Kamakura is surrounded by the ocean in the south and by wooded hills in all other directions. Attractive hiking trails lead through the woods along these hills and connect Kamakura’s numerous temples and shrines. It is possible to walk them all in one go, starting and ending at train stations.
Takosenbei (たこせんべい), with real bits of octopus. I bought it freshly made from a stand near the Samuel Cocking Garden on Enoshima. There are also packaged biscuits for sale at most souvenir shops on the island.
After getting down from Mount Sekirou and/ back at Sagami Dam, I decided to return home using the Tokyo section of the Tokai Nature Trail. It goes from the dam to Mount Shiro (城山) and Mount Takao (高尾山). I then took the lift down Mount Takao to the Keio Takaosanguchi train station.
A few weeks ago, I went on a hike near Lake Sagami, west of Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture. I followed a section of the Tokai Nature Trail: The whole trail covers 1,697km and goes from Mount Takao in Tokyo all the way to Mount Mino near Osaka.
After getting down from Mount Komagatake and starting from the Hakone-en Komagatake Ropeway station, I walked on the road in the direction of Moto-Hakone, at the southern end of Lake Ashi. I spent some time at the Hakone shrine and at the Hakone Detached Palace. I then took the so-called Outer Rim Trail (外輪山のハイキングコース) that follows the Ashinoko Skyline Road in the mountains west of Lake Ashi. I followed the trail until I reached Togendai, at the northern end of Lake Ashi. I arrived just in time to catch the last express bus to Shinjuku.
A couple of weeks ago, I went back to Hakone, this time for a hike to Mount Kanmurigatake, Mount Kami (神山; 1438m) and Mount Komagatake (駒ヶ岳; 1327m).
While waiting for the start of the Kanamara festival mikoshi parade, I visited the nearby Daishi Temple, as well as Daishi Park and its Shinshu-en Chinese garden.
The Port of Kawasaki is an important port of Japan. It is located on the artifical island of Ogishima, facing Tokyo Bay. It is close to Kawasaki’s factory zone and Haneda Airport. I also visited the Marien Tower observatory, which offers a good view on Tokyo Bay and the industrial area.
The Kanamara Matsuri (かなまら祭り, “Festival of the Steel Phallus”), aka the Penis Festival, is a shinto festival celebrating fertility, long marriages and healthy births. It is held each spring at the Kanayama Shrine (金山神社) in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, just south of Tokyo. The penis, as the central theme of the event, is reflected in illustrations, candy, carved vegetables, decorations, and a mikoshi parade.
After Yugawara, I stopped at the nearby Cape Manazuru, a small peninsula protruding into Sagami Bay. Apparently, its shape resembles a crane with open wings. At the tip of Cape Manazuru, there is a distinctive rock formation called “Mitsuishi” (三ツ石; Three Rocks). There are also trails in the forest near the rock but I didn’t have time before nightfall. To get there, I took the bus from Manazuru station to the tip of the peninsula and walked down to the ocean and the Mitsuishi rocks then went back to the station by bus.
Above, Cape Manazuru seen from Mount Nango.