oNikkō CoffeeCAFE
(日光珈琲 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; http://nikko-coffee.com; 3-13 Honchō; coffee ¥550, meals from ¥1000; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun)
A century-old rice shop has been sensitively reinvented as this retro-chic cafe with a garden, where expertly made hand-dripped coffee is served alongside cakes and snack meals such as bacon, cheese and egg galette (buckwheat pancake) or pork curry.
4Sleeping
oNikkorisou BackpackersHOSTEL¥
(にっこり荘バックパッカーズ MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %080-9449-1545; http://nikkorisou.com/eng.html; 1107 Kamihatsu-ishi-machi; dm/d with shared bathroom from ¥3000/6900; aW)
The closest hostel to the World Heritage Site offers a riverside location and relaxed, friendly vibe. As it's run single-handedly by the English-speaking Hiro, guests need to be elsewhere between 10am and 4pm, but at any other hour the roomy kitchen, huge deck and cosy common area are havens for hanging out. Well-maintained hybrid mountain bikes are available for rent (¥500).
Annex Turtle Hotori-AnINN¥¥
(アネックスーほとり庵 GOOGLE MAP ; %0288-53-3663; www.turtle-nikko.com; 8-28 Takumi-chō; s/tw from ¥6700/13,000; naiW)
Only steps away from the trailhead to Kanman-ga-Fuchi Abyss, this tidy, comfortable inn offers Japanese- and Western-style rooms, plus river views from the house onsen. It's a lovely spot in a quiet neighbourhood giving way to open space.
Hakone
Explore
Offering serene onsen, world-class art museums and spectacular mountain scenery crowned by Mt Fuji, Hakone (箱根) can make for a blissful escape from Tokyo. Ashino-ko (芦ノ湖) is the lake at the centre of it all, the setting for the iconic image of Mt Fuji with the torii of Hakone-jinja rising from the water. Naturally, this is all quite attractive, so it can feel crammed, particularly at weekends and holidays.
The classic route goes from Hakone-Yumoto to Gōra by train, then by cable car and ropeway over Owakudani followed by a lake cruise to Moto-Hakone. This is most convenient, but can feel rather packaged – feel free to shake it up.
The Best…
ASight Hakone Open-Air Museum
AOnsen Hakone Yuryō
APlace to Eat Itoh Dining by Nobu
Top Tip
The Hakone Freepass (two-day pass adult/child ¥5140/1500), available at Odakyū stations, covers the return express train fare between Shinjuku and Hakone-Yumoto, unlimited use of most transport around Hakone and discounts at attractions. Freepass-holders need to pay a limited-express surcharge (¥890 each way) to ride the Romance Car.
Getting There & Away
The Odakyū line (www.odakyu.jp) from Shinjuku Station goes directly into Hakone-Yumoto, the region's transit hub. Use either the convenient Romance Car (¥2080, 90 minutes) or kyūkō (regular-express) service (¥1190, two hours); the latter may require a transfer at Odawara.
Getting Around
The narrow-gauge, switchback Hakone-Tōzan line runs from Odawara to Gōra (¥670, one hour) via Hakone-Yumoto, Tōnosawa, Miyanoshita, Kowakidani and Chōgoku-no-mori. From Gōra take the cable car to Sōun-zan ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ), from where you can catch the Hakone Ropeway to Ōwakudani ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) and Tōgendai ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ). From Tōgendai, sightseeing boats criss-cross Ashino-ko to Hakone-machi ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0460-83-7550; Hakonemachi-ko) and Moto-Hakone (one-way/return ¥1000/1840, 30 minutes). The Hakone-Tōzan and Izu Hakone bus companies also service the Hakone area, linking most of the sights.
Need to Know
Area Code 0460 ALocation 92km southwest of Tokyo
A Tourist Office ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0460-85-8911; www.hakone.or.jp; h9am-5.45pm)
Hakone Region
1Sights
1Hakone Museum of ArtC2
2Hakone Open-Air MuseumD2
3Hakone-jinjaC4
4Okada Museum of ArtC2
5ŌwakudaniB2
5Eating
6Bakery & TableC4
7Itoh Dining by NobuC2
8YamagusuriD2
6Drinking & Nightlife
9Amazake-chayaC4
10Naraya CafeD2
2Sports & Activities
11Hakone YuryōE2
12Tenzan Tōji-kyōE3
13YunessunC2
Transport
14Hakone Sightseeing CruiseC4
15Ōwakudani StationB2
16Sōun-zan StationC2
17Tōgendai StationA2
1Sights
oHakone Open-Air MuseumMUSEUM
(彫刻の森美術館 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0460-82-1161; www.hakone-oam.or.jp; 1121 Ninotaira; adult/child ¥1600/800; h9am-5pm)
In a rolling, leafy hillside setting, this safari for art lovers includes an impressive selection of 19th- and 20th-century Japanese and Western sculptures (including works by Henry Moore, Rodin and Miró) as well as an excellent Picasso Pavilion with more than 300 works ranging from paintings and glass art to tapestry.
