Hakone (ryokan kaiseki and onsen) is a food day trips in Tokyo.
Editorially verified May 19, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Tip: Book a ryokan with two meals included; the kaiseki is the trip. Day-trip via Romance Car if overnight is too much.
Mount Takao west of Tokyo is the day-hike mountain where 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.
Nikko in Tochigi is the world-heritage temple town two hours north of Tokyo. Nikko yuba tofu skin is the lunch order; shojin lunches near the Rinno-ji.
Tip: Yuba kaiseki at Hippari Dako or shojin lunch at one of the Rinno-ji temple restaurants; book ahead in peak season.
Lake Kawaguchiko at the foot of Mount Fuji is the day-trip for Yamanashi houtou stew. Flat udon-style noodles in pumpkin-miso broth at Houtou Fudo.
Tip: Houtou Fudo's main shop is steps from Kawaguchiko Station. Pair with a Fuji ascending or descending view.
Chichibu in Saitama is the mountain town with the cult Chichibu Distillery, hand-cut Saitama soba and the Yakushido sake brewery. The single malt sells out.
Tip: Chichibu Distillery tours need three-month-ahead booking. Walk the Banba-machi soba street and the Buko sake brewery.
Yokohama Chinatown near Tokyo is Japan's largest Chinatown, with 600 shops and restaurants over a 500-metre district. Cantonese, Sichuan, Taiwanese kitchens.
Tip: Direct from Shibuya on the Toyoko Line. Try yaki shoronpo at the Daihanten counter and Peking duck wraps at the corner stalls.
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.