One-day trips from Tokyo

Just 40 minutes from Shinjuku, Yokohama makes a great getaway from Tokyo. It has many things to do so be ready to spend a whole day here. My favorite places in Yokohama : • Shin-Yokohama ramen museum. There are nine ramen restaurants where you can taste different types of ramen (they have vegetarian ramen too). You can feel the atmosphere of the old Tokyo Shitamachi district from 1958, the year ramen was created. • Yokohama Chinatown. The largest Chinatown of Japan with a lot of restaurants, food stalls and souvenir shops. Very colorful. • Minato Mirai 21. I really enjoy the futuristic vibe it gives off. There is an amusement park, a Cup noodles museum where you can make your own cup noodles, the Lamdmark tower with an observation deck on the 69th floor, a 600-meter long ropeway, Yokohama museum of art and some other museums.

Also know as Little Edo, Kawagoe allows you to travel back in time and enjoy the atmosphere of the Edo period with many traditional buildings and cultural properties. Stroll through Candy alley or try Kawagoe’s local cuisine in one of the many restaurants.

This outlet is a great location for shopping lovers! It has variety of brands (you can check the brands list from their website) and the prices are good. It takes 1.5-2 hours from Tokyo by bus. On the sunny day you can get a view of Mount Fuji.

This is a great place to immerse yourself in the Edo period. There are a lot of Edo-inspired buildings which you can enter and feel lifestyle of that era.

Kamakura is a real breath of fresh air! Only around hour away from Tokyo, Kamakura feels completely different. It has a lot of temples and is surrounded my nature. I recommend visiting Komachidori with a lot of stores and restaurants then head to Tsuruoka Hachimangu shrine. From there you can walk to Hasedera temple, but it will take around 40 minutes, alternatively you can return to the Kamakura station and take a bus to Hase-Kannon bus stop or take Enoden train from Kamakura station to Hase station. Hasedera is a large temple complex with a gardens and ponds, beautiful view from the terrace and a golden statue of Kannon, Goddess of mercy. From Hasedera temple you can take a walk to Kotoku-in which is home to a giant bronze 13-meter statue of Buddha. I highly recommend starting your day early because many temples are closing at 4.30-5 pm. If you have enough time, you can visit Enoshima island on the same day. Take Enoden train to Enoshima station which is around 20-minute ride from Hase station. From there, it’s either 20-minute walk to Enoshima island (you will have to cross the bridge) or 5-minute taxi ride. I personally think ~2 hours will be enough to see main attractions of the Enoshima island. My recommendations are Enoshima sea candle, a lighthouse with two observation decks (indoor and outdoor), Samuel Cocking garden, a small botanical garden with a lot of tropical plants, Enoshima aquarium and Iwaya caves. Please note that there are a lot of stairs throughout the island you will need to climb, but alternatively some places offer paid escalators which will bring you up fast. However, you will have to walk down using stairs.

Enoshima is small island 20 minutes away by train from Kamakura. It is worth visiting as it gives a nice tropical vibe. I recommend visiting on the same day with Kamakura.

This amusement park is not as crowded as Tokyo Disneyland or Fuji-Q and is more known among locals. From mid October to early April ithe whole place gets illuminated in the evening which makes you feel like you are in a fairytale. There is also Hanabiyori, a botanical garden you can access from Yomiuriland (requires a separate ticket) where you can find a Starbucks in a greenhouse with flowers everywhere.

Botanical garden with Starbucks in a greenhouse located next to the Yomiuriland amusement park.