■Yugawara

 Only about an hour from Tokyo by train, the historic onsen town of Yugawara offers an ideal getaway for travelers looking for a dramatic change of pace.  Tucked between Sagami Bay and the Izu-Hakone mountains at the neck of the Izu Peninsula, the town has a large assortment of onsen spas and ryokan inns to choose from, and also works well as a base for those wishing to spend some time exploring the Peninsula.

 Yugawara is proud of its storied past.  The town’s hot springs are mentioned in the Man’yoshu, an ancient collection of poems, in which the seething waters are compared to the poet’s passion for his lover.  The great 12th century warrior Minamoto no Yoritomo, founder of the Kamakura Shogunate, is said to have healed a sword cut in the hot springs here, and the town has also enjoyed a long popularity with a number of well-known Japanese authors, most notably Soseki Natsume.

 Other activities popular in and around the town include fishing, golf and hiking.  And if you’re lucky you may be in town for one of the local festivals.  At the biggest of these, the Yassa Festival on August 1st and 2nd, fishermen parade their boats across the Bay in early evening before the town crowds onto the beach to watch a fireworks display, followed the next day by a costume parade through the town center.


>>Access
JR Tokyo station====(75 min. by JR Tokaido Line, Express Odoriko)====Yugawara

JR Odawara station====(17 min. by JR Tokaido Line)===Yugawara

>>Website
Yugawara (English, Chinese, Korean)


■Mirakuan (Japanese Sweet Shop)












>>Access
230 Miyanoue Yugawara, Ashikagashimo-gun, Kanagawa

>>Open Hours
8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

>>Holidays
No Holidays
(No Japanese Sweet making classes Tuesdays)

>>Japanese Sweet Making Class (reservation required)
Time: 10:30 a.m. - 11:30  or 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Fee: 1,260 yen


■Seiranso (Ryokan)











>>Access
679 Miyanoue, Yugawara-cho, Ashikagashimo-gun, Kanagawa

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　-Matt Mangham

>>Hotels and Ryokans in Yugawara