Kanto
Tokyo · Yokohama · Nikko · Kamakura · Hakone
Where every Japan trip begins
Kanto is the region most Japan trips begin in, because Tokyo is in it — and that makes it easy to treat as an arrival formality. It is worth resisting. Tokyo is not one city but a series of districts that behave like separate towns, and the region around it holds what the capital does not: Hakone's hot springs under Mount Fuji, Nikko's mountain shrines in cedar forest, Kamakura's coastline and its great bronze Buddha. All three are close enough to reach on a day trip and good enough to deserve a night. Geographically, Kanto is the broad coastal plain on Honshu's Pacific side — the largest flatland in a country that is mostly mountain, which is precisely why the capital grew here. The plain is ringed to the north and west by hills that rise quickly: Nikko's forested mountains at the northern edge, the Hakone caldera and Mount Fuji to the south-west, and the Boso and Miura peninsulas enclosing Tokyo Bay. Everything here sits within about two hours of central Tokyo, which is the single fact that shapes how the region is travelled.
Explore the Kansai region on the map
Pins for attractions, airports, stations, hotels and restaurants — with routes and nearby places. Ready for live mapping.
The capital, and what surrounds it
The view of Mount Fuji from Hakone, weather permitting — which is why two nights beat one. Nikko's Toshogu shrine complex and the cedar avenue leading to it. The great Buddha at Kamakura and the coast path beyond. And Tokyo's food at both extremes: department-store basement halls and six-seat counters.
Blossom, autumn colour, and the clearest Fuji
Kanto works most of the year, but two windows stand out and one is unpredictable. Late March to early April brings cherry blossom — the most beautiful and most crowded time to be here, and the dates move year to year, so a trip built around it needs flexibility. May, and October to November, are the most comfortable months. Winter is cold and clear, with the best odds of seeing Fuji from Hakone.
The densest rail network in Japan
✈ Arriving
- Haneda and Narita both connect by direct train
- Haneda is closer to the centre; Narita is further out
- ~8–10h from India, usually via one stop
🚄 Around the region
- Nikko ~2h north by train
- Kamakura ~1h south
- Hakone ~1.5h, then its own railway and ropeway loop
🎫 Passes
- Suica or Pasmo IC card for all local transit
- Hakone Free Pass covers the mountain loop
- Japan Rail Pass only pays off across a wider itinerary
Seven days in Kanto
Tokyo
The city by neighbourhood rather than checklist — and the food at both ends of the scale.
Hakone
Hot springs under Fuji, and the railway-ropeway-boat loop that is the point rather than the transport.
Nikko
Mountain shrines in cedar forest; a night here makes it the quietest part of the trip.
Kamakura
The great Buddha, the coast path, and back to Tokyo for departure.
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