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Family in Tokyo - a 10 day itinerary (Part 2.) Kamakura, Yokohama, Kinugawa Onsen, Asakusa

  • Writer: Yanka
    Yanka
  • Oct 5, 2024
  • 6 min read

Day 4: The Great Buddha and Yokohama by Night


After three days in Tokyo, it was time for a little trip outside the city. When we were planning the trip in our hotel room, my sister was particularly excited about the Great Buddha statue in Kamakura, so we decided to go see it.

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As a bonus, we got to ride the Enoden train. Enoden, short for Enoshima Dentetsu Line, is a scenic railway that runs along the Kamakura coast and is famous for its views and for how cute and photogenic the train is itself.


We got off at Hase Station, from where it was just a 10-minute walk to the Kotokuin Temple. As we entered through the temple gate, we were greeted by the serene sight of the seated Buddha, peacefully meditating under the blue sky. Originally, there was a temple protecting the buddha but a typhoon destroyed it. They have rebuild it, but then a tsunami came and the buddha was once again left out on the open air. But maybe that is how it was supposed to be.

We sat down in the share next to the buddha and rested for a little bit before heading back.


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After returning to the station, we decided to take a stroll on the beach instead of boarding the train right away. The weather was perfect, so off came the shoes, and we finally dipped our feet properly in the Japanese sea. The water was really warm and even though it was still quite hot, the sea breeze made it just about bearable. We spent some time here collecting shells before heading back to catch the train.

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Our next stop was Minato Mirai in Yokohama. As we walked from the station toward the harbor, my mom noticed a small tower at the side of the road. We popped inside and discovered it was the Yokohama Marine Tower, with an observation deck. We loved that no one was there, so we decided to go up. It was truly a hidden gem – only about 7–8 people were there, and the panoramic views of the Yokohama harbor and city were amazing.

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After this fantastic experience, we walked through Yamashita Park and ended up on the terrace of Wharf House restaurant. We arrived right between lunch and dinner, so we started with beer and waited for the kitchen to open. Once again, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and had a satisfying meal. We ended the day with a pleasant night stroll through the streets of Yokohama, past the iconic red-brick warehouse and amusement park with a colorfully lit-up ferris wheel.

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Day 5: Luxury Ride to Kinugawa Onsen


Tuesday was the day I had been looking forward to the most. One of my favorite things about Japan is onsen (hot springs), and I wanted my family to experience the kind of trips I enjoy the most.

But before embarking on this adventure, I wanted to show them where I work. A few months ago, my company moved to a new office in Roppongi and we now have lots of space, stylish interior and great views of the Roppongi Midtown. After a quick tour of my new workplace and the area, we moved on to Roppongi Hills to admire the view of Tokyo Tower and take a picture under the famous black spider statue - Maman.

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We then headed to Asakusa, took a short walk along the Sumidagawa river, grabbed a quick coffee and were ready to board the train to Kinugawa Onsen, a traditional onsen town in Tochigi Prefecture. The train we boarded was no ordinary one; it was the SpaciaX, a new type of luxury train that just started operating last year, connecting Tokyo with Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen.

We had seats in the first car, called the Premium Cockpit, which boasts beautiful design, an open space with panoramic views, and even a café (with beer!). The two-hour journey was incredibly relaxing. I always love how the views change from the busy and grey Tokyo cityscape to the Japanese countryside with green and yellow fields. The conductor even stopped by to take a photo with us, as it was the one-year anniversary of the train’s launch.

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When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised by the spacious square outside the station and the cooler air compared to Tokyo. Our hotel was just a 10-minute walk away, so we took a leisurely stroll through the town. You can tell the place is maybe past its most glorious days as many of the buildings are now older and some seem abandoned. The onsen here was discover more than 300 years ago and originally was only accessible to buddhist monks and the samurai but later got open to the general public.

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Right next to our hotel was a suspension bridge stretching across a beautiful and wide river. We decided to explore it, and though it shook quite a bit, we made it to the other side. Here we walked a bit more, up quite a steep slope, through a tunnel and up some stairs until we eventually reacher a lovely viewpoint of the town. After soaking in the view for a while, we finally made our way to the hotel and checked-in.

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I had reserved a private onsen room for my parents, but they surprised me by also trying out the large communal onsen in the hotel as well. They said they enjoyed it, which made me happy, because not everyone immediately takes to the idea of bathing in "hot water" (as my aunt called it) with strangers. One advantage was that it was off-season and a weekday, so we practically had the onsen to ourselves.

Dinner was excellent, and later in the evening, we gathered in the largest room for a Japanese-style party – on the floor with tatami mats, sipping drinks from the local convenience store.



Day 6: Ashiyu, Returning to Tokyo and Cat Servers


The next morning, we took a short walk to a nearby waterfall, and after breakfast, we settled into the hotel café with a view of the suspension bridge we had explored the previous day. This café had terrace seating with ashiyu – a foot onsen. At first, my family was hesitant, but after some convincing, they joined me in taking off our shoes and enjoying our drinks with our feet soaking in warm, relaxing water. I think when traveling, you often want to see as much as possible and forget to stop for a minute to just enjoy the moment, so it was great we had this time to chill for a little bit and enjoy our time together.

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After a pleasant train journey back to Tokyo, we got off at the Asakusa station and visited the famous Sensoji Temple and Kaminarimon Gate. Once again, we had to navigate through a sea of people in the heat and slalom between tourist groups and locals. Next to the temple there was a small garden where beautiful koi fish were swimming in a little lake. We took a break at a local cafe and observed the lively streets. We also watched as people riding by on the rickshaws – something we had wanted to try, but couldn’t fit in this time. Hopefully next time!

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By evening, we moved on to another famous part of Tokyo – Akihabara. Known for its electronics stores, gaming centers, and maid cafés, where girls in costumes with short skirts, frills, and often cat (or other animal) ears entertain customers. My dad and cousin wandered into a few electronics shops, while the rest of us browsed for souvenirs and enjoyed the evening atmosphere of the city.


We started getting hungry and ended up in a family restaurant called Jonathan's. You will find the Jonathan's restaurants all over Tokyo, but this one was a bit special and perfectly matched the Akihabara vibe. Along with the normal waiters and waitresses, there where robots going around and serving food and drinks. And not just any robots, but.. cat robots. Well the robots had cat eyers and a cat/like little face on the monitor at their front side. We all ordered a few items from the menu and patiently waited for a robot, resembling a moving shelf with trays, to roll out from the corner and were very excited when it got closer. Is this the future of the service industry? Well, that remains to be seen, but we did have a lovely dinner and headed back to the hotel.




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