Tokyo - Day trip to Hakone

Hakone is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, less than 100 kilometers from Tokyo. Famous for hot springs, outdoor activities, natural beauty and the view of nearby Mt. Fuji

Direction :

Tokyo ->Sinjuku ->Odawara-> Hakone-Yomoto -> Gora -> Sounzan ->Owakudan-> Togendai -> Hakone-Mache -> Moto Hakone-Ko -> Odawara ->Sinjuku ->Tokyo

We traveled from Sinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto by Odaku line.We took the express train but you can also take the romance car for the novelty value! The ride from Sinjuku to Yumoto passes Tokyo country side and is a good opportunity to take some nice pics. This journey takes around 2 hrs by normal express. Once you reach Hakone-Yumoto it’s a good idea to take the Hakone Free Pass by Odakyu Railways.

Tokyo -Country side houses

Country side - Mt Fuji in the background

Alternatively if you want to use the romance car this pass can be taken from the sinjuku station itself! Refer link for more details http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2358_008.html

Famous 'Romance Car'

From Hakone-Yumoto we took the Hakone Tozan Train, a delightful, mountain-climbing two car electric streetcar that winds its way through forests and over streams and ravines as it travels upward to Gora,making several switchbacks along the way.The train takes a leisurely 40 minutes to cover the 15-kilometer distance to Gora but it’s a beautiful ride on a narrow track through the mountains.

Inside the hakone tozan train

Just a short walk beside the tracks located on the steep slope above Gora Station is the Hakone Gora-koen a French style park with a fountain, rock garden and several green houses. We had our lunch (packed) in this park amides lovely flowers and cherry blossoms.

Hakone Gora-Park

The Fountain -Hakone Gora-Park

Packed Lunch at Hakone Gora-Park

Next we took the Hakone Tozan Cablecar covers the 1.2-kilometer distance between Gora and and Sounzan Station in 9 minutes. The Swiss-made cable cars have large windows through which visitors can enjoy ever-changing scenic panoramas throughout the four seasons. The difference in elevation between Gora and Sounzan is 214 meters.

Hakone Tozan cablecar

Inside the cable car

From Sounzan we took the Hakone Ropeway service and embarked on a 30-minute journey to Togendai Station, which nestles on the shore of Lake Ashi. The views from the ropeway gondolas is spectacular as one sees the crystal-clear blue waters of Lake Ashi, the rising volcanic fumes of Owakudani and the grandeur of Mount Fuji.
The Ropeway

Gondolas with a capacity of 18 passengers operate at approximately one-minute intervals from each station. You need to take a break at the Owakudani station and switch over to Togendai station.
Inside the Gondolas

Owakudani is the area around a crater created during the last eruption of Mount Hakone some 3000 years ago. Today, much of the area is an active volcanic zone where sulfurous fumes, hot springs and hot rivers can be experienced.

Sulfurous fumes in Owakudani-from Ropeway

A short walking trail (about ten minutes one way) leads from the ropeway station into the volcanic zone, where you will find a number of steam vents and bubbling pools. Here you can purchase eggs, cooked in the naturally hot water, whose shells are blackened by the sulfur and which are said to prolong one's life by seven years.

Owakudani- from Ropeway

We just to pictures from the station and headed to Togendai.
Lake Ashi- from Ropeway

Togendai is located at the northern shore of Ashinoko which is a large crater lake. Mt. Fuji can be viewed in clear weather.
Mt Fuji view from the ropeway

Fuji-san

From here one can take a boat cruise down lake Ashi using Hakone Kankosen boats which are modeled like colourful pirate ships. These boats are operated between the Togendai Pier and the the Hakone-machi Pier and then continue to Moto Hakone-Ko.

Kankosen- Pirate ship

The ride to Hakone-Machi takes around 40 mins. We got down there and then walked to Moto Hakone-Ko, a 30 minutes walk going past an ancient cedar tree avenue.
Lake Ashi from Hakone-machi

Cedar Tree Avenue

From Moto Hakone-Ko bus stop we took the bus directly to odawara(I think from bus stop 1,not sure though!) and then the train back to Sinjuku.

