Kanagawa（神奈川）prefecture, south of Tokyo, is one of my favorite prefectures in Japan. With the relaxing Enoshima（江ノ島）, Kobe-like port city Yokohama（横浜）, hot spring town Hakone（箱根）, Kyoto-like Kamakura（鎌倉）all in one prefecture, it is hard for me not to like it~
My first and second trips to this prefecture were in March and May 2014. Kamakura is less than an hour distance via train from Tokyo. Headed down to Hase station（長谷駅）, where the night's accommodation and some sightseeing spots were located.
I visited Hasedera（長谷寺）, a temple of the Jodo sect. It is famous for a Kannon（観音）statue with 11 heads. The temple grounds is picturesque, with an area where visitors can trek up for views of Kamakura, with flowers along the way. There is also a small cave with lots of small statues.
The not-to-be-missed attraction-- Daibutsu 大仏 (huge bronze Buddha statue), is just nearby. It is one of the Three Great Buddha Statues in Japan.
Next, I took the train to Kamakura station and walked to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine（鶴岡八幡宮）, Kamakura's main shrine. The path in the middle of the road that is lined with cherry trees is supposed to be really beautiful when the flowers are blooming, a pity I was there a week earlier. The shrine premise is quite big, with two ponds. The other approach to the shrine-- Komachi-dori（小町通り）, is an old-style shopping street with shops lining both sides.
I then visited Enoshima for superb Mount Fuji sunset view (refer to first photo). Just like the Shinjiko（宍道湖）sunset in Matsue (Shimane prefecture), found them as nice as the Three Great Views of Japan. I didn't have a lot of time to check out Enoshima thoroughly, but it already left me with good impression, thanks to the great views and good food.
Kamakura is famous for shirasu (baby sardines). I had Shirasu Aglio Olio pasta at PICO Italian restaurant at Enoshima.
Though a big part of why I like Kamakura is because of my stay in IZA Kamakura guesthouse. It is close to the beach and has a bar (doesn't operate beyond 11pm) where guests and staff gather to drink and chat. The people were warm and friendly. Heard that the filming location for Terrace House Season 1 is nearby. Indeed, this place gives off a "seishun"（青春）vibe.
Hakone is the place that comes to mind immediately for visitors who want to enjoy onsen near Tokyo. A 2D1N there is a decent break from the bustling Tokyo.
I bought a Hakone 2D free pass for 3900 yen. Had to make quite a number of transfers, from train to cablecar to ropeway.
First visited Owakudani（大涌谷）, crater of Mount Hakone that emits sulfurous fumes. It is crowded with tourists, and is known for the "black egg" that is the result of the sulfur, and also views of Mount Fuji during clear days.
Next, took the cable car to Obako station where Hotel Green Plaza Hakone is. Most visitors do not know of this place and do not alight at this station. It actually has a rotenburo（露天風呂）with Mount Fuji view! As it does not offer accommodation for solo travelers, I could only go for the daytime onsen package, which was good enough (image from the hotel website below).
After that, I continued the rest of the cable car journey and took the pirate ship to Hakone Machi（箱根町）, which is covered by the 2D pass.
I checked out the area near Hakone Yumoto（箱根湯本）station, where there are quite a number of shops selling local food products. Then I took the shuttle bus to the ryokan（旅館）I was staying for the night -- Hotel Nanpusou（ホテル南風荘）. It costed 10,000 yen per night inclusive of two meals. It was spring, so the theme of the dinner course was cherry blossom.
Hakone has quite a few other attractions to visit which I skipped, such as Hakone Art Museum, Hakone Glass no Mori (Venetian glass theme park) and Hakone Shrine.
On a separate trip, I visited Hakone Kowakien Yunessun, a hot spring amusement park and spa resort. It was fun experiencing dipping in the different colored hot springs mixed with sake, green tea, coffee and wine. I could only smell the coffee one though (google image below).
Being a castle fan, I visited Odawara Castle（小田原城）. It is a good place to see cherry blossoms, a pity I was one week early. The tall black pine trees make the castle stand out from the others.
On another trip, I went to Yokohama, a short train ride away from Tokyo. It is the capital of Kanagawa prefecture, and the second largest city in Japan. I find it very similar to Kobe.
My first and second trips to this prefecture were in March and May 2014. Kamakura is less than an hour distance via train from Tokyo. Headed down to Hase station（長谷駅）, where the night's accommodation and some sightseeing spots were located.
I visited Hasedera（長谷寺）, a temple of the Jodo sect. It is famous for a Kannon（観音）statue with 11 heads. The temple grounds is picturesque, with an area where visitors can trek up for views of Kamakura, with flowers along the way. There is also a small cave with lots of small statues.
The not-to-be-missed attraction-- Daibutsu 大仏 (huge bronze Buddha statue), is just nearby. It is one of the Three Great Buddha Statues in Japan.
Next, I took the train to Kamakura station and walked to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine（鶴岡八幡宮）, Kamakura's main shrine. The path in the middle of the road that is lined with cherry trees is supposed to be really beautiful when the flowers are blooming, a pity I was there a week earlier. The shrine premise is quite big, with two ponds. The other approach to the shrine-- Komachi-dori（小町通り）, is an old-style shopping street with shops lining both sides.