Kids will love the giant crochet artwork/playground with its Jengalike exterior walls, as well as the spiral staircase of the stained-glass Symphonic Structure. End the day by soaking your feet in the outdoor footbath. Hakone Freepass holders get ¥200 off the admission price.
oOkada Museum of ArtMUSEUM
(岡田美術館 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0460-87-3931; www.okada-museum.com; 483-1 Kowakidani; adult/student ¥2800/1800; h9am-5pm)
Showcasing the dazzling Japanese, Chinese and Korean art treasures of industrialist Okada Kazuo, this mammoth museum should not be missed. You could spend hours marvelling at the beauty of so many pieces, including detailed screen paintings and exquisite pottery. Interactive, multilingual interpretive displays enhance the experience. The museum is opposite the Kowakien bus stop.
Hakone Museum of ArtMUSEUM
(箱根美術館 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0460-82-2623; 1300 Gōra; adult/child ¥900/free; h9.30am-4.30pm Fri-Wed, to 4pm in winter)
Sharing grounds with a lovely velvety moss garden and teahouse (¥700 matcha green tea and sweet), this museum has a collection of Japanese pottery dating from as far back as the Jōmon period (some 5000 years ago). The gardens are spectacular in autumn.
ŌwakudaniVOLCANO
(大桶谷 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.kanagawa-park.or.jp/owakudani)F
The 'Great Boiling Valley' was created 3000 years ago when Kami-yama erupted and collapsed, also forming Ashino-ko. Hydrogen sulphide steams from the ground here and the hot water is used to boil onsen tamago, eggs blackened in the sulphurous waters, which you can buy to eat (they're fine inside). At the time of writing, Ōwakudani was closing intermittently due to volcanic activity.
Hakone-jinjaSHINTO SHRINE
(箱根神社 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; h9am-4pm)
A pleasant stroll around Ashino-ko follows a cedar-lined path to this shrine set in a wooded grove, in Moto-Hakone. Its signature red torii (gate) rises from the lake; get your camera ready for that picture-postcard shot.
WORTH A DETOUR
OLD HAKONE HIGHWAY
Up the hill from the lakeside Moto-Hakone bus stop is the entrance to the stone-paved Old Hakone Highway (箱根旧街道), part of the Edo-era Tōkaidō Highway that connected the shogun’s capital with Kyoto. You can walk back to Hakone-Yumoto via the trail through the woods, which will take about 3½ hours.
About 30 minutes in you'll pass wonderful Amazake-chaya (甘酒茶屋 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0460-83-6418; www.amasake-chaya.jp/; 395-1 Futoko-yama; amazake ¥400, snacks from ¥250; h7am-5.30pm), a thatched-roofed teahouse that has been serving naturally sweet amazake (a thick sweet drink made from the rice used to make sake; ¥400) for more than 360 years. If you happen to visit in winter, you can warm yourself around the irori (traditional fireplace).
1Onsen
oHakone YuryōONSEN
(箱根湯寮 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0460-85-8411; www.hakoneyuryo.jp; 4 Tōnosawa; adult/child ¥1400/700, private bath from ¥3900; h10am-9pm Mon-Fri, to 10pm Sat & Sun)
A free shuttle bus will whisk you in three minutes from Hakone-Yumoto station to this idyllic onsen c
omplex ensconced in the forest. The rotemburo (outdoor onsen) are spacious and leaf shaded, and you can book private ones up to a month in advance. No tattoos allowed (but if you book a private room, no one's the wiser).
It's about a five-minute walk from Tōnosawa Station on the Hakone-Tōzan line.
Tenzan Tōji-kyōONSEN
(天山湯治郷 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0460-86-4126; www.tenzan.jp; 208 Yumoto-chaya; adult/child ¥1300/650; h9am-10pm)
Soak in rotemburo of varying temperatures and designs (one is constructed to resemble a natural cave) at this large, popular bath 2km southwest of town. To get here, take the 'B' course shuttle bus from the bridge outside Hakone-Yumoto Station (¥100). Tattoos are not a problem here.
