Day trips from Tokyo: 4 best by train

Four trips from Tokyo compete for the same spare day, and which one wins usually depends on two practical questions rather than on which is prettiest: which station are you starting from, and what will the sky do tomorrow? Kamakura works in almost any weather with little planning. Nikko is the one to pick if you only want one big cultural day outside the city. Hakone and Kawaguchiko lose a lot when Mt. Fuji is in cloud, so keep them flexible rather than fixing them to a date.

Day trips from Tokyo at a glance

Times come from the rail operators and tourism bodies and describe the usual fastest direct service; for Kawaguchiko the figure is a minimum. The real day starts after that: Hakone adds a mountain railway, a ropeway and a boat, and Nikko adds buses or a walk to the shrines.

Base map: Natural Earth

Which station is closest to you?

Tokyo is big enough that reaching the departure station can be a leg of its own, so start with your hotel:

• Near Asakusa or Ueno: Nikko suits you, because the Tobu express leaves from Asakusa.
• Near Shinjuku: Hakone and Kawaguchiko both run direct from Shinjuku. A direct express to Nikko takes about 2 hours from here too.
• Near Tokyo Station or Shinagawa: Kamakura is the easy one, and from Shinagawa the city of Kamakura gives about 50 minutes. For Nikko, take the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Utsunomiya and the JR Nikko Line from there, about 1 hour 40 in total.

If you are still deciding how to split your days, our article on how many days to spend in Tokyo helps. For the first leg, see Narita and Haneda to the city.

Kamakura: the uncomplicated day

How to get there: the JR Yokosuka Line runs without a change from Tokyo Station to Kamakura. Japan's national tourism organization says 55 minutes, the city of Kamakura about 60.

What to see: the Great Buddha at Kotoku-in is a 13th-century bronze Amida Buddha about 11 metres tall. Close by is Hasedera, a temple with a garden above the sea. A tree-lined approach of about 10 minutes leads from the station to Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine, with the Komachi-dori shopping street alongside. With more time, walk to the Zen temples of Engakuji and Kenchoji or carry on to Enoshima island on the coast.

Which order: the Buddha and Hasedera sit together, and the shrine is by the station. Do one group and then the other instead of going back and forth. Many sights are walkable from the station, and a local railway covers the rest.

Best for: a late start, a rainy day of temples instead of views, or your first trip after a long-haul flight.

Hakone: the loop on five kinds of transport

How to get there: the Odakyu Romancecar runs from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto in about 80 minutes, direct, with all seats reserved. The Hakone Freepass covers the area, but the Romancecar surcharge is extra. You can also compare Hakone passes and tours on Klook^*.

What to see: the classic loop strings together a mountain railway, a cable car, a ropeway, a boat and a bus. From Hakone-Yumoto, the Hakone Tozan Train climbs towards Gora, passing the Open Air Museum. From Sounzan, the Hakone Ropeway covers about 4 km in roughly 30 minutes, past the volcanic valley of Owakudani, to Togendai. There a sightseeing boat crosses Lake Ashi to Moto-Hakone, where the Torii of Peace at Hakone Shrine stands in the water, about 10 minutes on foot. A bus takes you back to Yumoto in about 40 minutes.

Which order: Odakyu's own course runs the other way round, lake first and Owakudani after. Both directions work. The Hakone portal warns that evening buses are often delayed by traffic, so don't rely on the last Romancecar. Start early: the portal's sample plan leaves Shinjuku at 7:30 and is back in Yumoto around 17:00.

Best for: people who love trains and boats, anyone with a clear forecast, and those who don't want a long walk. Without Fuji you still have the lake, the volcanic valley and the museum, so the day isn't lost.

Nikko: shrines and a mountain lake

How to get there: the Tobu express from Asakusa reaches Tobu-Nikko in about 1 hour 50, direct, though some services need a change at Shimo-Imaichi. Seats must be reserved. Local trains are cheaper but take at least 2.5 hours with up to three changes.

What to see: the Toshogu shrine complex is the mausoleum of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site; this is where the three wise monkeys hang above a stable. Higher up are Lake Chuzenji and the Kegon Falls. The bus from Nikko to Chuzenjiko Onsen takes about 50 minutes.

What to skip: shrines and lake are possible in one day, but you'll spend a long time on buses. With nearly four hours of rail there and back, it's better to choose. For culture, take Toshogu slowly. For nature, catch an early bus to the lake and do a short round at the shrines.

Best for: anyone who wants one big trip and has seen enough towers for now.

Kawaguchiko: the Fuji day

How to get there: the Fuji Excursion runs direct from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko in at least 1 hour 54, according to Fujikyu. There are only four round trips a day plus seasonal extras, so reserve in good time. The alternative is the Kaiji limited express with a change at Otsuki, which JR East puts at about 1 hour 50. From Kawaguchiko station, the retro bus takes you to the lake.

What to see: Lake Kawaguchi with Mt. Fuji behind it. It's the most direct view of the four trips and the biggest gamble.

Against Hakone: only Kawaguchiko depends almost entirely on the weather; in Hakone, a cloudy day still gives you a museum, a volcanic valley and a boat. If you have one attempt at Fuji and the forecast is uncertain, take Hakone. If the forecast is clear and the view is all you care about, take Kawaguchiko. Our article on the best time to visit Japan covers the seasons, and cherry blossom in Japan helps with spring dates.

How many day trips fit into a Tokyo stay?

With three days, stay in the city. With four or five days, one fits, ideally Kamakura. From six days, two fit, for example Kamakura and a Fuji day. Nikko and Hakone on consecutive days get tiring because of the long rides, so put a city day between them. If Tokyo is part of a longer route, look at our Japan itinerary for 2 weeks: Hakone also sits on the way to Kyoto, so it can be a stopover rather than a day trip.

For tickets and maps on the move you'll need mobile data. An eSIM for Japan^* takes a few minutes to set up, and our eSIM comparison for Japan shows the plans.

The UK Foreign Office does not advise against travel to Japan. The German Foreign Office warns only against the evacuated zones around the Fukushima Daiichi plant, and none of these trips goes there. For entry rules, see the UK government page on Japan.

How YesTrip helps you plan

YesTrip has a ready-made plan for Tokyo. Copy it into the app, add your hotel and put the day trip on the right date. Because the app shows the weather for your travel days, you can move Hakone or Kawaguchiko to the day with the best view at short notice. With the offline package you have the map even when there is no signal at the lake. YesTrip is free, and you buy your tickets from the provider.

Tokyo trip planDay by day, with map and tips

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