Karuizawa is an upscale resort town in Nagano Prefecture. Although you can take the Shinkansen there, it is also a nice drive. You get there by taking the Joshinetsu Expressway and getting off at the Karuizawa IC; it is 13 km from that point.

Karuizawa has nice wide roads and plenty of trees and resort style houses. There is a large outlet mall to shop at, a ski resort, and plenty of lovely onsens in the area. Try Hoshinoyu Onsen for starters. This is a nice spot to come for cherry blossom viewing or to watch the change of Autumn leaves.

Nikko is a very famous destination and is particularly popular during Autumn months to watch the changing of leaf color. The massive Kegon waterfalls is one of the main attractions and are only a 5 minute walk from the beautiful Lake Chuzenji (Chuzenjiko).

Nikko is home to the famous Toshogu shrine and this is a must see. The nearby Yumoto and Chuzenji both have onsens to relax in and are worth a look. Nikko is located along the Romantic Road and is about a three hour drive from Tokyo.

Hakone is a lovely mountain resort not far from Tokyo. It lies in the mountains at the base of the Izu Peninsula and is next to Lake Ashinoko. This area is popular for Onsens and is a lovely retreat from busy Tokyo. You can take a boat tour on the lake, eat at one of the soba shops, play golf, take a cable car up one of the mountains, wander the beautiful onsen town of Hakone Yumoto or just relax in an onsen.

Not to be missed is the famous Fujiya Hotel which has had the likes of Marylin Monroe and other foreign dignataries stay there. Read the rest of this entry »

Take the Tokyo Aqualine from just past Haneda Airport in Kanagawa Prefecture under Tokyo Bay, all the way to Kisarazu, Chiba, on the Boso Peninsula. This engineering feat connects the two prefectures with the worlds longest underwater car tunnel. At mid-point you can surface to a man made island in the middle of Tokyo Bay called Umi no Hotaru (sea firefly). Recommend the view here at night time on the drive back.

From Kisarazu head around the coastline in the Tateyama direction. This road will wind around the coast showing you beach after beach along the way. Read the rest of this entry »

Nagatoro is on the foothills of the Chichibu mountains, but this time approaced from the Saitama side. By car you take the Kanetsu Expressway to Hanazono (60km from Ikebukuro) and then a State Highway for 18km to the small city of Nagatoro.

Probably the most famous area is Iwadatami which means rocks like tatami. There is a broad river framed by rocky sides. The rocks are strated horizontally so that they look like they are tatami stacked on top of one another. Read the rest of this entry »

Mount Takao is located at the Takao exit from the Chuo expressway. Takao is probably the closest mountainous area to Tokyo and is a really nice getaway. You can hike up the mountain, or catch a cable car to near the summit. Once you get to the top there is a shrine and also a monkey park with over 40 monkeys that you can look at.

There is also a grass garden with many different varieties of mountain grass. Both the grass garden and monkeys require a small admission fee. Read the rest of this entry »

Okutama is a mountainous region in the very west of Tokyo. This is a lovely area to come during the summer months and have a picnic by the tama river which winds through the mountains there.

On the way you can stop at the Nippara limestone caves. It is a huge cave with little shrines perched on any rock or platform available. In all of the fissures people have stuffed coins so that the roof and walls sparkle like crystals when you shine your torch on them. Read the rest of this entry »

Mount Mitake is on the way to Okutama after Ome. Mount Mitake is probably the best know and most visited mountain in the 1250 square kilometer Chichibu Tama Kai National Park which spans Nagano, Yamanashi, Saitama and Tokyo prefectures.

There is an area called the rock gardern which has naturally occurring moss-covered rocks amongst the spectacular forest. You can also hike up Mount Ontake which gives a wonderful view of the surrounding wilderness. Read the rest of this entry »

Kusatsu is one of Japan’s premier onsen areas and is a bit of a resort town. In the center of town is a big open hot spring called Yubatake which pumps steaming water up from the ground. The central town square is formed around Yubatake and shops fan out from there.

The town itself is very quaint and is nice to walk around. Try one of the onsen manju (steamed buns) from one of the vendors along the roadside � they give them out for free in hope you will buy a whole stack as souvenirs. Read the rest of this entry »

The drive down the eastern coast of Izu is highly recommended. The road winds in and out of the cliffs, hugging the coast the whole way down. The sea views are breathtaking and the drive itself is leisurely and relaxing � just don’t do it in the peak summer months on the weekend or it will end up being a 15 hour drive. Holiday periods are also a bad idea. You need to pick your times and season.

Along the way the drive is dotted with tiny coastal fishing towns and onsen resorts. Stop at the Atami for an onsen or drive all the way to Shimoda and check out the beautiful port town where Commodore Perry forced Japan to open itself for trade with the west with his gunboats. Read the rest of this entry »