day trips from Tokyo

Hi there,

1.) My personal nr 1. would be a visit to Nikko, closely followed by Hakone and Kamakura. All are great trips but Nikko has something magical. Visiting it with your JR Pass, also gives you the best savings of the 3.

2.) The area around Tokyo station is called Marunochi, close by area's also include Kanda and Ginza. This is all in the Chidoya ward of Tokyo. It is a very business and expensive are but very nice. You can however stay anywhere around the JR Yamanote line in Tokyo for easy access to Tokyo station.

Hope this helps,
Daniel

Dear Daniel-san, thank you for your response.

Now regarding the side trips from Tokyo: .Kamakura seems to be different from my other destinations (being on the ocean). Nikko seems to offer more temples, which we'll probably have our fill after being to Kyoto and Nara? Am I being presumptuous? Is Nikko really that different?

Best regards, BR

Hi BR,

This is a highly personal matter, so you many like Kamakura more than Nikko.

What I found so impressive about Nikko is the Mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu tried to set himself up as a God after death and the surrounding temple complex is a testament to that. Besides temples and traditional buildings, there are also many beautiful hikes you can make around Nikko and you can lose yourself there for a bit and just enjoy the pure nature.

There are also great hikes around Kamakura btw.