March 15, 2014

Cape Manazuru

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.

March 14, 2014

Plum Festival at Makuyama Park

As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently went to Makuyama Park for the Plum Festival. It celebrates the blossom of the 4000 plum (ume) trees of the park. Here are more photos of the event.

March 14, 2014

Hike to Mount Shiro & Mount Maku in Yugawara

Earlier this week, I went back to Yugawara. The goal was to get to to Makuyama Park and its 4000 plum trees, now in full bloom.

March 12, 2014

Snow at Mount Takao: Trail #6 / Konpiradai Trail

Mount Takao has many trails to and from the summit. This time, starting from the Takaosanguchi Keio station (高尾山口駅) at the foot of the mountain, I took trail #6 to get to the summit. There was still a lot of snow left. On the way down, I started on trail #3 then followed the paved road (trail #1) until Konpiradai, where I took a trail through the forest. I then walked to the Takao JR station, in town.

March 5, 2014

Tenen Hiking Trail in Kamakura

The Tenen Hiking Trail connects Kenchoji Temple in Kita-Kamakura with Zuisenji Temple in the east of the city, leading mostly along the ridge of the hills. I had come back to Kamakura intending to do the 3 hiking trails listed on that page but it was not great because of the melting snow that made the trail very muddy. I ended the day in Enoshima instead.

January 30, 2014

Toneri Park in Adachi City

Toneri Park is a park in Adachi City, in north-east Tokyo.

December 28, 2013

Kasai Rinkai Park

Kasai Rinkai Park (葛西臨海公園) is a park built on reclaimed land in Edogawa City, Tokyo. The park includes an aquarium (Tokyo Sealife Park), a bird sanctuary, two manmade islands, a viewing tower and a ferris wheel.

December 24, 2013

Autumn at Kyu-Furukawa Garden

Kyu-Furukawa Garden is a park in Kita City, Tokyo. The park includes an old western-style building designed by architect Josiah Conder, a rose garden, and a traditional Japanese-style garden.

December 19, 2013

Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome

Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome is located on a corner of Yumenoshima Park, in Koto Ward, Tokyo, and features a giant domed greenhouse. This dome holds about 1,000 varieties of tropical and subtropical plants, with colorful fruits and flowers throughout the year. It is heated using waste heat from trash burning at the nearby incineration plant. Boats floating at a yacht harbor can also be seen from the north side of the dome.

December 17, 2013

Lake Tama

Lake Tama is an artificial lake in Higashiyamato City, in western Tokyo, right at the border with Saitama Prefecture. It was formed by damming up a river running through the Sayama valley, a project started in 1916 and completed in 1927. The lake now serves as a water reservoir for the residents of Tokyo.

The lake is surrounded by parks and forests and there is a popular cycling course extending from Nishitokyo City to Lake Tama. North of the lake towards Lake Sayama lies the Seibu Dome, home of the Saitama Seibu Lions baseball team. Also worthy of a visit are the buddhist Yamaguchi Kannon Konjoin (山口観音金乗院) and Sayama Fudoson (狭山不動尊) temples.

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