YunessunONSEN
(箱根小涌園ユネッサン MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.yunessun.com; 1297 Ninotaira; Yunessun adult/child ¥2900/1600, Mori-no-Yu ¥1900/1200, both ¥4100/2100; h9am-7pm Mar-Oct, to 6pm Nov-Feb)
Best described as an onsen amusement park with a whole variety of outdoor water slides and baths, including wine, coffee, green-tea and sake baths…yes, for putting your body in, not the other way round. Yunessun is mixed bathing so you'll need to bring a swimsuit. The connected Mori-no-Yu complex (11am to 8pm) is traditional single-sex bathing.
Take a bus from Hakone-machi, Gōra or Hakone-Yumoto to the Kowakien bus stop. There's also a variety of accommodation here.
5Eating & Drinking
Bakery & TableINTERNATIONAL¥¥
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0460-85-1530; www.bthjapan.com; 9-1 Moto-Hakone; mains ¥1000-2500; hbakery 10am-5pm, parlour 10am-3pm, cafe 8.30am-5pm, restaurant 11am-6pm)
There are options that appeal to everyone at this lakeside venue with a footbath terrace outside. The take-away bakery is on the ground floor, a cafe is one floor up, and the restaurant serving fancy open sandwiches and crêpes is above that.
YamagusuriJAPANESE¥¥
(山藥 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0460-82-1066; 224 Miyanoshita; meals ¥2300; h7am-9pm)
Yamagusuri is a popular spot for substantial, healthy meal sets featuring tororo (grated yam) that you pour over barley and rice. The dining room overlooks the forested gorge below.
Itoh Dining by NobuJAPANESE¥¥¥
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0460-83-8209; www.itoh-dining.co.jp/; 1300-64 Gōra; lunch/dinner from ¥3000/7000; h11.30am-3pm & 5-9.30pm; v)
Savour some premium Japanese beef, cooked teppanyaki-style in front of you by the chef, at this elegant restaurant, a branch of the celeb chef Nobu's dining empire. It's just uphill from Koenshimo station on the funicular, one stop from Gōra.
Naraya CafeCAFE
(ナラヤカフェ MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 404-13 Miyanoshita; coffee from ¥350; h10.30am-6pm, to 5pm Dec-Feb, closed Wed & 4th Thu of the month; c)
Beside the station, this woodsy cafe and craft shop is a pleasant pit stop for drinks and light meals. You can also soak your toes in the footbath on the terrace looking out over the mountains.
Kamakura
Explore
The glory days of Japan's first feudal capital (from 1185 to 1333) coincided with the spread of populist Buddhism in Japan. This legacy is reflected in the area's proliferation of stunning temples. Kamakura (鎌倉) also has a laid-back, earthy vibe complete with organic restaurants, summer beach shacks and surfers – which can be added to sunrise meditation and hillside hikes as reasons to visit. Only an hour from Tokyo, it tends to get packed on weekends and holidays, so plan accordingly.
The Best...
ASight Daibutsu
AActivity Daibutsu Hiking Course
APlace to Eat Bonzō
Top Tip
Bicycles are great for touring Kamakura's shrines and temples; Kamakura Rent-a-Cycle (レンタサイクル MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0467-24-2319; per hr/day ¥800/1800; h8.30am-5pm) is outside the east exit of Kamakura Station.
Getting There & Away
JR Yokosuka-line trains run to Kamakura from Tokyo (¥920, 56 minutes) and Shinagawa (¥720, 46 minutes), via Yokohama (¥340, 27 minutes). Alternatively, the Shōnan Shinjuku line runs from the west side of Tokyo (Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro, all ¥920) in about one hour, though some trains require a transfer at Ōfuna, one stop before Kita-Kamakura. The last train from Kamakura back to Tokyo Station is 11.20pm and Shinjuku 9.16pm.
Getting Around
You can walk to most temples and shrines from Kamakura or Kita-Kamakura Stations. Sites in the west, including the Daibutsu, can be reached via the Enoden line from Kamakura Station to Hase (¥200) or by bus from Kamakura Station stops 1 and 6.
Need to Know
Area Code 0467 ALocation 65km south of Tokyo
A Tourist Office (鎌倉市観光総合案内所 GOOGLE MAP ; %0467-22-3350; h9am-5pm)
Kamakura
1Sights
1DaibutsuA3
2Engaku-jiC1
3Ennō-jiC2
4Jōchi-jiB1
5Kenchō-jiC1
6Sasuke-inari-jinjaB2
7Tōkei-jiB1
8Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gūC2
9Zeniarai-bentenB2
5Eating
10Wander KitchenC3
6Drinking & Nightlife
11UnivibeC3
2Sports & Activities
12Daibutsu Hiking CourseB2
Transport
13Kamakura Rent-a-CycleC3
1Sights & Activities
oDaibutsuMONUMENT
(大仏 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0467-22-0703; www.kotoku-in.jp; Kōtoku-in, 4-2-28 Hase; adult/child ¥200/150; h8am-5.30pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Oct-Nov)
Kamakura's most iconic sight, an 11.4m bronze statue of Amida Buddha (amitābha in Sanskrit), is in Kōtoku-in, a Jōdo sect temple. Completed in 1252, it's said to have been inspired by Yoritomo's visit to Nara (where Japan's biggest Daibutsu holds court) after the Minamoto clan's victory over the Taira clan. Once housed in a huge hall, today the statue sits in the open, the hall having been washed away by a tsunami in 1498.
