Three Fun Day Trips from Tokyo !

You’ve probably heard of the most popular day trips from Tokyo such as Hakone and Fuji-Q Highland. But, I’d like to tell you about a few lesser-known day trips from the city that will be far less packed with tourists and will offer a quieter, less hectic vibe.

The first place I’d like to tell you about is Okutama, a town that’s technically still part of Tokyo but is two hours from the city center, and is awash with natural beauty, completely opposite to the skyscrapers of central Tokyo. Although there will be a fair amount of tourists here on weekends and national holidays, it’s still nowhere near the level of crowded as tourist attractions like Asakusa are. One of Okutama’s main attractions is its waterfall and river that runs through the middle of the town. The river is so wide that there’s a hanging bridge that connects the two banks, where you can take excellent photos. In addition, Okutama also has some delicious restaurants, a bath house, and a reasonably priced guesthouse if you want to stay the night.

The next destination is a great place to go if you have kids and you want to show them some of the natural beauty of Japan. The Saitama Children’s Zoo in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama is a zoo located in a pretty rural area of the Kanto region of Japan, which offers fun and interactive exhibits featuring a wide variety of animals. My favorite exhibit was a system of tubes and tunnels that housed mice that would scamper through the tubes over our heads, with ample space to run around. The other exhibit that is popular is their capybara habitat, especially during the winter when the capybaras take baths in hot yuzu-infused water. In addition, the lush forest surrounding the zoo is beautiful, and encourages a real sense of peace.

The last destination that I’d like to tell you about is Lake Sagami, a vast lake located in Sagamihara, Kanagawa, with a laid back, chill atmosphere. When I visited Lake Sagami, there weren’t many tourists at all, and the entire town surrounding the lake had a serious retro feel (think of a sleepy resort town in the ‘90s). Things to do in and around the lake include an arcade, going out on the lake in swan boats, and grabbing a local beer on the dock at the cozy lakeside bar. There are also a variety of mom and pop restaurants around the lake which offer delicious home-cooked Japanese food.

That’s about it for my three recommended lesser-known day trips from Tokyo. Hopefully, you were able to get some insight about which location you’d like to see in order to get out of the city for a day, experience some nature, and relax. Until next time, have a memorable trip to Japan!