This is another of Yokohama’s narrowly themed museums (along with a tin toy museum and the Anpanman Children’s museum, among others) but for anyone with even a passing interest in dolls, the museum is just astounding. Bisque, papier-mache, china, cloth and celluloid dolls all crowd side by side her...
Like much of Yokohama's modern waterfront, Yamashita Park is built on reclaimed land. The long, narrow park was built using debrisfrom the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923, which devastated the city. Opened in 1930, the park is a pleasant stripof green affording good views of the Bay Bridge and ocea...
Kawasaki’s Toshiba Science Museum was launched, in part, to combat waning interest in the natural sciences among children. It does a pretty good job of this, overall, not only through its exhibits but also through various events and educational outreach and awards programs for youth. As a corporat...
Yokohama is a port city, and one of the best ways to appreciate its charms is from the sea. The Yokohama Royal Wing, an excursion boat sailing from the Osanbashi International Terminal, lets you see the waterfront at its best, from old town Yokohama to the ultra-modern lights of Minato Mirai and t...
Thought by many to be the Kanto region’s most impressive temple, Kawasaki Daishi is the Head Temple of the Chisan sect of Shingon Buddhism. It is also the third most visited temple in Japan during the New Year Holiday, when almost three million people crowd into the temple grounds over the first fe...
The Yokohama Raumen Museum is another food theme park, this one devoted to one of Japan’s true obsessions, the now world-famous noodle soup called ramen. The museum’s odd spelling of ramen is intentional, an old fashioned pronunciation that sounds nostalgic to Japanese visitors.
The museum docu...
More than living up to its name, this 296 meter building is Japan’s tallest after Tokyo Tower, hosting offices, a hotel, restaurants and shopping spaces. One of the world’s fastest elevators will rush you to the 69th floor in just forty seconds, where you’ll enjoy spectacular views from the Sky Gar...
Hakone is both a town and its surrounding area, south of Mt. Fuji in Kanagawa Prefecture, at the edge of Fuji-Hakone National Park. It’s a pleasant destination, and you can easily spend two or three days exploring the areas offerings at a leisurely pace.
Several of these attractions have their...
Anyone with even a passing interest in Art Nouveau or Art Deco may want to stop by one of Hakone’s newest museums, dedicated entirely to the work of the French jeweler and glass artist Ren Lalique, a leading figure of both styles.
Over the course of his celebrated career, Lalique made jewelry for...
Owakudani is another of Japan’s “Hell Valleys,” and was once called such until a visit from the Emperor prompted a switch to a less inauspicious name. Owakudani means Big Seething Valley, a more or less perfect description of what travelers will find here. The valley was created in an eruption abo...
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 ...
Billing itself as an “Aqua Museum,” this amusement park and aquarium occupies its own small island at the tip of Yokohama Bay. The aquarium is a good one, with an undersea viewing tunnel that shows off some of the huge collection of over 100,000 fish. In addition to the aquarium there are also som...
This eight-floor spa and hotel facility was opened in 2005 and offers visitors a variety of indoor and outdoor hot-spring style baths, from traditional cypress tubs to a rooftop garden where you can soak your feet in a hot footbath while enjoying the famous night view. The eighth floor also has an ...
