Day 3 — Spots for Beginner-Friendly Quick Day Trips around Tokyo (2023)
Hello and welcome to the HENNGE Advent Calendar! This is the third day of the HENNGE Advent Calendar, and I hope you’re having a great day so far!
As a background for creating this article, I often receive this kind of inquiry from others:
“What are the best places to visit for day trips?”
“This is my first time visiting Japan, do you have any recommendations?”
“There are too many places to see from travel/vacation websites, and it’s very hard to choose between the available choices!”
“I find it very difficult to choose where to go in the current season.”
To answer the questions, in this article, I want to share about my favorite day trip destinations around Tokyo that are beginner-friendly. This may turn into “Yet Another Trip Guide,” which you usually see in Google search results, but I hope that you’ll read this to the end. I’ll add some commentaries from my side to make this article unique. All these places should be ideal for someone visiting Japan for the first time and all of these places are not too far from central Tokyo. All photos in this article are taken by me from my phone.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
About and Why Day Trips
One of my hobbies in Japan is going on day trips and seeing the old town and the nature. A day trip is a form of traveling in which you go out to visit a destination and return in a single day. This form of traveling is economical, as you do not have to think about the logistics of overnight stays, which can turn out to be more expensive than previously thought. In and around Tokyo, day trips are economical and efficient as public transportation is on-time and structured, so you can schedule your time without worrying about unexpected side effects, which can throw a wrench in your plans. Personally, I like to choose a destination that is not too far; which I can start going by the afternoon (after lunchtime), and return back after the sun has set. In this article, I will let you know about those kinds of places so you too can visit them when you are in Tokyo.
Kamakura
Kamakura (鎌倉) is a district in southern Tokyo. Kamakura is a small city accessible from about an hour from central area of Tokyo. To get to Kamakura, there are various transportation methods, the easiest ones being trains: JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line, JR Yokosuka Line, or using the Odakyu Line. If you are using the Odakyu Line, you can stop at Fujisawa and take the unique Enoden Line to head to Kamakura.
If you like temples, shrines, and historical monuments, this may be a good place to go. Several popular tourist attractions include the Kotoku-in Temple, Hachimangu Shrine, and Hase Temple. In Kotoku-in Temple, you can see the famous Great Buddha statue. In Hase Temple, if you visit at the right moment during the fall season, you can see the beautiful autumn trees.
Keywords: temples, walking, shrines
Enoshima
Enoshima (江ノ島) is an island located near Kamakura, so it’s also an hour from central Tokyo. It’s also close to the beach. The easiest way to get to Enoshima is by taking the Odakyu Line or the JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line (transfer to Shonan Monorail at Ofuna Station and then get off at Shonan-Enoshima). Then, you can either take a bus, walk to cross the bridge, or even take the ferry to arrive at the island.
When you arrive at the island, you can enjoy a walk to arrive at the Sea Candle. There are plenty of stairs, but also plenty of shops to buy souvenirs and food. After you arrive at the Sea Candle area, you can take the elevator to the top to see the panoramic view of Tokyo. This is one of the best places where you can see and enjoy the sunset if you come at the right time. In my opinion, if you like beaches, enjoying the sunset, or just enjoy walking and experiencing the environment, this is the perfect place for you to go.
Keywords: beach, tower, sunset
Kawagoe
Kawagoe (川越) is a neighborhood located in Saitama prefecture. This place is also an hour from central Tokyo. The easiest way to get to Kawagoe is by taking the Seibu-Shinjuku Line, as there is an Express train straight to Kawagoe (Hon-Kawagoe station). The most popular attraction of Kawagoe is the Little Edo (Little Old Town) area. You can arrive there in a couple of minutes by walking after exiting from the station. You can also take the bus if you want to.
Once you arrive at the Little Edo area, you can enjoy a leisurely stroll around the area. There are a lot of stores which you can purchase from along the road. The Little Edo area is quite long, and you can visit the popular Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine. Other than that, there’s also the Kawagoe Bell Tower, which you can hear/see it ring if you come at the right time. If you enjoy looking at old towns, this is the perfect destination for you.
Keywords: old town, bell tower, temples
Mount Takao
Mount Takao (高尾山) is one of the closest mountains to visit from Tokyo. Mount Takao is very popular for hikers and normal tourists as it’s walkable to the summit, filled with shops and vending machines, has a cable car and a chairlift to get to the middle of the mountain (where there are even more shops), and it’s mostly paved road. This mountain is located approximately 1 hour from Shinjuku, and one of the fastest ways to access it is to take the Keio Line from Shinjuku station and get off at Takaosanguchi station. After arriving at the station, you could go outside and then walk for a couple of minutes to reach the area at the base of the mountain.
At the base of the mountain, there are plenty of shops to purchase souvenirs and vending machines to purchase drinks before/after your hike. At the time of writing this article, there are six routes to climb Mount Takao to the summit. As mentioned before, there’s also a cable car to get to the middle of the mountain if you don’t want to hike to the middle of the mountain. From my own experience, the first part to the middle of the mountain is also the steepest part of the hike.
At the top of the mountain, you can see Mount Fuji on clear days, shop at some stores, see the Mount Takao visitor center, and take a photo at the famous Mount Takao Summit (高尾山頂) monument. If you come at the right time, at the right season, you can also see autumn leaves and autumn trees!
Keywords: mountain, hiking, autumn leaves
Showa Memorial Park
Showa Memorial Park, also known as Showa Kinen Park (国営昭和記念公園) is one of the best parks to visit around Tokyo if you come at the right season and the right moment. Located 30 minutes from central Tokyo, the best way to get to this park is by taking the Chuo Rapid Line (Ome Special Rapid) from Shinjuku. You can get off at Tachikawa or Nishi-Tachikawa. The most convenient station to the park is the Nishi-Tachikawa station, where if you go outside of the station, you will immediately see the park’s entrance.
At the time of writing, if you want to enter the park, you have to pay 400 yen for the entrance ticket. Additional fees will be incurred if you want to enter several additional sections of the park, such as the Japanese Garden or the Sports Center. You can do a number of activities inside of the park: cycling, visiting the museum, relaxing in the open field where you can see tulips/cosmos/other flowers depending on the season, enjoying the cafés and restaurants, seeing the lights (on certain seasons) and more.
If you visit the park at the right moment (spring / fall), you can see the beautiful sakura trees or autumn leaves inside the park. During the fall season, there’s even “night-viewing” in which you could also participate if you want to see the night lights in the Japanese Garden, combined with the beautiful trees and flowers.
Keywords: park, sakura, autumn leaves
Honorable Mentions: Around Tokyo
Technically, you don’t have to go outside of the Tokyo area. It is also valid to visit neighborhoods around Tokyo, as there are lots of beautiful parks and walkable districts. Depending on the season, sometimes you may want to visit certain places. For example, in the sakura season, specific areas of Roppongi (called Tokyo Midtown) and Meguro River are very famous for their beautiful sakura trees.
There’s also the Yokohama area, which is around 30 minutes by train (you can take the Fukutoshin Line or the Shonan-Shinjuku Line) from central Tokyo. It’s a bayside city and very nice if you like seeing the sea. If you like looking at an aesthetically pleasing building, perhaps even rooftop gardens near Tokyo station can be a good choice.
Thank you for reading this article until the end. I hope that after reading this, you will have additional inspiration for your next Japan trip. All the best!
Check out other 2023 HENNGE Advent Calendar articles here.
