This is a visual trip journal with selective pick travel photography I took along the trip. This is the eight trip for me to Japan with my wife, the second trip to Kanto Region, but now in early summer season. This is a long trip covering 1 megalopolitan Tokyo, traditional 6 Kanto prefecture, plus outer additional 4 prefectures. 一都十县 大関東初夏の旅

Below is Indiana Jones like travel map, easy to explain where I travel for the trip, high level in a single map. Hope it serves a purpose for those who will undertake a similar trip or look for travel inspiration.

It relative long 24 days 23 nights round region trip, and since want to write in brief, so divide into few sections below, Kanagawa prefecture 神奈川県, Yamanashi prefecture 山梨県, Nagano prefecture 長野県, Toyama prefecture 富山県, Gunma prefecture 群馬県, Saitama prefecture 埼玉県, Tochigi prefecture 栃木県, Ibaraki prefecture 茨城県, Chiba prefecture 千葉県, Izu Peninsula 伊豆半島, Tokyo 東京都. Hope you enjoy selective pick travel photography I took along the trip, along with the travel journal below.

Upon arriving in Tokyo, overnight stay near Haneda International Airport hotel. Next day direct go to Kamakura 鎌倉, follow with Shonan coast 湘南海岸. At Kamakura, first visit Shinto shrine Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū 鶴岡八幡宮, still remember the shopping street we pass by. Next stop Meigetsuin 明月院 for the Hydrangea Ajisai 紫陽花 flower season and take lunch here. Next stop Kōtoku-in 鎌倉大仏殿高徳院. The only place I saw a lot of Western tourists follow tour groups for this journey, except back to Tokyo. But miss Hasedera 長谷寺, due to practice traffic control for the flower season, if we want to go in, next entry time is 2 hours from now. Arrived Enoshima 江ノ島, along Shonan coast 湘南海岸, before sunset after had the Japan set dinner in Japanese ryokan. Had the beach walk for the night.

Next day, follow the Enoshima train to visit those stop along Shonan coast 湘南海岸 and had beach walk, take the local iconic train passthru photo for my wife. Next stop is visit Enoshima island and have lunch there. Continue journey to Odawara 小田原, for visit Odawara Castle 小田原城, and then continue to Lake Ashi 芦ノ湖, in Hakone 箱根. We had the Hakone Pirate Ship from port to port, visit local shinto shrine Hakone Shrine 箱根神社. It is an onsen resort where we stay, featuring a private onsen pool, buffet dinner. Next morning, take bus to Gotemba 御殿場, and from here begin journey to Yamanashi prefecture 山梨県.

Why come to Yamanashi prefecture for the second time? Because this is the place most likely to take scenic Mount Fuji as background. But for the duration of the trip for those days in Yamanashi prefecture, the thick cloud or mist covered Mount Fuji, sometimes even with the heavy rain. So this is the season without Mount Fuji, for those who travel in June will know, a kind of unique experience. Actually this without Mount Fuji, when I at Kanagawa prefecture already start, as those places we stop by right will have Mount Fuji, but all is without. From the Shonan coast, Enoshima, Lake Ashi.

We from Gotemba, direct to Lake Kawaguchi 河口湖, for two night Japanese onsen Ryokan by the lake. We turn back to Oshino Hakkai 忍野八海, despite heavy rain continues, we continue our journey to visit this place. But we do not go further to next Yamanakako 山中湖, as the rain just make it not viable to do. For the three days two night stay, we manage to visit Arakurayama Sengen Park 新倉山浅間公園, Fuji-Q Highland 富士急ハイランド (theme park), cable car to Kawaguchiko Tenjozan Park 河口湖天上山公園, Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum

河口湖オルゴールの森美術館, Oishi Park 大石公園.

Next stop is Takeda Shrine 武田神社. A unique shrine that dedicate for this warlord and his generals, while stop at Kofu 甲府市. From here onward will continue train to Suwa 諏訪, under Nagano prefecture 長野県.

First stop Suwa 諏訪, mainly come here to visit the one big shinto shrine Suwa Taisha 諏訪大社 (4 shrine spread across the area), we come for the ancient two. We stay at onsen hotel just next to Lake Suwa. Had a good local soba noodle lunch at one of the local restaurants within the hotel and train station. First we take taxi go to Suwa Taisha Upper Main Shrine (Kamisha Honmiya) 諏訪大社 上社本宮, and walk from here to Suwa Taisha Kamisha Maemiya 諏訪大社 上社前宮, and then walk to the next town Chino 茅野市 train station and back to the hotel. Hotel had one old onsen facility just next to the building block. Try that while staying here. Japanese set dinner. Next day after breakfast walk to the Takashima Castle 高島城.

