5 day trips worth the trip across Japan, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Japan guides.
Hakone (ryokan kaiseki and onsen) ★ 4.6 · Tokyo
Hakone in Kanagawa is the onsen ryokan town under Mount Fuji where the kaiseki dinner is the main event. Eat the multi-course meal in yukata before the bath.
Tip: Book a ryokan with two meals included; the kaiseki is the trip. Day-trip via Romance Car if overnight is too much.
Yokohama Chinatown (Chukagai) ★ 4.5 · Tokyo
Yokohama Chinatown in Kanagawa is Japan's largest Chinatown, with 600-plus shops and restaurants over a 500-metre district. Cantonese, Sichuan, Taiwanese cuisine.
Tip: Direct from Shibuya on the Toyoko Line. Try yaki shoronpo at the Daihanten counter and Peking duck wraps at the corner stalls.
Kamakura (shojin lunch and Daibutsu) ★ 4.5 · Tokyo
Kamakura in Kanagawa is the medieval temple town one hour south of Tokyo, with shojin Buddhist vegetarian lunches at Kencho-ji and the Komachi-dori snack street.
Tip: Reserve shojin lunch at Hachi-no-ki two weeks ahead; otherwise the Komachi-dori shirasu rice bowls and dango stalls are the easier crawl.
Kawagoe (Little Edo) ★ 4.4 · Tokyo
Kawagoe in Saitama is the Edo-period 'Little Edo' town with 30 preserved warehouses, the Kashiya Yokocho candy alley, and sweet-potato ice cream and dango.
Tip: Walk Kurazukuri Street first, then Kashiya Yokocho. Sweet-potato ice cream and the Toki no Kane bell tower are the photo stops.
Mount Takao (Takaosan) ★ 4.3 · Tokyo
Mount Takao west of Tokyo is the day-hike mountain where the soba shops near the summit serve mountain-trail tororo soba. Cable car or chair lift up, walk down.
Tip: Eat at Takahashiya at the base or the trailhead soba shops; the tororo (grated yam) soba is the local order.