Oshino Hakkai
Lake Ashi
Kamakura
The most impressive site in the ancient city and religious center of Kamakura, located 30 mi/50 km south of Tokyo, is the photogenic Daibutsu, a giant 120-ton/108-metric ton bronze statue of the Buddha. The statue has an amazing history: Cast in the 13th century, it originally was housed in a temple about a mile/kilometer farther inland. In 1495, a giant tsunami washed the temple away, and since then the Daibutsu has sat in the open.
Kamakura also offers scores of ancient shrines and temples, many of them scattered in the hills that surround the city on three sides. The imposing Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine is in the center of town; Zeni-arai Benten (the "money-washing" shrine) is also a favorite pilgrimage spot; Engakuji is one of the oldest and most important Zen monasteries in Japan; and Tokeiji (the Bamboo Temple) is also an atmospheric site.
The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura and Hayama, in the precinct of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, was designed by a Japanese student of Le Corbusier. Kamakura also boasts one of the closest beaches to Tokyo.
You can take a ride on the Enoden, a railway that is part train, part streetcar, that runs along the coast from Kamakura to Enoshima, a traditional pilgrimage spot, and then to Fujisawa, southwest of Yokohama. This journey will give you unique glimpses of the hills and ocean (and some people's backyards).
Mt. Fuji
Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and one of the most magnificent in the world. Points along the climbing trail are called “stations” and the fifth station is the highest point to which you can travel by road, located about halfway up the mountain. Here, weather permitting, you’ll have a magnificent panoramic view.
Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan, presents a different view at every turn. It's one of the world's main economic centers and its most populous agglomeration. The business of Tokyo is business, but you can still find harmony and small-scale gardens on back streets. Around the corner from neon and concrete, you may find the bonsai-lined courtyard of a traditional inn.
Tokyo was nearly destroyed by bombs and fires during World War II, and by earthquakes at other times, but it has always rebuilt itself. As a result, there is little left of Old Japan in the city, but there's plenty of New Japan to take its place.
The streets are a confusing maze, so a map is essential. The transit system is excellent, however, and there are kobans (police boxes) throughout the metropolis, as well as a populace generally willing to answer questions.
Visitors to Tokyo represent both business and leisure travelers. And despite its past reputation, Tokyo is no longer fearsomely expensive. It's relatively easy to visit Tokyo on a budget.
Excursions
Wheeling Your Way Through Tokyo - 6 Hours
Forget the bus, get out of the car, and by no means take the subway – experience Tokyo by bicycle a seemingly unusual way to explore one of the world’s largest megalopolises. But once on your bike and pedaling through the city’s many and varied neighborhoods you will experience Tokyo in a truly unique way.
You will transfer to Chuo-ku, Tokyo where you choose your bicycle and try it out before setting off. Once ready and under the supervision of your cycling guide set off for the Tour de Tokyo pedaling your way through some of the distinctive districts that make Tokyo so memorable:–
↓
Tsukishima (traditional market area famed for its monjayaki savoury pancake) and Tsukiji Outer Market the largest seafood market in the world.
↓
Ginza (Tokyo’s chic shopping district – the city’s “Fifth Avenue”)
↓
Shinbashi Station (Japan’s oldest railway station)
↓
Azabu Juban Village (eclectic, eccentric and exciting – where trendy meets traditional)
↓
Roppongi, Aoyama and Harajuku & Omotesando (iconic architecture and fashion forward for today’s Tokyo)
↓
Yoyogi Park (site of the 1964 Olympic Village – weather permitting enjoy a picnic lunch)
↓
The New National Stadium (site of the 2020 Opening Ceremonies)
↓
Meiji Jingu Shrine (Tokyo’s revered Shinto Shrine set within a verdant forest park)
↓
Yoyogi National Stadium (Tange Kenzo’s stunning design for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games)
↓
Jingu Gaien Mall (the beautiful Gingko lined Avenue)
↓
Akasaka Palace (the magnificent State Guest House)
↓
Parliament House (the site of the National Diet)
↓
Imperial Palace Grounds (The Iconic Nijubashi Bridge and the moat)
↓
Tokyo Station + KITTE (Marunouchi Minami Exit side)
↓
15:00: Arrive at Chuo-ku, Tokyo – the end of this Tokyo tour
The most impressive site in the ancient city and religious center of Kamakura, located 30 mi/50 km south of Tokyo, is the photogenic Daibutsu, a giant 120-ton/108-metric ton bronze statue of the Buddha. The statue has an amazing history: Cast in the 13th century, it originally was housed in a temple about a mile/kilometer farther inland. In 1495, a giant tsunami washed the temple away, and since then the Daibutsu has sat in the open.
