9 Best Day Trips from Tokyo (All Within 2 Hours)

Tokyo might be your first stop in Japan, but it doesn’t have to be your only one.

Like most travelers, I flew to Tokyo because I found a cheap flight, the trains are well connected, and I could easily get by with English.

And even if I’m not usually a city person, I did enjoy my time in Tokyo.

But I also know, after visiting Japan twice, that it was the smaller places, like Kawaguchiko, that gave me a real sense of the country.

So if you’re staying more than three days, don’t spend all of them in Tokyo.

I didn’t do all nine of these as literal day trips. I stayed longer in some. Based on my two visits to Japan and 13 years of traveling, I created this list of the best day trips from Tokyo to help you find the right one for you.

For each trip, I’ll tell you who it’s for, whether to go on your own or book a tour, when to go, and when to skip it. By the end, you’ll know which one to take.

This post contains affiliate links. If you book through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.   Full disclosure

Where’s Kyoto? It takes four hours to go back and forth, so it’s not on this list. But since it’s the question I get asked most, I answer it further down.

Where to stay | Where you stay in Tokyo will decide whether you have an easy day or a tiring one. I’d recommend Shinjuku or Asakusa, so you’re well connected with the train system. My guide on where to stay in Tokyo breaks down each neighborhood.

DIY or a tour? | You can easily DIY Yokohama, Kawagoe, Kamakura, and Enoshima: they all use direct trains. I’d recommend a tour for Kawaguchiko and Nikko unless you’re renting a car. Both involve rural buses with thin schedules, and one missed connection can eat two hours of your day. Learn a few simple Japanese phrases too, because outside Tokyo, most locals only speak a little English. For Hakone, get the Free Pass: a well-marked loop you can absolutely do alone, or do as a tour.

Mount Fuji & Kawaguchiko

~2 hours by highway bus · ~¥4,400 round trip · Tour, or stay a night

If I could only take one day trip from Tokyo, it would be Kawaguchiko, the lake town beneath Mount Fuji.

Fuji is famous for being shy. It’s not as easy to spot as social media makes it look. On our visit, we missed it the whole day. It only decided to show up after we had our 7-Eleven snacks.

We started where most people do, at Chureito Pagoda in Arakurayama Sengen Park. The 398 steps aren’t easy, but the forest on the way up made the climb so meditative that I enjoyed it more than the pagoda itself. At the top, we waited an hour for Fuji to show up, saw only the peak, and gave up.

The good thing is we had already booked a stay at a traditional ryokan on Lake Kawaguchiko. As I said, Fuji only showed up after the 7-Eleven snacks, on the way to the ryokan. But that was just the start. From sunset until the next morning, Mt. Fuji was in full view. If seeing it is important to you, stay at least one night in any of these Kawaguchiko hotels with a Mt. Fuji view.

Getting there | Highway buses from Shinjuku or Shibuya, ~¥4,400 round trip (¥2,000–2,200 each way, slightly cheaper online).

But if you can only do it as a day trip, both of these include round-trip transport plus Oshino Hakkai, Chureito Pagoda, Lake Kawaguchi, and yes, the famous Lawson at Kawaguchiko Station.

Nikko

~2 hours by limited express · ~¥6,100 round trip · Tour recommended

Two hours north of Tokyo, Nikko feels like a different Japan. Misty forests, ancient cedars, and some of the most intricate shrine craftsmanship in the country.

If you can, arrive before 9 a.m., and start at Lake Chuzenji. Enjoy a slow morning at the lake, surrounded by fresh mountain air. If you’re arriving later than that, do Toshogu Shrine first and save the lake for the late afternoon.

Toshogu is the ornate resting place of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The famous “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” carving isn’t just a photo stop. The monkeys are shown as children, a Buddhist wish that the young avoid evil by not seeing, hearing, or speaking it.

Most people also visit Kegon Falls, a 100-meter drop framed by fiery maples in autumn. It’s stunning. It’s also crowded. I’d only recommend it if you can go on a weekday and catch the 6 a.m. bus. Otherwise, skip the falls and sit by the lake instead.