Take train to Matsumoto Station 松本駅, visit Matsumoto Castle 松本城. Then change train line to Shinshimashima Station 新島々駅. Take a bus to Kamikochi 上高地 for a stay. Come to this highland in the right season and timing, scenery and beautiful landscape. Have a good walk and hike from Taisho Pond 大正池 to Kappa Bridge 河童橋. I went back to the hotel for the onsen bath and I had enough for the walk. Wife continue to Myōjin First Pond 明神一之池. Japanese set dinner.

Next day go back Matsumoto, and go for a night stay Omachionsenkyo 大町温泉郷. Prepare for next day go to highland Mount Tate 立山 (that portion is under Toyama prefecture, so detailed ignore here). Next day after come down from Mount Tate, to Nagano Station

長野駅, for Zenkō-ji Temple 善光寺. Next go to Karuizawa 軽井沢 for a stay. Visit places like Harunire Terrace, Karuizawa Kogen Church 軽井沢高原教会 ,石の教会 内村鑑三記念堂 Stone & glass church (this is impressive architecture design, despite can not take photos inside, worth to visit), Kumoba Pond 雲場池 (in next day early morning), since no far from the onsen hotel we stay. From here onward will go Kusatsu Onsen 草津温泉, located in Gunma prefecture 群馬県.

Over night at Omachionsenkyo 大町温泉郷 for the onsen ryokan. Buffet dinner. Next day we go Mount Tate 立山, 3000m, the route typically call Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route famous for during the summer season, saw the snow wall (ie Snow Corridor 雪の大谷), and changing lot of transport. Luckily we make the hotel stay at Mount Tate, direct at Murodo 室堂. Despite bad weather the snow wall sightseeing is being blocked, but it opens after working hours and the hotel had a tour guide bring hotel guests for a snow wall tour, where less people at the time. Since most people just come for the snow wall, it being blocked during day time, most likely will not have a chance to see it. Having seen the snow wall, it makes previous trip 7 explore the Hokuriku region during Autumn season more complete with the addition of Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route being checkoff.

Next day take the train back to Nagano prefecture and continue the journey.

When deciding on a Kanto region trip, it is one of the few places in my list I must visit for onsen. No matter how I saw, Gunma prefecture is onsen paradise, lot of town is famous for onsen. So for the trip I make two stops, both onsen towns.

Kusatsu Onsen 草津温泉 (the onsen show and the night lighting worth seeing), follow with Ikaho Onsen 伊香保温泉 (had visit nearby Lake Haruna 榛名湖 as well). The night while I was asleep, I was woken up by the earthquake land shake, the first time I came to Japan for so many rounds, never encountered before. The building is shaking, after checking and noting that a few prefectures are far from here. I can imagine how shaking will be from the source.

Saitama prefecture 埼玉県, we only stay at one place, Kawagoe 川越, known as mini Kyoto, got a lot of old buildings. Beside the old town street with bell tower as iconic landmark, visit Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine 川越氷川神社 in one end, Kawagoe Kita-in Temple 川越大師 喜多院 another.

We make stay two place, one at Nikko 日光, for visit Nikkō Tōshō-gū 日光東照宮, Shinkyo Bridge 神橋, Nikkozan Rinnoji Temple 輪王寺, 日光二荒山神社, 日光山輪王寺法華堂, 輪王寺大猷院 at Nikko, and Lake Chūzenji 中禅寺湖 for Chūzen-ji Temple 中禅寺, 日光二荒山神社, Kegon Falls 華厳の滝. It Japanese onsen ryokan, Japanese dinner set. Another stay is at Kinugawa onsen 鬼怒川温泉, for onsen. Visit near by Kinu-Tateiwa-Otsuribashi Suspension Bridge 鬼怒楯岩大吊橋, Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura EDO WONDERLAND 日光江戸村.

In Ibaraki prefecture 茨城県, we pass thru Mito 水戸, but never make the stop for Kairakuen 偕楽園, due no not in the season, no matter how I saw, that garden need to visit during Spring for the sakura season. In my plan, mainly intent to visit Oarai 大洗 and see this iconic dori landmark facing the ocean, to see the sun rise moment. 大洗磯前神社 神磯の鳥居, saw when arrived and next day early morning just for that. Since we stayed in an onsen hotel just next to it, we explored nearby during the stay. Next day, visit Kashima Jingu 鹿島神宮, at Kashima 鹿嶋市. One of the old shinto shrines before the Meiji era already listed as a regional famous shinto shrine. Then from here go Sawara 佐原, inside Chiba prefecture 千葉県.

