Tokyo Fun Hikes and Day Trips

Shiofune Kannon Azalea Festival 塩船観音寺つつじまつり 🌺 🥾and Kasumi Hills Hiking 🌲 ⛰️

Sun, Apr 26 · 10:35 AM JST

Higashi-Ome Station, 東京都青梅市東青梅一丁目9-1, Ome, JP

Welcome to Tokyo Fun Hikes and Day Trips.

Signing up early helps get the event noticed and attracts more people. Of course you can change your mind and cancel later if you need to.
早めに登録していただくと、このイベントが目に留まりやすくなり、参加者も増えます。もちろん大丈夫です — 後で気が変わってキャンセルしても問題ありません。

To join this event please see below and send me a message on LINE. Without this, you will not find out our meeting point. EVERYONE needs to do this EVERY TIME, including those who have participated with me previously.

—

Shiofune Kannon-ji is a vast Buddhist temple located in Ome city, in the west of Tokyo. The 1,300 years old site is renowned for its myriads of multicolor azaleas (or rhododendrons) blooming in mass from mid-April to early May. Japanese people come each view the amazing Azalea Festival in the little valley dominated by an impressive bodhisattva Kannon statue.

After the festival, we will follow the hiking course through the Kasumi Hills (Kasumi Kyuryo) towards Iwakura Onsen.

YouTube video of the event

We will meet at Higashi-Ome station BEFORE 10.35am. Please kindly ensure you arrive punctually.
There is an Ome Line train departing Tachikawa at 9.56am, arriving at 10.26am.

◾️After you have applied to join this event, please contact Mark via the Line application quoting your FULL NAME and this message: [Azalea festival & hiking - 26th April] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
If you would like to bring a guest, please ask me via Line.

◾️参加されるイベントの名前(フルネーム)と日付を付けてマークにLINEしてください。
例: [Azalea festival & hiking - 26th April] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
定員の都合上、お連れ様がいる時は事前にLINEでご相談ください。

###

OUR ROUTE:
We will commence by walking for approximately 30 minutes from Higashi-Ome station to Shiofune Kannon.

After enjoying the Azalea Festival we will take the hiking course near the statue at the top of the hill, towards Mt Atago and Iwakura Onsen.

The course is beginner-friendly, and is well-maintained.

At the summit of Mt Atago, there is a small shrine and also a few benches where we can hopefully rest for lunch. However, since will be a busy time, it is recommended you bring a small sheet or plastic bag on which you can sit.

Going down the hill we will cross a road and then reach a junction. We will take the path for Mt Nanakuni.

Afterwards we will return to the junction and take the other route towards Iwakuni Onsen bus stop.

Please remember to bring your lunch.

Expected walking distance 8-10km, 3-3.5 hours.

Additional fees (approximate):
Azalea festival admission ¥300
Return bus (Iwakura-onsen bus stop to Higashi-Ome station) ¥273, 20 minutes.

Event fee:
¥750 (discount fee) limited to the first 5 applicants (make sure you contact me on LINE immediately!) - payment is required via PayPay within 24 hours and is non-refundable. If you think you may need to cancel, then choose the option below ⬇️
¥1250 (regular prepaid fee) if you pay by 7pm on 25th April (PayPay, or in cash at an earlier event).
¥1500 in cash on the event day (26th April) - please bring the correct money (see the NOTE below).

If you don't have PayPay, please ask a friend or coworker to do the transaction for you (give them cash!).

Cancellation policy:

• Full refund given for ¥1250 payments if cancellation is notified BY LINE MESSAGE at least 36 hours before the event start time.
• Reservation and then no-showing without prepayment requires full payment of the event fee via PayPay within 24 hours. Further non-payment will result in removal from the group.

Tokyo Fun Events open chat group on LINE
Tokyo Fun Events on Instagram
Tokyo Fun Events on Facebook

After the event, you may submit a review/evaluation. Please kindly rate appropriately as a low evaluation has an impact on the group. Things you should clearly understand in advance:

1. I (Mark) am not a tour guide. For many events this will also be my first time, and events are mainly organised based on extensive internet research.
2. Nature cannot be guaranteed, so flower festivals may be impacted by the recent climate.
3. We aim to depart on time, however bus schedules might change. This is unavoidable.
4. We request participants arrive EARLY. In rare cases we might wait a few minutes if we do not need to take a bus.
5. The number of participants is not guaranteed. However we will not have large groups.
6. The event finish time might be earlier or later than advertised. The hiking time might be longer/shorter than anticipated. Return bus times are not guaranteed.

How to calculate your review appropriately:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars) = Everything was as described.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) = The event was generally ok, but there were a few things that you weren't happy with (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars) = The event was disappointing (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️ (2 stars) = The event was poor (please provide further details).
⭐️ (1 star) = The event was terrible (please provide further details).

