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Mt Fuji and Cherry Blossom

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Overview

Once you've succumbed to Tokyo's manifold pleasures, and the capital has chewed you up, Godzilla-style, worry not: there's a whole other world out there, where spiritual sanctuaries, invigorating hot springs and idyllic natural scenery awaits; and most of it is less than two hours away from the city.

01 / Attractions

Must-see attractions

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    Mt Fuji and Cherry Blossom

    Mt Fuji

    Fuji Five Lakes

    Fuji-san is among Japan's most revered and timeless attractions, the inspiration for generations of poets and the focus of countless artworks. Hundreds of…

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    Tokyo, Japan - May 6, 2017: Cup noodles Museum Front display in Yokohama.; Shutterstock ID 652705672; Your name (First / Last): Laura Crawford; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiA: Takayama, south of Tokyo POI images for online

    Cup Noodles Museum

    Yokohama

    This impressively slick attraction is dedicated to, you guessed it, cup noodles. But in reality, its focus is more broad, with numerous exhibitions…

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    World Heritage-listed Toshogu Shrine, Nikko

    Tōshō-gū

    Nikkō

    Tōshō-gū is Nikkō's biggest attraction, a shrine to the powerful shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616). No expense was spared: when the original structure …

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    KAMAKURA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN - 2015/06/04: Kenchojji is the oldest Zen monastery in Japan. The temple was built in 1273 during the Kamakura period. The layout of the temple follows the Chinese tradition with the buildings arranged on an axis. (Photo by John S Lander/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    Kenchō-ji

    Kamakura

    Established in 1253, Japan's oldest Zen monastery is still active today. The central Butsuden (Buddha Hall) was brought piece by piece from Tokyo in 1647…

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    Daibatsu (Great Buddha) of Kamakura

    Daibutsu

    Kamakura

    Kamakura's most iconic sight, an 11.4m bronze statue of Amida Buddha (amitābha in Sanskrit), is in Kōtoku-in, a Jōdo sect temple. Completed in 1252, it's…

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    HAKONE, KANAGAWA, JAPAN - 2014/06/20: The Hakone Open Air Museum creates a harmonic balance of the nature of Hakone National Park with art in the form of scultpures and other artwork, usually replicas, using the nature of Hakone National Park as a frame or background. The park encourages children to play and be entertained as well as to inspire visitors. (Photo by John S Lander/LightRocket via Getty Images)

    Hakone Open-Air Museum

    Hakone

    Occupying a verdant swath of Hakone hillside is this unmissable art safari, leading visitors past a rich array of 19th- and 20th-century sculptures and…

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    KAMAKURA, JAPAN - 24 April, 2014: Tsurugaoka Hachimangu is Kamakura's most important shrine. The shrine is dedicated to Hachiman, the patron god of the Minamoto family and of the samurai in general.; Shutterstock ID 240149890; Your name (First / Last): Laura Crawford; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiA: Takayama, south of Tokyo POI images for online

    Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū

    Kamakura

    Kamakura's most important shrine is, naturally, dedicated to Hachiman, the god of war. Minamoto no Yoritomo himself ordered its construction in 1191 and…

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    Taiyū-in

    Taiyū-in

    Nikkō

    Taiyū-in, completed in 1653, is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604–51), the third Tokugawa shogun and grandson of Ieyasu. (Ieyasu was deified, which…

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03 / Articles

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Lake Okutama

Hiking

Tokyo’s natural escapes

Oct 11, 2021 • 7 min read

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