Weekend Getaways From Tokyo

Tokyo is a convenient place to base oneself in; there are a number of cities and other places of interest close enough to the capital to be good for one or two day expeditions from here.  

Mount Fujiyama, towering to a height of 3766 m, is perhaps Japan’s most well known sight. Tall, majestic and perfectly symmetrical, it’s been featured on God alone knows how many postcards, calendars and books. But seeing it for oneself is an experience not to be missed. Fuji, or Fuji-san, as it’s known, is a dormant volcano (the last eruption happened in 1707), and it lies southwest of Tokyo, within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. The mountain itself rises above the Fuji Go-Ko (the Fuji Five Lakes), the place is the base camp for most climbs to the summit of the legendary mountain. A very large number of people- tourists and locals climb Fuji during the official season (July-August), and it certainly requires stamina. There are stops along the way up (where you can buy food, and even sleep), but it makes more sense to go on without too many stops- also works out cheaper, as the food is usually frightfully expensive. Go well clad as Fuji can get bitterly cold and aim to see the sunrise from the mountain- it’s unforgettable. There are direct buses from Tokyo to Kawaguchi-ko, which is the main point for the trek up Fuji. You can of course be independent and rent a car.

The town of Nikko (the name means 'sunlight’) lies close enough to Tokyo for you to travel between the two places in around two hours, by train or by car. Nikko’s not a large and imposing town by any means; small enough to traverse on foot, but an interesting place nevertheless, for it contains the mausoleum of the warlord Ieyasu, who is credited with founding Tokyo in 1600. The mausoleum is a shrine, (Ieyasu was actually designated a God later), and it lies in the midst of a large grove of wonderful old Japanese cedars. Around the monument are other places of interest- a Buddhist temple, a five-tiered shrine with lacquered doors, gateways and other shrines.

Within Nikko are other monuments worth a look- many of them dating back to the time of the Tokugawa shogunate; if you’re interested in Japanese history (and more specifically spiritual history), you should pay a visit to the Treasury Museum, which has a good collection of art and antiques from temples and shrines. Part of Nikko is the Nikko National Park, set around the Lake Chuzen-ji; it’s a little way out of Nikko, and you can go there by bus. Chuzen-ji is best known for a lovely waterfall, surrounded by a landscape of caves and gorges. It’s probably the most famous waterfall in Japan, and is particularly lovely in the winter, when the water actually forms icicles.

  Kamakura, at a distance of about 40 km from Tokyo, has a history behind it: for nearly a century and a half, it was the capital of Japan. Always a obscure little fishing village, Kamakura saw its moment of glory between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when, under the shogun Yoritomo it became the seat of power. Nothing- or nothing of note- remains of the fortresses and other secular buildings which came up at that time, but outstanding examples of the religious architecture of the period still abound in Kamakura. The samurais, the warrior clan that grew to prominence under the shoguns, generally followed Zen Buddhism, and many Buddhist shrines still stand.

Among them, the most important is perhaps Engaku-ji, where prayers for the prosperity of the empire is offered. There is also the nunnery of Tokei-ji, Enkiri-dera, ('Divorce Temple’ – a wife unhappy with her husband could flee here for sanctuary if her husband was cruel to her, and would be declared divorced after two years). Further on lies the lovely garden of Meigetsu-in, the shrine of the emperor Ojin, Yoritomo’s tomb, and many more temples and museums. Also in Kamakura is the Daibutsu (Great Buddha) of Hase, 37 ft high and made of bronze. Hase also houses the Hase-dera, a lovely old temple dedicated to the Boddhisattva Jizo, the guardian of little children- especially those who are stillborn, aborted or miscarried. The atmosphere of the temple is very sad, as devout mothers come here to pray, to leave offerings and to put little red bibs on the Jizo idols in the temple.

A mere 20 km from Tokyo lies one of Japan’s most cosmopolitan cities- Yokohama. Originally a quiet little seaside town, Yokohama came into prominence in the late 1800s, when, as a result of the efforts of the American Commodore Matthew Perry, Japan opened its foreign trade. The first place where the foreigners set foot was Yokohama, and it was at Yokohama that the first foreign enclave was set up- mainly housing Chinese, British, French, American and Dutch nationals. This was the Japanese port, which all sailors knew of; this was the place talked of as far away as London and Paris. Thoroughly cosmopolitan, Yokohama remained an important trading centre for nearly a century, until World War II bombing tore it to shreds. However, a lot still remains- and it’s worth a visit. Amongst the most interesting sights in Yokohama are Chinatown (the largest Chinese settlement in Japan, and a wonderfully Chinese atmosphere: the shops here sell everything from Chinese medicine to cloth and lacquer, all imported from China), and Yokohama’s museums. The city has some excellent collections of antiques are arts, housed in museums like the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum (some wonderful old scrolls, portraits and armour), the Yamate Archive, with its collection of European-period antiques, the Yokohama Doll Museum, the Yokohama Archives of History and the Silk Museum.