Getting there | Tobu Railway from Asakusa, ~¥6,100 round trip on the limited express, or ~¥2,800 on local trains. The ¥2,000 Nikko Pass World Heritage covers the local-train round trip plus the shrine-area buses.

Pro Tip | Restaurants in Nikko close early, often by 5 p.m., and the bus schedules are limited. Pack snacks and check times before you go.

If you’d rather not juggle connections, both of these cover Toshogu, Kegon Falls, and Lake Chuzenji.

Kamakura

~1 hour by train · ¥1,640 with the Freepass · Easy DIY

Kamakura is only an hour from Tokyo, but with temples on one side and a vast ocean on the other, it feels much farther. There’s a reason Tokyo locals escape here on weekends.

The Great Buddha at Kotoku-in Temple is often the highlight of a day trip to Kamakura. A 13th-century bronze that sits in the open air rather than inside a hall, which is rare in Japan.

Nearby, Hase-dera Temple has hillside paths lined with hydrangeas and views over the coast. If you visit in early summer, you’ll find the paths bursting into color.

Walk down to Yuigahama Beach and watch the surfers before sunset. Oh, and don’t forget to end your day at Kamakura Sukiyaki & Shabu-shabu Sasho. It’s the best way to capture small-town Japan in a single meal.

Getting there | JR Yokosuka Line from Tokyo Station, ~¥1,900 round trip. Or get the Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass (¥1,640 from Shinjuku), which covers the round trip plus unlimited local trains.

This is a DIY trip. If you’d rather have a local tell you the tales behind the temples, this walking tour with a local connects Kamakura’s temples with Enoshima Island. Yes, you can do both in one day trip.

Chichibu 

~2 hours by local train · ~¥1,600 round trip · DIY

If you’re visiting in mid-April to early May and December, Chichibu might be the best day trip from Tokyo.

In spring, Hitsujiyama Park blooms in waves of pink and white moss phlox, and every December, the Chichibu Night Festival fills the streets with lantern floats, taiko drums, and festival chants.

It’s one of Japan’s top three float festivals, celebrated for over 300 years, and one of the reasons I think Japan’s traditional festivals are worth planning a trip around.

The food is its own reason to come: miso potatoes, crispy and sweet-savory, and waraji katsu, a giant pork cutlet shaped like a straw sandal. Both taste better after wandering Chichibu Shrine or resting by the river.

Next time I visit, I plan to do a hike to Mitsumine Shrine. It has the most scenic trails to one of Japan’s most spiritual mountain shrines.

Getting there | Seibu Line from Ikebukuro to Seibu-Chichibu, ~¥1,600 round trip on local trains, or ~¥3,400 on the Laview limited express (80 minutes, all reserved seats).

Karuizawa 

~1 hour by Shinkansen · ~¥11,000 round trip · DIY

Once a summer retreat for Tokyo’s elite, Karuizawa is still one of Japan’s most refined yet accessible mountain escapes.

The best way to explore Karuizawa is by bike. Get lost between forest paths and cafes. Stop at Kumoba Pond and watch autumn leaves ripple across the mirrored water. It’s one of those scenes that makes you pause and enjoy the beauty of being alive.

Then stroll along Karuizawa Church Street for charming bakeries, coffee shops, and local craft stores. Or head to Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza for outlet shopping framed by mountain views.

In winter, the town transforms into a quiet snow retreat. Enjoy the ski slopes and warm cafés. It’s the kind of place where you can sip hot cocoa by a frosted window and forget Tokyo is just an hour away.

Getting there | Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station, ~¥11,000 round trip (¥5,490 each way, unreserved).

If you’d rather skip the planning, this guided tour offers a stress-free way to experience the town, with all the insider stories of this storybook place.

What about Kyoto?

Kyoto as a day trip from Tokyo is possible, but I don’t recommend it unless you have a JR Pass or genuinely no other way to see it. You’ll spend over ¥26,000 and four hours on trains for maybe six hours in a city where slowing down is the whole point.

However, if you really want to do this, catch the earliest Shinkansen from Tokyo, return late, and let this full-day tour handle the navigation so you can spend your six hours being in Kyoto instead of finding it.

And if you can stay longer (please do), stay for at least two days in Kyoto.