For an extra ¥20, you can duck inside to see how the sculptors pieced the 850-tonne statue together.
Buses from stops 1 and 6 at the east exit of Kamakura Station run to the Daibutsu-mae stop (¥190). Alternatively, take the Enoden Enoshima line to Hase Station and walk north for about eight minutes. Better yet, take the Daibutsu Hiking Course.
Hase-deraBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(長谷寺; Hase Kannon GOOGLE MAP ; %0467-22-6300; www.hasedera.jp; 3-11-2 Hase; adult/child ¥300/100; h8am-5pm Mar-Sep, to 4.30pm Oct-Feb)
The focal point of this Jōdo sect temple, one of the most popular in the Kantō region, is a 9m-high carved wooden jūichimen (11-faced) Kannon statue. Kannon (avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit) is the Bodhisattva of infinite compassion and, along with Jizō, is one of Japan's most popular Buddhist deities. The temple is about 10 minutes' walk from the Daibutsu and dates back to AD 736, when the statue is said to have washed up on the shore near Kamakura.
Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gūSHINTO SHRINE
(鶴岡八幡宮 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; http://hachimangu.or.jp; 2-1-31 Yukinoshita; h5am-8.30pm Apr-Sep, 6am-8.30pm Oct-Mar)F
Kamakura's most important shrine is, naturally, dedicated to Hachiman, the god of war. Minamoto no Yoritomo himself ordered its construction in 1191 and designed the pine-flanked central promenade that leads to the coast. The sprawling grounds are ripe with historical symbolism: the Gempei Pond, bisected by bridges, is said to depict the rift between the Minamoto (Genji) and Taira (Heike) clans.
Engaku-jiBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(円覚寺 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0467-22-0478; www.engakuji.or.jp; 409 Yamanouchi; adult/child ¥300/100; h8am-4.30pm Mar-Nov, to 4pm Dec-Feb)
One of Kamakura's five major Rinzai Zen temples, Engaku-ji was founded in 1282 as a place where Zen monks might pray for soldiers who lost their lives defending Japan against Kublai Khan. All of the temple structures have been rebuilt over the centuries; the Shariden, a Song-style reliquary, is the oldest, last rebuilt in the 16th century. At the top of the long flight of stairs is the Engaku-ji bell, the largest bell in Kamakura,
cast in 1301.
Tōkei-jiBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(東慶寺 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.tokeiji.com; 1367 Yamanouchi; adult/child ¥200/100; h8.30am-5pm Mar-Oct, to 4pm Nov-Feb)
Across the railway tracks from Engaku-ji, Tōkei-ji is famed as having served as a women's refuge. A woman could be officially recognised as divorced after three years as a nun in the temple precincts. Today, there are no nuns; the grave of the last abbess can be found in the cemetery, shrouded by cypress trees.
Ennō-jiBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(円応寺 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 1543 Yamanouchi; ¥200; h9am-4pm Mar-Nov, to 3pm Dec-Feb)
Ennō-ji is distinguished by its statues depicting the judges of hell. According to the Juo concept of Taoism, which was introduced to Japan from China during the Heian period (794–1185), these 10 judges decide the fate of souls, who, being neither truly good nor truly evil, must be assigned to spend eternity in either heaven or hell. Presiding over them is Emma (Yama), a Hindu deity known as the gruesome king of the infernal regions.
oKenchō-jiBUDDHIST TEMPLE
(建長寺 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.kenchoji.com; 8 Yamanouchi; adult/child ¥300/100; h8.30am-4.30pm)
Established in 1253, Japan's oldest Zen monastery is still active today. The central Butsuden (Buddha Hall) was brought piece by piece from Tokyo in 1647. Its Jizō Bosatsu statue, unusual for a Zen temple, reflects the valley's ancient function as an execution ground – Jizō consoles lost souls. Other highlights include a bell cast in 1253 and a juniper grove, believed to have sprouted from seeds brought from China by Kenchō-ji's founder some seven centuries ago.
Lonely Planet Tokyo Page 29
