Within 300 km of Tokyo: Where for flora, landscape, nature? [closed]

Within 300 km of Tokyo: Where for flora, landscape, nature? [closed] - Blue, White and Red Poppy Flower Field

I plan to visit Japan for 10 days and apportion 5 days to Tokyo. For the remainder, I want to escape the megalopolis and enjoy picturesque backwoods or countryside. Please recommend? Criteria:

  1. No dangerous animals or untamed boondocks. No Caniformia or snakes.

  2. I won't drive, and must rely on public transport and walking less than 5 km in total.

  3. No shrines, temples or any religious edifice.

  4. OPTIONAL: I fancy water bodies, the more the better.

This instantiates, doesn't duplicate, my broader question.



Best Answer

You may not realize it, but that's actually quite a difficult set of conditions. One by one:

  1. Well, this one's easy, there are no lethal animals anywhere near Tokyo.
  2. Also not a problem, public transport anywhere around Tokyo is also easy. "Off the beaten track" means relying on buses instead of trains, but you certainly don't need to rent a car. But...
  3. If you must be able to "see the ocean", only areas near the coastline qualify. However, more or less the entire eastern (Pacific Ocean) seaboard from Nagoya through Tokyo to Sendai is heavily industrialized, with only a few exceptions I'll get to later. (Check out a satellite map: not a whole lot of green on those coasts.)
  4. Most of the few remaining bits are national parks, and in Japan, virtually without exception, any mountain or scenic little offshore island will have a temple, shrine or both plunked on top.
  5. ...you do realize you're visiting Japan, yes, ? Maybe Mongolia might be a better idea.

So what does that leave us with? I'll throw out a few ideas. Note that all of these are popular with the Japanese as well, but tourism is pretty seasonal and it'll be fairly quiet on weekdays if you manage to avoid the major holidays.

  • The Izu Peninsula, about 2-3 hrs south of Tokyo by train, is a popular hot spring area with bits of perhaps only 50% tamed wilderness, like the rock formations of the Jogasaki coast near Ito, and a bunch of good hiking trails.
  • A bit closer to Tokyo, the southernmost bits of the Boso Peninsula are also a national park. Mount Nokogiri is the most famous spot around here, but (as usual...) it's encrusted with the usual temples and statues.
  • My top pick for you, though, would be the Izu Islands, 108-354 km away from Tokyo and easily reached by ferry or short flight. All feature volcanoes, volcanic black sand beaches, hiking trails, hot springs, cycling, scuba diving and more. On the downside, there are (rare) habu vipers and a slightly elevated risk of being killed by a volcano, but hey, this is Japan we're talking about, you can get stomped to death by Godzilla (or, more likely, an earthquake) anywhere.



Pictures about "Within 300 km of Tokyo: Where for flora, landscape, nature? [closed]"

Within 300 km of Tokyo: Where for flora, landscape, nature? [closed] - Photo of Woman in a Sunflower Field
Within 300 km of Tokyo: Where for flora, landscape, nature? [closed] - Brown Man Face Figurine
Within 300 km of Tokyo: Where for flora, landscape, nature? [closed] - Red Flowers in Bloom



Does Tokyo have nature?

It might seem like the grass is greener in other prefectures \u2013 think of the temple-lined hills of Kamakura, Okinawa's tropical islands or the majestic Mt Fuji \u2013 but there are plenty of hidden pockets of nature in Tokyo.

Which part of Japan is the most beautiful?

can invoke the feeling of awe and it is up to you to decide on the most beautiful places in Japan.
  • Himeji Castle. ...
  • Tottori Sand Dunes. ...
  • Kurashiki Canal Area. ...
  • Miyajima Island. ...
  • Motonosumi-Inari Shrine. ...
  • Adachi Museum of Art. ...
  • Shimanami Kaido. ...
  • Takachiho Gorge. Kyushu | Miyazaki Prefecture | Takachiho.


Where is the beautiful place in Japan?

Mt Fuji, Yamanashi Japan's crown jewel and arguably the most beautiful place in the country, Mt Fuji is a must for any visitor. There are plenty of places to see the grand mountain, but the views from Arakurayama Sengen Park, which boasts the majestic Chureito Pagoda, and from Lake Kawaguchi best capture its beauty.

How close is Tokyo to the ocean?

How far is Tokyo from the beach? The nearest swimmable beaches to Tokyo, in Hayama, Kanagawa, are about 50 km or 30 minutes away. Realistically, you need at least an hour to reach the beach from Tokyo, and possibly longer depending on where in the city you're staying.



Bartok : String Quartet No. 5 - II. Adagio molto




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Kristina Paukshtite, Noelle Otto, Magda Ehlers, David Bartus