Kamakura also offers scores of ancient shrines and temples, many of them scattered in the hills that surround the city on three sides. The imposing Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine is in the center of town; Zeni-arai Benten (the "money-washing" shrine) is also a favorite pilgrimage spot; Engakuji is one of the oldest and most important Zen monasteries in Japan; and Tokeiji (the Bamboo Temple) is also an atmospheric site.
The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura and Hayama, in the precinct of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, was designed by a Japanese student of Le Corbusier. Kamakura also boasts one of the closest beaches to Tokyo.
You can take a ride on the Enoden, a railway that is part train, part streetcar, that runs along the coast from Kamakura to Enoshima, a traditional pilgrimage spot, and then to Fujisawa, southwest of Yokohama. This journey will give you unique glimpses of the hills and ocean (and some people's backyards).
Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and one of the most magnificent in the world. Points along the climbing trail are called “stations” and the fifth station is the highest point to which you can travel by road, located about halfway up the mountain. Here, weather permitting, you’ll have a magnificent panoramic view.
Tokyo, Japan, presents a different view at every turn. It's one of the world's main economic centers and its most populous agglomeration. The business of Tokyo is business, but you can still find harmony and small-scale gardens on back streets. Around the corner from neon and concrete, you may find the bonsai-lined courtyard of a traditional inn.
Tokyo was nearly destroyed by bombs and fires during World War II, and by earthquakes at other times, but it has always rebuilt itself. As a result, there is little left of Old Japan in the city, but there's plenty of New Japan to take its place.
The streets are a confusing maze, so a map is essential. The transit system is excellent, however, and there are kobans (police boxes) throughout the metropolis, as well as a populace generally willing to answer questions.
Visitors to Tokyo represent both business and leisure travelers. And despite its past reputation, Tokyo is no longer fearsomely expensive. It's relatively easy to visit Tokyo on a budget.
Excursions
Wheeling Your Way Through Tokyo - 6 Hours
Forget the bus, get out of the car, and by no means take the subway – experience Tokyo by bicycle a seemingly unusual way to explore one of the world’s largest megalopolises. But once on your bike and pedaling through the city’s many and varied neighborhoods you will experience Tokyo in a truly unique way.
You will transfer to Chuo-ku, Tokyo where you choose your bicycle and try it out before setting off. Once ready and under the supervision of your cycling guide set off for the Tour de Tokyo pedaling your way through some of the distinctive districts that make Tokyo so memorable:–
↓
Tsukishima (traditional market area famed for its monjayaki savoury pancake) and Tsukiji Outer Market the largest seafood market in the world.
↓
Ginza (Tokyo’s chic shopping district – the city’s “Fifth Avenue”)
↓
Shinbashi Station (Japan’s oldest railway station)
↓
Azabu Juban Village (eclectic, eccentric and exciting – where trendy meets traditional)
↓
Roppongi, Aoyama and Harajuku & Omotesando (iconic architecture and fashion forward for today’s Tokyo)
↓
Yoyogi Park (site of the 1964 Olympic Village – weather permitting enjoy a picnic lunch)
↓
The New National Stadium (site of the 2020 Opening Ceremonies)
↓
Meiji Jingu Shrine (Tokyo’s revered Shinto Shrine set within a verdant forest park)
↓
Yoyogi National Stadium (Tange Kenzo’s stunning design for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games)
↓
Jingu Gaien Mall (the beautiful Gingko lined Avenue)
↓
Akasaka Palace (the magnificent State Guest House)
↓
Parliament House (the site of the National Diet)
↓
Imperial Palace Grounds (The Iconic Nijubashi Bridge and the moat)
↓
Tokyo Station + KITTE (Marunouchi Minami Exit side)
↓
15:00: Arrive at Chuo-ku, Tokyo – the end of this Tokyo tour
