Where: Mt. Ougiyama (1,138m) and Momokurasan (1,003m), Yamanashi Prefecture Time: Approx 6 hours Route: Take the JR Chuo line to Torisawa (approx 80min from Shinjuku). Head straight out of the station, pausing at the convenience store to get last-minute provisions, and follow the signs for Mt. Ougiyama (扇山). The first hour or so is on ...
We won’t say a trip to Rikugien is like stepping back in time. True, the young couples promenading in kimono complement the gentle hills, neatly-clipped keyaki trees and mirror-still lake of this Edo-period garden. The concrete towers of Bunkyo-ku, however, do not. Nevertheless, there’s a meticulously crafted beauty here, made all the more delightful by ...
The trees hang heavy with citrus fruit in Nebukawa, an unmanned stop on the JR Tokaido line that makes for an agreeable day trip from Tokyo. The Hilton Odawara Spa and Resort looms on the slopes above the station, but otherwise there isn’t much going on in this sleepy town. It takes two hours or ...
A nice sense of the macabre pervades most fish markets, and Kawasaki’s is no exception. Lifeless fish eyes the size of our palms stared up at us on a recent trip, accompanied by sushi chef Sarkeo Shinya. And that wasn’t all: cleavers lie on bloody cutting boards; bones and gristle are scattered about; partially sliced ...
If you find Mt. Takao a bit too crowded and are looking for somewhere to enjoy nature without having to battle with hordes of daytrippers, Shiroyama might just do the trick. Though the mountain is home to the ruins of Hachioji Castle, a historical landmark and one of Japan’s top 100 castles, it keeps a ...