Great Wisteria Festival and illuminations at Ashikaga Flower Park

Mon, May 4 · 3:45 PM JST

Ashikaga Flower Park Station あしかがフラワーパーク駅, 栃木県足利市迫間町字本郷533, Ashikaga, JP

Welcome to Tokyo Fun Hikes and Day Trips.

Signing up early helps get the event noticed and attracts more people. Of course you can change your mind and cancel later if you need to.
早めに登録していただくと、このイベントが目に留まりやすくなり、参加者も増えます。もちろん大丈夫です — 後で気が変わってキャンセルしても問題ありません。

To join this event please see below and send me a message on LINE. Without this, you will not find out our meeting point. EVERYONE needs to do this EVERY TIME, including those who have participated with me previously.

—

Selected as one of the top 10 dream destinations by CNN in 2014, Ashikaga Flower Park amazes every year with its beautiful display of wisteria. From pale cherry pink wisteria, white wisteria, the great wisteria, the golden chain tree and various types of azalea, Ashikaga Flower Park is a sight to behold from mid-April to mid-May. There is also a nighttime light-up of the wisteria and roses until late May, making for an otherworldly sight. The illuminations commence between 4.30~5pm.

The biggest attraction is a 160-year-old plant whose canopy covers an astonishing 1000 sq. meters. Elsewhere, trellises create spectacular blossom tunnels — including one that is 80m-long and another that goes over a bridge. In the evenings, some of the wisteria are illuminated. It’s all very photogenic, as you can see.

◾️After you have applied to join this event, please contact Mark via the Line application quoting your FULL NAME and this message: [Ashikaga Flower Park - 4th May] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
If you would like to bring a guest, please ask me via Line.

◾️参加されるイベントの名前(フルネーム)と日付を付けてマークにLINEしてください。
例:[Ashikaga Flower Park - 4th May] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
定員の都合上、お連れ様がいる時は事前にLINEでご相談ください。

We will meet at Ashikaga Flower Park station at 3.45pm. Please kindly ensure you arrive punctually.
Note: it seems there is ONE train per hour. The 3.02pm Ryoma Line train from Oyama arrives at 3.36pm.

Additional fees (subject to change):
See here about the variable admission fee
It seems it will range from ¥900 to ¥2300, depending on the condition of the blooms.

Event fee:
¥750 (discount fee) limited to the first 5 applicants (make sure you contact me on LINE immediately!) - payment is required via PayPay within 24 hours and is non-refundable. If you think you may need to cancel, then choose the option below ⬇️
¥1250 (regular prepaid fee) if you pay by 7pm on 3rd May (PayPay, or in cash at an earlier event).
¥1500 in cash on the event day (4th May) - please bring the correct money.

If you don't have PayPay, please ask a friend or coworker to do the transaction for you (give them cash!).

Cancellation policy:

• Full refund given for ¥1250 payments if cancellation is notified BY LINE MESSAGE at least 36 hours before the event start time.
• Reservation and then no-showing without prepayment requires full payment of the event fee via PayPay within 24 hours. Further non-payment will result in removal from the group.

Tokyo Fun Events open chat group on LINE
Tokyo Fun Events on Instagram
Tokyo Fun Events on Facebook

After the event, you may submit a review/evaluation. Please kindly rate appropriately as a low evaluation has an impact on the group. Things you should clearly understand in advance:

1. I (Mark) am not a tour guide. For many events this will also be my first time, and events are mainly organised based on intensive internet research.
2. Nature cannot be guaranteed, so flower festivals may be impacted by the recent climate.
3. We aim to depart on time, however bus schedules might change. This is unavoidable.
4. We request participants arrive EARLY. In rare cases we might wait a few minutes if we do not need to take a bus.
5. The number of participants is not guaranteed. However we will not have large groups.
6. The event finish time might be earlier or later than advertised. The hiking time might be longer/shorter than anticipated. Return bus times are not guaranteed.

How to calculate your review appropriately:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars) = Everything was as described.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) = The event was generally ok, but there were a few things that you weren't happy with (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars) = The event was disappointing (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️ (2 stars) = The event was poor (please provide further details).
⭐️ (1 star) = The event was terrible (please provide further details).

Kamakura Hokukuji to Konandai hiking 🥾 via Mt Omaru

Sun, Jul 12 · 10:45 AM JST

鎌倉駅 Kamakura station, 神奈川県鎌倉市小町一丁目1-1, Kamakura, JP

Welcome to Tokyo Fun Hikes and Day Trips.

Signing up early helps get the event noticed and attracts more people. Of course you can change your mind and cancel later if you need to.
早めに登録していただくと、このイベントが目に留まりやすくなり、参加者も増えます。もちろん大丈夫です — 後で気が変わってキャンセルしても問題ありません。

To join this event please see below and send me a message on LINE. Without this, you will not find out our meeting point. EVERYONE needs to do this EVERY TIME, including those who have participated with me previously.