I then visited Enoshima for superb Mount Fuji sunset view (refer to first photo). Just like the Shinjiko（宍道湖）sunset in Matsue (Shimane prefecture), found them as nice as the Three Great Views of Japan. I didn't have a lot of time to check out Enoshima thoroughly, but it already left me with good impression, thanks to the great views and good food.
Though a big part of why I like Kamakura is because of my stay in IZA Kamakura guesthouse. It is close to the beach and has a bar (doesn't operate beyond 11pm) where guests and staff gather to drink and chat. The people were warm and friendly. Heard that the filming location for Terrace House Season 1 is nearby. Indeed, this place gives off a "seishun"（青春）vibe.
Hakone is the place that comes to mind immediately for visitors who want to enjoy onsen near Tokyo. A 2D1N there is a decent break from the bustling Tokyo.
I bought a Hakone 2D free pass for 3900 yen. Had to make quite a number of transfers, from train to cablecar to ropeway.
First visited Owakudani（大涌谷）, crater of Mount Hakone that emits sulfurous fumes. It is crowded with tourists, and is known for the "black egg" that is the result of the sulfur, and also views of Mount Fuji during clear days.
Next, took the cable car to Obako station where Hotel Green Plaza Hakone is. Most visitors do not know of this place and do not alight at this station. It actually has a rotenburo（露天風呂）with Mount Fuji view! As it does not offer accommodation for solo travelers, I could only go for the daytime onsen package, which was good enough (image from the hotel website below).
After that, I continued the rest of the cable car journey and took the pirate ship to Hakone Machi（箱根町）, which is covered by the 2D pass.
I checked out the area near Hakone Yumoto（箱根湯本）station, where there are quite a number of shops selling local food products. Then I took the shuttle bus to the ryokan（旅館）I was staying for the night -- Hotel Nanpusou（ホテル南風荘）. It costed 10,000 yen per night inclusive of two meals. It was spring, so the theme of the dinner course was cherry blossom.
Hakone has quite a few other attractions to visit which I skipped, such as Hakone Art Museum, Hakone Glass no Mori (Venetian glass theme park) and Hakone Shrine.
On a separate trip, I visited Hakone Kowakien Yunessun, a hot spring amusement park and spa resort. It was fun experiencing dipping in the different colored hot springs mixed with sake, green tea, coffee and wine. I could only smell the coffee one though (google image below).
Being a castle fan, I visited Odawara Castle（小田原城）. It is a good place to see cherry blossoms, a pity I was one week early. The tall black pine trees make the castle stand out from the others.
On another trip, I went to Yokohama, a short train ride away from Tokyo. It is the capital of Kanagawa prefecture, and the second largest city in Japan. I find it very similar to Kobe.
I visited the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum before the lunch time crowd came. I like the Showa period set-up. There are around nine shops there, thanks to the mini portion, it is possible to try more than one ramen in one visit.
We tried Tokyo's Genkotsuya, Yamagata's Ryu-shanghai, and Saitama's Tsukemen Ganja. I am a fan of tsukemen, but I was most impressed by Ryu-shanghai. The standard spicy miso ramen was SO GOOD! Before mixing in the chilli provided, the miso soup had a unique seafood taste which was special but lacking something. After mixing in half the chilli, the umami was brought out and the taste was awesome! The noodles were hard and chewy, the chashu soft and juicy... An impressive bowl of ramen that I'd have cravings for! (Not surprised that it is the only one that is still around when I checked the website 11 years later in 2025.)
Next, we headed for the Kirin beer factory, where I had made reservations for free Frozen Nama special tour. It was quite fun going around learning about the process of beer making. The frozen draft beer at the end was pretty good, the foam can actually last for half an hour!
Lastly, we visited the renowned Chinatown. Truly impressed by its scale and food variety. Nagasaki and Kobe's Chinatown are totally incomparable.
I also visited Yokohama Cup Noodles Museum in a separate trip.
Other attractions in Yokohama which I have yet to visit include Sankeien (三渓園), Minato Mirai, Zoorasia and Yamate & Motomachi. The descriptions remind me of Sorakuen（相楽園）, Harbourland, Oji zoo and Kitano in Kobe. So many similarities between the two port cities indeed!
Update in Spring 2025:
In Spring 2025, I visited Mitsuike Park（三ッ池公園）and Kinugasayama Park（衣笠山公園）for cherry blossom viewing. They are chosen as "Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots in Japan" along with Odawara Castle.
During this road trip, I also deliberately stopped at Ebina Service Area along the Tomei Expressway and understood why this rest stop is so famous and popular. It is like the basement of a shopping mall, with a supermarket and shops selling all sorts of delicacies, notably melon bread, curry bread, apple pie, etc.
I stayed at Hanachoen（花長園）, a ryokan in Yugawara Onsen（湯河原温泉）town at the western border of the prefecture. We particularly liked the newly renovated spacious rooms and the rustic reserved outdoor baths (貸し切り露天風呂).
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