Kamakura, Nikko or Hakone? Choosing your day trip from Tokyo

Kamakura: temples, a giant Buddha and the sea

Kamakura is the easiest of the three: about an hour from Tokyo Station on the JR Yokosuka Line, with no reservation and no special pass. For a century and a half it was Japan's political capital, and it shows — dozens of Zen temples and shrines are packed between wooded hills and a surf beach.

Get off one stop early at Kita-Kamakura and walk south. Engaku-ji and Kenchō-ji, two of the great Zen temples, come first; the road then drops to Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu, the town's main shrine, at the top of a long avenue that leads to the sea. From the station area the little Enoden tram runs to Hase, where Hase-dera looks over the bay and Kōtoku-in holds the Great Buddha, a bronze figure about eleven metres tall that has sat in the open air since a tsunami took its hall in the 15th century.

Hōkoku-ji's bamboo grove, with a bowl of matcha at the back, is the calm counterpoint to the crowds. Komachi-dōri, the shopping lane by the station, is where you eat your way back. Weekdays are noticeably quieter; in June, hydrangea season, start early.

Nikko: gilded shrines in a mountain forest

Nikko asks more of your day — around two hours from Asakusa on Tobu's limited express — and pays it back. The shrines and temples here are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Nikkō Tōshōgū, the mausoleum of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, is the most lavish of them: lacquer, gold leaf and thousands of carvings, including the three wise monkeys and the famous sleeping cat.

The vermilion Shinkyō Bridge marks the entrance to the sacred area; Rinnō-ji and Futarasan-jinja sit a few minutes' walk from Tōshō-gū. Across the river, Kanmangafuchi Abyss is a short riverside walk lined with stone Jizō statues, and much quieter.

With an early start you can also take the bus up the hairpin Irohazaka road to Lake Chūzenji, Kegon Falls and Ryūzu Falls. Autumn colours peak around mid-October up the mountain and later in town, when the roads get busy. Nikko is the one trip worth an overnight stay.

Hakone: hot springs, a volcano and Mount Fuji

Hakone is the scenic one. The Odakyu Romancecar takes about 85 minutes from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto, and the Hakone Freepass covers the classic loop: the switchback mountain railway up to Gōra, a cable car, then a ropeway over Ōwakudani, a steaming volcanic valley where eggs boiled in the hot springs come out black.

The ropeway ends at Lake Ashi, crossed by sightseeing boats dressed as pirate ships; on the far shore, the red Heiwa-no-Torii of Hakone Shrine stands in the water. Mount Fuji appears over the lake on clear days — winter mornings are the best bet — and hides entirely on hazy summer afternoons.

Between the stops, the Hakone Open-Air Museum puts large sculptures on a hillside lawn and has a pavilion of Picasso works, and Gōra Park is a pleasant stop near the top of the railway. End the day in a hot spring: many inns sell day-use baths. The ropeway sometimes stops when volcanic gas rises, so check before you go.

Which one should you pick?

Short on time or energy: Kamakura — close, flexible, and you can be back in Tokyo for dinner. History and grandeur: Nikko, ideally with a night there. Scenery, hot springs and a chance of Fuji: Hakone, with the loop done in either direction.

If you can spare two days, Hakone and Kamakura pair well — both sit on the same side of Tokyo. Whichever you choose, leave early: all three get busy from late morning, especially on weekends and holidays.

How we chose these places

The places linked here are the ones that rank highest in each town on TopSpotsReviews — a ranking built from Google ratings and review counts, weighted so a handful of perfect scores can't beat thousands of good ones. Travel times are typical and change with the train you catch; check opening hours on each place's page before you go.