—

Kamakura area is a great place for hiking, especially during the colder months. The trails are easy to walk, the surrounding nature is lush even in winter. Kamakura has lots of hiking trails, leading to amazing viewpoints.

We will meet at Kamakura Station BEFORE 10.15am. Please kindly ensure you arrive punctually. We will take a bus at 10.25am.

Route blog post

Sugimoto Kannon 杉本寺

◾️After you have applied to join this event, please contact Mark via the Line application quoting your FULL NAME and this message: [Kamakura/Konandai hike - 12th July] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
If you would like to bring a guest, please ask me via Line.

◾️参加されるイベントの名前(フルネーム)と日付を付けてマークにLINEしてください。
例: [Kamakura/Konandai hike - 12th July] MARK's LINE ACCOUNT
定員の都合上、お連れ様がいる時は事前にLINEでご相談ください。

OUR ROUTE:

We will begin by taking a bus to Hokukuji 報国寺. There is a beautiful bamboo forest inside, along with a renowned tea house where you are served matcha and sweets. However, since our group have visited several times recently, we won’t include this in our event. If you wish to visit Hokukuji (opening time 9am), please make sure you meet us at the Jomyoji bus stop no later than 10.40am. Please make sure you inform me clearly via LINE message if you wish to go to the temple.

We will begin by heading to Sugimoto-dera, founded in the 8th century and is the oldest temple in Kamakura (entry ¥200).

After that, we will head via Kamakura-gu towards Yofukuji ruins. Soon our path will be running alongside and above a huge cemetery.

There are good information boards along the way, showing the extent of the local hiking trails: they connect several community woods, a nature sanctuary, and even a small zoo. There is also a pond in the middle of the forest.

Follow the signs for Kanazawa Bunko 金沢文庫 (not the final destination). We will reach the Sekiyaoku viewpoint 関谷奥見晴台.

Then follow signs for Konandai station 港南台.

We will reach the turn-off for a long staircase leading to the top of Mt Omaru 大丸山, the highest point of Yokohama city. for a view to the South of Tokyo Bay and the Eastern end of the Miura Alps.

It will take a further hour to reach Isshindo Plaza いっしんどう広場, a wide area where several trails intersect. Apparently you can see Mt Fuji from the West side in good weather.

Continue another fifteen minutes along a dirt trail through the countryside to get back to the busy city roads. There will be some good views of the hills of Kamakura to the East.

Please bring your lunch either you.

Expected distance 10km, walking time 5 hours

Additional fees (approximate):
Sugimoto-dera temple entry fee ¥200.

Event fee:
¥750 (discount fee) limited to the first 5 applicants (make sure you contact me on LINE immediately!) - payment is required via PayPay within 24 hours and is non-refundable. If you think you may need to cancel, then choose the option below ⬇️
¥1250 (regular prepaid fee) if you pay by 7pm on 11th July (PayPay, or in cash at an earlier event).
¥1500 in cash on the event day (12th July) - please bring the correct money (see the NOTE below).

If you don't have PayPay, please ask a friend or coworker to do the transaction for you (give them cash!).

Cancellation policy:

• Full refund given for ¥1250 payments if cancellation is notified BY LINE MESSAGE at least 36 hours before the event start time.
• Reservation and then no-showing without prepayment requires full payment of the event fee via PayPay within 24 hours. Further non-payment will result in removal from the group.

Tokyo Fun Events open chat group on LINE
Tokyo Fun Events on Instagram
Tokyo Fun Events on Facebook

After the event, you may submit a review/evaluation. Please kindly rate appropriately as a low evaluation has an impact on the group. Things you should clearly understand in advance:

1. I (Mark) am not a tour guide. For many events this will also be my first time, and events are mainly organised based on intensive internet research.
2. Nature cannot be guaranteed, so flower festivals may be impacted by the recent climate.
3. We aim to depart on time, however bus schedules might change. This is unavoidable.
4. We request participants arrive EARLY. In rare cases we might wait a few minutes if we do not need to take a bus.
5. The number of participants is not guaranteed. However we will not have large groups.
6. The event finish time might be earlier or later than advertised. The hiking time might be longer/shorter than anticipated. Return bus times are not guaranteed.

How to calculate your review appropriately:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars) = Everything was as described.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) = The event was generally ok, but there were a few things that you weren't happy with (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars) = The event was disappointing (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️ (2 stars) = The event was poor (please provide further details).
⭐️ (1 star) = The event was terrible (please provide further details).

