HAKONE: (Take the Odakyu "Romance Car" from Shinjuku) A great day trip which includes a zig-zag railway, a spectacular ropeway and a sail on a "pirate ship." The outdoor art museum is spectacular. If you feel like hiking, a piece of the old Tokkaido Road has been preserved for that purpose (there is also a small museum with exhibits on the Tokkaido and its use). Lots of onsens to choose from, too! All within view of Mt. Fuji. The Odakyu's "Free Pass" allows you three days of unlimited use of all the types of transportation they operate (everything mentioned above), as well as discounted admission on the art museums, making Hakone a worthwhile week-end or other overnight destination as well.

KAMAKURA: (1 hour from Tokyo Station on the JR Yokosuka Line)
Famous for the Great Buddha (daibutsu), there's much more than that to see in the seaside resort which was the political capital of Japan in the late 12th century. On Vicki's "famous" day trip, we focus on political history and religion (graves, assasination sites and lots of temples--mostly of the Zen variety), riding bicycles (bicycles available for rent just outside Kamakura Station) literally over hill and dale for maximum sightseeing opportunities. At the end of the day, enjoy an okonomiyaki dinner at Tsukui, just across the street from Enoden Kamakura Station (0467) 22-1883. It has quaint traditional Japanese furnishings and overlooks a lovely little garden. Be sure to order the tofu dish--the way it's prepared at your table is the equivalent of a floor show!

KAWAGOE: (About an hour from Takadanobaba Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line) This former supply town for old Edo boasts old warehouses, a tall wooden clock tower, castle ruins and the Kitain temple complex, which includes the room in which Tokugawa Iemitsu was born (moved here from Tokyo and rebuilt), a small Toshogu shrine, and a garden with statues of the 500 disciples of Buddha. The latter are particular fun to examine--no two are alike. It is said that if you were to walk among the statues at night, touching them until you found one that felt warm and marking it with chalk, if you came back in daylight to the marked statue it would be the one which looks most like you. Hmm.

KAWASAKI: At Nihon Minkaen (Mukogaoka Yuen Station on the Odakyu line), old farmhouses from all over Japan have been rebuilt (or relocated) to a natural hilly setting. An interesting glimpse of old rural Japan. Kawasaki is a long thin strip separating Tokyo and Yokohama. At the ocean end of the strip is the Kawasaki Daishi temple complex. About a half hour's walk from Kawasaki station on the JR or Keihin Kyuko lines (there is a station called Kawasaki Daishimae on the Keihin Kyuko spur line from Kawasaki), this is one of the five major temples to visit at New Year's.

MIURA PENNINSULA: Many of Japan's early modern contacts with the rest of the world occurred here. In 1853, Admiral Perry came ashore at Kurihama, where the first American Embassy was subsequently established. A museum commemorates the site. At Yokosuka, the HIJMS Mikasa, the Japanese warship on which the Russians surrendered to the Japanese in 1905 is permanently on display. The harbor at Yokosuka was the home of the Japanese Navy and is now the site of an American naval base. Its value as a natural harbor was recognized as early as the 17th century by Will Adams, a British sailor stranded in Japan and immortalized in William Clavell's novel "Shogun". Adams, known to the Japanese as "Miura Anjin", and his Japanese wife are buried in "Anjinzuka Park" overlooking the harbor. The park, also famous for its cherry blossoms, is a 25 minute walk from Anjinzuka station on the Keihin Kyuko line. There are interesting hiking trails all over the peninsula, all easily accessed using the Keihin Kyuko trains. Ask at Shinagawa station about their special 2 day explorer pass--allows you to ride their trains and buses and also give you discounts on lots of things across the peninsula (recently JR and Keihin Kyuko have produced a cooperative 2 day pass, allowing you to use both their conveyances so that your Miura week-end can include Kamakura as well!).

MT. TAKAO: (Takaosanguchi station is about 1 hour from Shinjuku on the Keio Line). Good hiking; you can take a cable car or the more exciting chair-lift to (almost) the top of the mountain. From there walk up through the Yakuoin temple complex (1,200 year history), its guardian shrine (rennovated in 1996) and on to the top. Great views! There's a wonderful restaurant in the valley at the bottom of the mountain (Ukai Toriyama (0426) 61-0739--free shuttle bus will pick you up from Takaosanguchi station). The annual fire walking festival in early March is a must-see.

NIKKO: The Japanese say "don't say ‘kekko' (that's enough) until you've seen Nikko". Nikko, in the mountains in Tochigi, north of Tokyo, is best known for the Toshogu Shrine complex deifying Tokugawa Ieyasu and his grandson, Iemitsu. Ieyasu is also buried here, his body having been carried up from Shizuoka, where he died. The Toshogu Shrine complex is so big that it defies description. The carvings and paintings contain such world famous images as the three monkeys ("see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil") and the sleeping cat. From the area around the shrine one can catch a bus to Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Falls. The climb is so abrupt that there is one road of hairpin curves up and another back down again. The best way to Nikko is on the Tobu line leaving from Asakusa, but it still takes a couple of hours so if you're planning to do this as a day trip, get an early start!

OFUNA: Accessible on the JR Keihin Tohoku, Tokkaido or Yokosuka lines, even though everyone passes through here on their way to Kamakura, exploring here feels as though one has left the ordinary tourist track. High on the hill just west of the station is the Ofuna Kannon, an enormous bust of the Buddhist goddess of mercy. It's a very peaceful spot and worth a visit when you're in the area. Probably the most interesting sight in Ofuna is the Taya Cavern (Taya no Dokutsu) at Josenji Temple, a 15-20 minute walk or 10 minute bus ride north of Ofuna Station.. The labyrinthine cavern is almost entirely hand-carved by Zen Buddhists hundreds of years ago. Persons entering are given a candle to better illuminate (there is some electrical lighting as well) the various Buddhists images carved into the walls of the caves. There are some entire rooms with intricately carved walls and ceilings. There are also airvents, rooms where zen is practiced (outsiders can join in at 6 pm on the first Saturday of the month) and freshwater springs. Just next door to Josenji is the Ofuna Radon Hot Spring Resort, where one can stay the night or just spend a few relaxing hours. The baths include a stone lined bath (iwaburo) and an outdoor bath (rotenburo) with a view of a waterfall. There is a shuttle bus from Ofuna station for customers, making a combined visit to the hot springs and the cavern a very simple matter.

And finally: Anyone for DISNEYLAND?