We were tiered alright, but what fun!

Places to see in Tokyo

Tokyo - Kamakura Beach:

Kamakura lies at the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Once you get out of the kamakura station, rather than crossing from once side of the track to the other side of the track, with a hundred other people walk the opposite way to the beach. If you follow that road it will take you straight to the curb and then you hit the beach. There still is no a direct staircase to the beach, so you will have to walk for about five minutes along the road. There is no side walk but not a lot of cars go by so if you just watch both sides then you’ll probably make it to the beach

The beach is average but is still a nice to sit in the evenings and munch on a snack or sandwich before leaving back to Tokyo.

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Tokyo - Hachimangu Shrine

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is Kamakura's most important shrine. It was founded by Minamoto Yoriyoshi in 1063, and enlarged and moved to its current site in 1180 by Minamoto Yoritomo, the founder and first shogun of the Kamakura government.

The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god of the Minamoto family and of the samurai in general. The sacred spirits of the ancient Emperor Ojin who has been identified with Hachiman, Empress Jingu and Emperor Chuai are enshrined in the main buildings of the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine can be reached from Kamakura Station either through the busy Komachi-dori shopping street, or along the Dankazura, a pedestrian path in the center of Wakamiya Oji Street that is lined with several hundreds of cherry trees. The walk from Kamakura Station takes about 10-15 minutes.
We went to the shrine through the shopping street and walked back from the shrine through the Dankazura. It was beautiful as we were lucky to visit in April during the cherry blossom season!

Temple Timings and admission fees: (rates subject to change)
Hours: 6:00 to 20:30
Closed: No closing days
Admission: Free

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Tokyo - Zen temples of Kenchoji and Engakuji

Kenchoji and Engakuji are the main temple of the Kenchoji school within the Rikai sect of Zen Buddhism. KenchojiIt is the number one and Engakuji is number two of Kamakura's five great Zen temples.

Kenchoji was founded by Hojo Tokiyori in 1253. It is one of the oldest Zen temples of Japan, and the first one built in Kamakura. Its first head priest was Rankei Doryu, a Zen priest from China. Behind the main hall (Hojo), a nice zen garden can be found. The temple bell (Bonsho) has been designated a national treasure.

Engakuji was founded by Hojo Tokimune in the year 1282, one year after the second invasion attempt by the Mongols was reverted. One purpose of the new temple was to pay respect to the fallen Japanese and Mongolian soldiers. The Shariden, a shrine where a tooth of Buddha is enshrined, is located on the temple grounds, but it is not accessible to visitors during most of the year. The building has been designated a national treasure. Another national treasure to be found at Engakuji is the temple's large bell (ogane).



Directions:
Engakuji is a few steps from Kitakamakura Station on the JR Yokosuka Line, one station before Kamakura Station when arriving from Tokyo.
Kenchoji is a 10-15 minute walk from Kitakamakura Station.

Temple Timings and admission fees:
Kenchoji
Hours:8:30 to 16:30
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 300 yen
Engakuji
Hours: 8:00 to 17:00 (until 16:00 November to March)
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 300 yen

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Tokyo - Kamakura - Hasedera

Hasedera (Hase Temple)
Hase Temple is a temple of the Jodo sect, that is most famous for its statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The statue shows Kannon with eleven heads, each representing a characteristic of the goddess. The 9.18 meter tall, gilded wooden statue is regarded as the largest wooden sculpture in Japan, and can be viewed in the temple's main building.

You can pack a small picnic basket and enjoy a great view of the coastal city of Kamakura from the terrace next to the temple's main buildings.

Next to the temple garden and the pond stands the Bentendo, a small hall that contains a figure of Benten (or Benzaiten), a goddess of feminine beauty and wealth.

