Best Visiting around Tokyo and Surroundings Spot List

Built in 1919 as a private villa, the former Japanese inn Kiunkaku is one of the Three Great Villas of Atami. Around thirty years later, in 1947, it was turned into a ryokan, meaning a traditional Japanese inn, highly valued and loved by many creative minds such as novelists Osamu Dazai and Junichiro Tanizaki. Nowadays, it is open to the public as one of Atami’s designated tangible cultural assets. The main building in the lush and vast garden is built in a distinctive Japanese style, while mosaics on the walls and stained glass windows are reminiscent of Western aesthetics, creating a wonderful, historical fusion between East and West.

Beautiful lacquerware with black and vermillion is a traditional craft which represents Japan. ”Kuroeya” which has been operating in Nihonbashi since 1689 is a shop famous for lacquerware. The shop displays lacquerware from all over Japan, as well as their own original products. Apart from the standard bowls and chopsticks, there are spoons, forks and wine glasses that will match a western table setting too. There are also hand-mirrors and accessories that would be great as a gift to yourself or someone else.

Kannonzaki is a cape protruding into the Tokyo Bay. The cape area is a park with a Western-style lighthouse, a nature museum, and an art museum. You can definitely spend an entire day here.

Nikkotei Oyu is a time-honored inn, which is popular among one-day tourists to enjoy hot spring bathing. There is an open-air bath surrounded by bamboo trees, which is large enough to accommodate some 20 people. There is also a room for up to five people, which is recommended for a family.

Atami Castle is located on the top of Mt. Nishikigaura. The observatory in its tehnshu-kaku (donjon) commands a view of the whole of Atami. Atami is likened to a Monaco in the orient for its resort hotels and beautiful marine views. On a clear day, it is recommended to enjoy views while soaking your feet in the footbath on the first floor (free of charge).

Originally, the ceramic statue of the Buddha was placed in Nagoya Castle, and after the war, it was dedicated to Fukusenji Temple. Mitsutomo Tokugawa, a former lord of Nagoya Castle, is said to have created the statue in honor of his deceased mother. It is thought that a complete statue was created in Nagoya, including the parts from the neck down, so now where has the body gone? Access: From Yugawara Station, take the bus headed to Okuyugawara or Fudo-Taki for about 5 minutes The statue is a five-minute walk from the Izumi Iriguchi bus stop

Itabashi Fireworks Festival is held in the summer, and it is crowded with many people.

Edogawa Fireworks Festival is held in the summer, and it is crowded with many people.

Katsushika Fireworks Festival is held in the summer, and it is crowded with many people.

In 1180, Yoritomo Minamoto raised an army to destroy the Taira family and revive the Minamoto family. He lost the Battle of Ishibashiyama, and guided by Sanehira Doi, hid in “Shitodo-no-Iwaya” (Shitodo Cave). Springwater flows down there and the rocks have become covered in moss. The cave, where it is cool even in summer, has an enchanted atmosphere as it contains rows of statues of Kannon and stone pagodas. Access: From Yugawara Station, take the bus headed to Motohakone for about 40 minutes The cave is a 10-minute walk from the Shitodo-no-Iwaya Iriguchi bus stop

We are a privately-owned modern art museum opened in November 1988. We have a range of exhibitions, mainly of oil paintings, but also sketches, photos, sculptures, objets d’art and other works. The museum encourages visitors to engage with art through the experience of not only looking at, but also touching and moving the items on exhibit, or making them produce sounds. Access: From Yugawara Station, take the bus headed to Kajiya for about 15 minutes We are seven minutes' walk from the Kajiya bus stop

Rakugo is a type of humorous storytelling which depicts the daily lives of townspeople, fairy tales, and more. This is an old tradition which has been loved in Japan since the Edo period. Ikebukuro Engei-jo is a place in Ikebukuro where you can enjoy rakugo. There are chair seats available, so you can sit for a long time without trouble. Let yourself get sucked into the world created by the rakugo storyteller.

Two waterfalls located close to Tenshozan Shrine. Hakuun Waterfall is a beautiful 30-meter-high waterfall with water resembling silk threads falling. Kyorai waterfall is located right beside the shrine. The waterfall is used for Yamabushi training, which involves participants reflecting on their past and future life under the waterfall. Access: From Yugawara Station, take the bus headed to Motohakone for about 45 minutes The falls are a 20-minute walk from the Tenshozan bus stop

From the Fudo Waterfall, if you continue walking along the stream toward Okuyugawara, you will come across the Godan Waterfall. Godan means ”five steps” in Japanese and the 100-meter-tall waterfall appears to flow down five steps. Steam from hot spring water gathers around the falls, creating a real hot spring atmosphere. Access: From Yugawara Station, take the bus headed to Okuyugawara or Fudo-Taki for about 20 minutes The falls are a two-minute walk from the Fudo-Taki bus stop

Ibasen is a folding fan and uchiwa shop established in 1590. They sell a range of fans with varying uses, such as ”Edo folding fans” made of yukata (casual summer kimono) cloth, ”mai-ogi” used in traditional Japanese dances, and ”kazari (decorative) fans” used as decoration. Also, don't forget the uchiwas with prints of kabuki (classical Japanese dance-drama) actors and famous spots in Japan, that are based on the publications of ukiyoe masters like Utagawa Hiroshige and Utagawa Kuniyoshi.