Arrived Sawara 佐原, first we visit Shimosa Ichinomiya Katori Shrine 香取神宮, one of the shinto shrines already famous before Meiji Era as well. Then to the place famous for Little Edo and a street full of old buildings divided by the river, where people can see for people to take the boat ride. Next day for Naritasan Shinshoji Temple 成田山新勝寺. After visiting the temple, due to earthquake happen on the next region near where we want to go, disrupt the transport service to Hama-Kanaya Station 浜金谷駅 for a stay, for Kenkonzan Nichihon Temple 乾坤山 日本寺. So when arrived Chiba station 千葉駅, we decide to make the change and book one night onsen resort at Atami 熱海, Izu peninsula 伊豆半島 (one day before the original plan). Despite later on transport service being resumed, we still decided to let the originally booked ryokan forfeit and away from the earthquake region. This is the second time for this trip we encounter earthquakes and the land shake. First round is still considered far away a few prefectures away, but this round if we follow the original plan, we are close to the earthquake source.

Arrived at Atami 熱海, stay in onsen resort. Put the earthquake matter away, since we are practically away from the prefecture already. Had a walk near Atami station shopping district, and back for the onsen bath. While on the way wait for go for dinner, the earthquake and land shake happen again, this round is from next city Ito 伊東, a car distant for 40 minutes. After this 3rd round of the earthquake encounter, we have completely learned and understood how Japanese how they encounter and cope with it, be calm as nothing you can do about it.

Next day walk from hotel to Atami Castle 熱海城. After breakfast, we arrived and make a stay at onsen ryokan at Izu-Kōgen 伊豆高原. We visit Omuro 大室山, Jogasaki Coast 城ヶ崎海岸, Izu Teddy Bear Museum and have a good stay in onsen ryokan. Next day we visit Shimoda 下田, mainly for wanting to take the black ship 黒船 ride around the bay. Will see the iconic Torii Gate with black ship pass through the scene. After that had the walking along the street and than take lunch here, before taking the train to Kawazu Station 河津駅. From here go to stay at onsen ryokan where we can hike for the Kawazu Nanadaru Waterfall 河津七滝. I purposely saw Yasunari Kawabata 川端康成 classic novel “The Izu Dancer” 伊豆の踊り子 before the trip, intent to experience the story, and decide to make stop few places where the story take place, I think it is a good experience to walk through the place where the writer had mentioned in their work. We took the bus to stop at the 1st waterfall location, and then took a hike along the forest and river, and saw the 7 waterfalls. The onsen ryokan we stayed in had a private bath and access to the outdoors that is located at 7 waterfalls, an iconic scene.

Next day we visit Shuzenji 修善寺 (this is place name, no just the temple). Had the walk in the Shuzenji Onsen 修善寺温泉 area, visit such as Shuzenji Temple 福地山 修禅寺, Bamboo Forest Path 竹林の小径, Katsura Bridge 桂橋, Kokei Bridge 虎渓橋, Tokko no Yu 独鈷の湯 etc. Next stop Izu-Nagaoka 伊豆長岡 for Izunokuni Panorama Park, take the cable car to Mt. Katsuragi 葛城山 (again due to the season, no Mount Fuji as background). Next stop Nirayama reverberatory furnace 韮山反射炉. We make our stay at MISHIMA 三島, hotel with onsen bath. Next day we visit Mishima SkyWalk and follow with Mishima Taisha 三嶋大社. After that we take Shinkansen 新幹線 to Tokyo 東京, Shinjuku 新宿.

We are stay at Shinjuku 新宿 for rest of the nights before depart back. Place for this second round visit Tokyo, go for place previous visit before and some new places, where cover: Meiji Jingu 明治神宮, Sibuya Crossing, Tokyo City View And Sky Deck 六本木ヒルズ展望台 東京シティビュー, Shinjuku Kabukichō 新宿歌舞伎町, Shinjuku Golden Gai 新宿ゴールデン街.

Next day Yasukuni Shrine 靖国神社, Kagurazaka 神楽坂, Imperial Palace 皇居 (to take that iconic two layer bridge photo), Statue of Kusunoki Masashige 楠木正成像, Akihabara 秋葉原, Ueno 上野, Sensoji 浅草寺.

Next day Kōenji Station 高円寺駅, stop for Kōenji Hikawa Shrine 高円寺氷川神社. Another stop, from Kichishō-ji Temple 吉祥寺駅 walk and passthru Inokashirakoen 井の頭公園 to Ghibli Museum 三鷹の森ジブリ美術館 (we had make booking in advance and reservation, as this the place only allow pre-registration and booking before can visit ) the manuscript saw inside is touching, had an exclusive short animation film, and we take our lunch here. Despite not photo allow to be taken inside the museum, but worth a visit, if you like Hayao Miyazaki 宮崎 駿 animation movies, it dream come true experience. Follow with Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum 江戸東京たてもの園 (here preserved lot of Edo period building move from other places and assembly back to his place). Last stop Haneda International Airport for departure back.