Best Nature around Tokyo and Surroundings Spot List

The Yugawara bathing beach is shallow and very popular with children. Size: 500m x 150m Family huts: about 20 Entry fee: Adults - 1,000 JPY, children - 600 JPY *Does not include parking fees Access: From Yugawara Station, take the bus headed to Manazuru Station for about 5 minutes We are next to the Yoshihama Koban-Mae bus stop

Manyo Park has been selected as one of the 100 Best Historical Parks in Japan, as it is the only hot spring mentioned in ancient Manyoshu collection of poetry, and has been visited by many notable writers and artists. Inside the park you can see many of the flowers and plants mentioned in the Manyoshu, and take a leisurely stroll while listening to the murmur of the waterfalls and streams. You can rest your feet in any of the nine different foot baths at Doppo-no-yu, or enjoy matcha green tea and sweets at Manyotei. Each year, a ”firefly party” is held in the ”Hanakien” section of the park from early to mid-June, enabling you to enjoy the sight of Luciola fireflies flitting around the park, as well as enjoy stalls set up in the evenings in front of the nearby Tourist Hall. Access: From Yugawara Station, take the bus headed to Okuyugawara or Fudo-Taki for about 12 minutes We are located right next to the Koen Iriguchi bus stop

A wholesale district for fishery products open to ordinary shoppers. Its motto is ”In small quantity, for anyone and with easy access.”

Sakura Castle was also used as the government office of the Sakura Domain during the Edo period. What was built in this site of greenery and history was the Sakura Castle Ruins Park. Castle remains can be found in the park such as parts of old towers and dry moats. There are also many large trees such as the Mokkuku Couple evergreen trees which are around 400 years old and have been designated a natural monument by Chiba Prefecture. It is also a place where around 48 varieties of around 1,100 cherry blossom trees proudly blossom during spring. The park hosts tea gatherings for the general public on Sundays and national holidays at the tea room called Sankeitei.

Zushi Beach is a beach facing Sagami Bay that is popular among many people, young and old, and is full of bathers in the summer.

Sun Beach with palm trees, which many people visit for swimming during summer, has an atmosphere that makes you feel as if you were in a tropical country. The sandy beach is lit up at night, making visitors enjoy a view like a tropical resort. The beach is opened for swimmers every year from the second Saturday of July to August 31. Swimming is allowed from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during the above-mentioned swimming period. The beach is lit up every night from the sunset to 10:00 p.m.

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.

This is a natural valley and is one of the most precious nature reserves throughout the twenty-three wards of central Tokyo. It attracts many visitors who relax and enjoy walking along the rivers and immersing themselves in the serene and natural environment.

A fishing port at the tip of Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa famous for landing tuna. A great place to enjoy tuna dishes.

Shinjuku Central Park is the largest public park in Shinjuku Ward. It is an urban oasis in the western Shinjuku area where high-rise buildings stand side-by-side. Cherry blossoms bloom in the spring and on weekends, events such as flea markets are sometimes held for local residents. If you wish to take a break from the energy and excitement of Shinjuku and relax among the greenery, take a stroll to Shinjuku Central Park. Photo: Courtesy of Shinjuku Ward

Lake Saiko is located at the center of the Fuji Five Lakes region. Fishing, camping and bird watching can be enjoyed in its vast natural environment.

This aquarium has introduced Japan's first tunnel aquarium, which offers a 360-degree view of the seals swimming around. It is an aquarium that both kids and adults can enjoy.

This is a unique botanical garden that mainly displays wetland plants and is located in Sengokuhara in the town of Hakone. You can observe pretty and wild plants in spring, summer, and fall.

One of the coasts representing the Shonan area (southwestern Kanagawa Prefecture). Also known as the setting for Soseki Natsume's novel ”Kokoro.”

A bathing beach in Kamakura with a shallow sandy beach and calm waves. It is also popular among surfers. It was selected as one of the 88 best bathing beaches in Japan.

The mountain streams passing through the town are a paradise for fishing. Enjoy fishing for Japanese salmon, as well as ayu once the season begins in early summer. Japanese salmon: Season opened on Sunday March 4, 2018 Ayu: ・Season opened on Sunday June 3, 2018 (Chitose river: river mouth - Kawaseki bridge) from one hour before sunrise ・Season opened on Sunday June 17, 2018 (Chitose river: Kawaseki bridge - Ochiai bridge) from one hour before sunrise The season for both Japanese salmon and ayu closes on October 15, 2018 (however, ayu can be fished from December 1-31)

Itabashi 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.

This waterfall is only 15 meters high, but a large volume of water flows through it. A Migawari Fudoson (a guardian who acts as a substitute to take on people's illnesses and other bad health) has been enshrined on the left side of the waterfall, and the right side has a Shusse Daikokuson which supports wealth and success. There is also a teahouse near the waterfall. Yugawara zeolite was discovered at the Fudo Waterfall by Dr. Kinichi Sakurai in 1931. The Yugawara zeolite discovered was found to belong to the oldest Neogene Yugashima Group on the Izu Peninsula. Zeolite has also been discovered in Okuyugawara, near the Yugawara water purification plant and Jatai Bridge near the upper part of the Fujiki River where the Yugashima Group is exposed, but Fudo Waterfall has also produced zeolites such as laumontite, mordenite, epistilbite and chabazite. Yugawara’s zeolite is thought to have a close relationship to the Yugawara hot springs as the areas in which it is found share the same water source as the hot springs. Access: From Yugawara Station, take the bus headed to Okuyugawara or Fudo-Taki for about 20 minutes The falls are next to the Fudo-Taki 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