Directions:
Hase Temple is located a 5 minute walk from the Enoden Railway Hase Station, the third station from Kamakura main station.
Temple Timings and admission fees: (rates subject to change)
Hours: 8:00 to 17:30 (until 17:00 in winter)
Admission ends 30 minutes before closing time.
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 500 yen

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Tokyo - Kamakura-Daibutsu

The Great Buddha of Kamakura (Kamakura Daibutsu)

The Kamakura Daibutsu is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 13.35 meters, it is the second largest bronze Buddha statue in Japan (the largest is located in the Todaiji Temple in Nara). The statue was cast in 1252 and originally located inside a large temple hall. However, the temple buildings were washed away by a tsunami tidal wave in the end of the 15th century, and since then the Buddha stands in the open air.

Directions:
The Great Buddha is located a 5 minute walk from the Enoden Railway Hase Station, the third station from Kamakura main station.
Temple Timings and admission fees (rates subject to change)
Kotokuin Temple
Hours: 7:00 to 18:00 (until 17:30 from October to March)
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 200 yen
Statue Interior
Hours: 8:00 to 16:30
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 20 yen

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Tokyo - Kamakura

I still remember the expression my friend and colleague Deva had when I told him we are going to visit Kamakura! “Ok, are u sure you want to come with us?” and then a suspicious look “Is mama coming too?” Mama is another colleague of ours, middle aged, a typical tam braham straight out of mambalam, and some one we had grown to be fond of! He was our official cook over the weekend. He used to make some yummy south Indian vegetarian food in tokyo , MTR Puliyodare, Sambar, Rasam, Bisebela bath you name it and mama had stocked up his small kitchen cabinet with all the masalas from chennai!
So Deva, mama, venky and myself (an eclectic mix I must say!) set off to Kamakura on a Sunday April 2006.
Kamakura is a good day-trip destination from Tokyo. It's located about 30 miles southwest of Tokyo. Kamakura was Japan's capital for more than 100 years beginning in 1192 when the shogun Minamoto Yoritomo established Bakufu Samurai government. The atmosphere of old Japan still remains in Kamakura. Surrounded to the north, east and west by mountains and to the south by the open water of Sagami Bay, Kamakura is a natural fortress. Before the construction of several tunnels and modern roads that now connect it to Fujisawa, Ofuna and Zushi, on land it could be entered only through narrow artificial passes, among which the seven most important were called Kamakura's Seven Entrances , a name sometimes translated as "Kamakura's Seven Mouths". The natural fortification made Kamakura an easily defensible stronghold.

To get to Kamakura from Tokyo:

Kamakura is served by two railway companies, JR East and Enoden. JR East connects Kamakura directly with Yokohama and Tokyo, and Enoden (Enoshima Electric Railway) operates a tram like line from Kamakura Station along the Pacific coast to Enoshima and Fujisawa.
You can get to Kamakura using two options, using JR or Odakyu.

By JR
Take the JR Yokosuka Line from Shinagawa, Shinbashi, or Yokosuka Stations to Kamakura. It takes about less than one hour from the Tokyo Station to Kamakura Station.
For exploring Kamakura, use the Enoshima Electric train (Eno-den). The train itself is a tourist attraction. The Enoden is a streetcar-like train that connects Kamakura with Enoshima and Fujisawa. Its terminal station in Kamakura is located just west of JR Kamakura Station. An excursion ticket Kamakura/Enoshima Excursion Ticket is available @ 1970 yen.

By Odakyu
The cheapest way of visiting Kamakura is by Odakyu's Enoshima Kamakura Free Pass, which includes the round trip from Shinjuku to Kamakura and unlimited usage of the Enoden train for only 1430 Yen.
However, that the journey to Kamakura, using this pass, takes at least 90 minutes, compared to about 60 minutes by JR and also the kita kamakura station is not covered here as this falls in the JR Yokosuka line.

We dint go to Enoshima though, in which case it’s a good idea to do the JR line get down in kita kamakura first see the Zen temples of Kenchoji and Engakuji and then go further down to kamakura using the enoden.

Places to see in Kamakura:

Kamakura's top attractions are concentrated in three areas, around Kamakura Station (Hachimangu Shrine and kamakura beach) and Hase Station(Great Buddha and Hasedera) on the Enoden Line and Kita Kamakura Station (Kamakura's Zen temples Engakuji and Kenchoji) in the JR Yokosuka line.
Places to see in Tokyo