Jōgashima 城ヶ島 / Miura Peninsula 三浦半島 and Miura Beach/Swim☀️🌊

Sun, Jul 19 · 10:00 AM JST

三崎口駅 Misakiguchi station, 神奈川県三浦市初声町下宮田495, Miura, JP

To join this event please see below and send me a message on LINE. Without this, you will not find out our meeting point. EVERYONE needs to do this EVERY TIME, including those who have participated with me previously.

***Discounted event fee (¥500) for early applications. See below***

Let's take a day trip to 三浦半島 (Miura Peninsula).

◾️After you have applied to join this event, please contact Mark via the Line application quoting your FULL NAME and this message: [Jōgashima - 19th July] MARK’s LINE ACCOUNT
If you would like to bring a guest, please ask me via Line.

◾️参加されるイベントの名前(フルネーム)と日付を付けてマークにLINEしてください!
例:[Jōgashima - 19th July] MARK’s LINE ACCOUNT
定員の都合上、お連れ様がいる時は事前にLINEでご相談ください。

Although we won't have a fixed schedule, we will immediately go to the island, and have lunch there. Please bring your lunch.

In the afternoon we'll head over to Miura-kaigan, so please bring swimwear if you wish to go in the sea.

In the late afternoon let’s go to a cafe/bar nearby (optional).

We'll take a bus from Misakiguchi station at 10:23am, so please ensure you arrive before 10am. The bus fare seems to be ¥450 at the moment, so please prepare around ¥900 for a return fare.

➡️The island features a recommended course with signage that takes you around the island in about 90 minutes. From spectacular views of the ocean rushing into the island’s rock formations to countless species of birds, there is rarely a boring view during your stroll. Feel free to bring some snacks from Miura to enjoy the scenery at one of the many picnic spots along the route. Be careful of larger birds swooping in to steal your snack though!

Apart from its breathtaking nature, Jogashima Island is also home to quite a piece of international history. The Jogashima Lighthouse was built during the time of the Tokugawa Shogunate as part of a treaty with Great Britain but was actually designed by a French engineer. Although the original lighthouse was destroyed during the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923, its replacement still safely guides ships into Tokyo Bay.

➡️Sightseeing spots at Jogashima and nearby, most of which we will hopefully visit:

Jogashima Lighthouse - The western-styled unmanned lighthouse is the fourth oldest in Japan. It was built in 1870 and completely destroyed during the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923. The reconstruction of the lighthouse took till 1925.

Jogashima park - The two observatories within the park offer great panoramic views and are definitely worth a visit.

Cape Nagatsuro - It is one of the best places in the whole Kanto area to enjoy a sunset and the views over the Pacific Ocean are magnificent.

Jogashima-ohashi Bridge - The box-girder bridge with a length of 575m and a height of 21m has connected Jogashima with Miura since 1959.

Umanose-Domon - The arch-shaped rock is one of the most known landmarks of the island. Before 1923 Umanose-Domon was nearly under water, but due to the great Kanto Earthquake the rock was lifted up by 8m.

Event fee:
¥750 (discount fee) limited to the first 5 applicants (make sure you contact me on LINE immediately!) - payment is required via PayPay within 24 hours and is non-refundable. If you think you may need to cancel, then choose the option below ⬇️
¥1250 (regular prepaid fee) if you pay by 7pm on 18th July (PayPay, or in cash at an earlier event).
¥1500 in cash on the event day (19th July) - please bring the correct money (see the NOTE below).

If you don't have PayPay, please ask a friend or coworker to do the transaction for you (give them cash!).

Cancellation policy:

• Full refund given for ¥1250 payments if cancellation is notified BY LINE MESSAGE at least 36 hours before the event start time.
• Reservation and then no-showing without prepayment requires full payment of the event fee via PayPay within 24 hours. Further non-payment will result in removal from the group.

Tokyo Fun Events open chat group on LINE
Tokyo Fun Events on Instagram
Tokyo Fun Events on Facebook

After the event, you may submit a review/evaluation. Please kindly rate appropriately as a low evaluation has an impact on the group. Things you should clearly understand in advance:

1. I (Mark) am not a tour guide. For many events this will also be my first time, and events are mainly organised based on intensive internet research.
2. Nature cannot be guaranteed, so flower festivals may be impacted by the recent climate.
3. We aim to depart on time, however bus schedules might change. This is unavoidable.
4. We request participants arrive EARLY. In rare cases we might wait a few minutes if we do not need to take a bus.
5. The number of participants is not guaranteed. However we will not have large groups.
6. The event finish time might be earlier or later than advertised. The hiking time might be longer/shorter than anticipated. Return bus times are not guaranteed.

How to calculate your review appropriately:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars) = Everything was as described.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) = The event was generally ok, but there were a few things that you weren't happy with (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars) = The event was disappointing (please provide further details).
⭐️⭐️ (2 stars) = The event was poor (please provide further details).
⭐️ (1 star) = The event was terrible (please provide further details).