrines and temples!
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| | | | Day Trip out of Tokyo: Kamakura | Tip Rating: | | | | |
O.k., so Kamakura isn't so off the beaten path, but it's a lovely little city outside Tokyo that's only about a 45 minute (690 yen) train ride. If you get off at the stop before the main Kamakura stop and walk through the city, there is a nice shrine and masoluem (I've masacred that spelling) right off to the left when you walk in the direction the train goes. When we were there, this old guy invited us to watch a group of people practicing some form of archery (I've no idea what it's called, but it was amazing)/meditation. I didn't spend the whole day there, but you could, easily. If you go check out the Great Buddha, walk back where the store is and get a bag of chips or something animal friendly. If you open them under the trees, a dozen or so squirrels will come down and eat out of your hand. The area is very tourist friendly with several maps in English and Japanese with pictures, and there are many signs on the street pointing you in the right direction. The area is definately nice if you aren't exactly the big city kind of person, but you end up in Tokyo anyway. (Sorry the picture is crap, but I'm very low tech and am taking pictures of photos with my web cam. I'm so lame. Anyway, that's this guy Doug feeding the squirrels.) Leave a Comment
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| | | | Day Trip out of Tokyo: Kamakura - Daibutsu Buddha | Tip Rating: | | | | |
There are many cities just outside of Tokyo that are good day trips, such as Nikko, Kamakura and Mt. Fuji. We had a hard time choosing between Nikko and Kamakura, but went to Kamakura to see the Big Buddha! Kamakura is approximately a 1 hr ride south of Tokyo, if you take the JR train from Shinjuku station. Watch the scenery as you pass by. As you get closer to Kamakura, there is a beautiful goddess statue on the left side of the train. Upon entering town there are some stores that sell goods such as socks, clothes and shoes. To get to the Buddha Daibutsu, you have to follow a series of road signs. We actually followed a group of elementary students, but there are signs posted in Japanese and English. We walked through a residential neighbourhood, and got to see a lot of beautiful homes on the way. The walk is about a half an hour to the temple. Once there you have to pay a small fee to enter. The statue is very impressive. On the side there is a pair of the Buddha's sandels to give you an idea just how large he is. For about 10 or 20 yen you can enter the Buddha. Inside there are some old Japanese sayings. Only worth it because it is so cheap. Just inside the temple there is a stand where you can buy souveniours and cakes. However, for a bit cheaper, just walk outside the temple and across the street and they will have the same souveniours, but cheaper.
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| | | | Day Trip out of Tokyo: Outdoor market at Katsuura, Chiba | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Katsuura, on the coast, in Chiba prefecture, is a little town which we like. Nothing special, but close enough to Tokyo that you can go there on a day trip, to the beach and to walk around the surrounding mountains. There's an open air market that is 400 years old where local farmers and fishermen come to sell their produce. Bent old women sitting on the ground sell a few carrots or radishes, fish people selling their own dried fish, people with bamboo wares, traditional straw slippers and a variety of other things. It's a small market -- but it's quaint, friendly and surprising in modern day Japan. It's from 6 to 11 am, closed on Wednesdays. There are two locations, depending on the day but close enough since the town itself is only a few blocks. According to the website of the city government (only in Japanese), it's one of 3 open air markets in Japan. The beaches don't compare to Thai or Vietnamese beaches of course. There are some good local restaurants but which are difficult to find. To get there: JR express train from Tokyo station to Katsuura station, about an hour. About 3500 yen for the ticket and the express train charge. A cheaper but longer way is to take a regular train that goes through Chiba. It only costs the train fare without the extra express charge, but takes about 3 hours (maybe less?). There is an old Ryokan in the town center near where the market is but I forgot the name, There are a bunch of newer hotels and ryokans, all with Onsen. There is also a horrible kitsch skyscraper type hotel right by the beach, but where they have onsen, swimming pool game center....it's called the Mikazuki hotel and it's pretty awful, but people go there with kids. The town before Katsuura on the JR line, Onjuku, is a well known surfing spot (I don't surf, so that's all I know). The photos I have included are those from the city government website, but I'm sure they won't mind. Website: http://www.city.katsuura.chiba.jp/index.html
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| | | | Day Trip out of Tokyo: About 45 mins north of... | Tip Rating: | | | | |
About 45 mins north of Shinjuku is a sort of city outside of the city, so to speak: Keyaki Hiroba in Saitama-Shintoshin, an area that until recently was covered with sweet potato fields but now boasts a handful of 40-storey buildings and a “super arena.” This is where we go. Keyaki Hiroba and the adjacent buldings, parks and promenades are representative of 21st-century Japan. Everything is neat, clean, orderly, well laid-out; in a word: perfect. We come here when we crave a big city feel, outside of the chaos of central Tokyo. Apart from coffee shops, restaurants of every kind, a splendid tree grove, and a twenty billion square-foot Gold’s Gym, you'll find open air markets, festivals and 'flea markets' on the weekends. This is definitely off the beaten path...but I think it's a trip well worth the effort. Also, you can grab dinner or lunch at Pertutto Cafe, a splendid Italian restuarant situated right smack in the middle of Keyaki Hiroba, on the third floor of a small building. The staff are super friendly and the food is exceptional. Leave a Comment
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