Driving trip

[darkmatt]

Hey. My friends and I want to do a short driving trip during the new year period.

we leave Tokyo on 31st and return to kanagawa on 3rd.

what is the best semiculuar route that covers the most in the least travel time?

 

[stars87]

Hey. My friends and I want to do a short driving trip during the new year period.

we leave Tokyo on 31st and return to kanagawa on 3rd.

what is the best semiculuar route that covers the most in the least travel time?

have you booked a car ? methinks you might find it difficult.

many places will be closed during jan 1 and 2.

most people will be making their way back to tokyo on jan 3 and 4, so be prepared for tokyo crush and massive congestion

 

[darkmatt]

have you booked a car ? methinks you might find it difficult.

many places will be closed during jan 1 and 2.

most people will be making their way back to tokyo on jan 3 and 4, so be prepared for tokyo crush and massive congestion

we are heading back to kanagawa KEN. not Tokyo

we just wanna travel scenic and some shrines/temples

 

[kifo]

Go Izu peninsula? All the way down to Shimoda and then come back via the other coast?

 

[darkmatt]

Go Izu peninsula? All the way down to Shimoda and then come back via the other coast?

hmm.. mind showing me an outline of the route?

 

[stars87]

we are heading back to kanagawa KEN. not Tokyo

we just wanna travel scenic and some shrines/temples

New years is peak travel period to the hometown.

Many travel to their hometown and then return to their apartments in Tokyo, Chiba, yokohoma, saitama and kanagawa, then they go to work the next day.

Fail to see the logic of how Tokyo metropolitan can be congested but kanagawa, empty. The direction is the same yes ?

Will your rental company allow for such a drop off ?

The drive to atami and from atami to numazu is quite nice imho. There's a quietly located Beatles museum there. Great views of my fuji when the weather is nice.

Like what brother kifo have mentioned, ise, the bay area (ise lobster) and the surrounding peninsular make for a good short trip.

Ever considered campervans ? They sound quite cool.

 

[darkmatt]

New years is peak travel period to the hometown.

Many travel to their hometown and then return to their apartments in Tokyo, Chiba, yokohoma, saitama and kanagawa, then they go to work the next day.

Fail to see the logic of how Tokyo metropolitan can be congested but kanagawa, empty. The direction is the same yes ?

Will your rental company allow for such a drop off ?

The drive to atami and from atami to numazu is quite nice imho. There's a quietly located Beatles museum there. Great views of my fuji when the weather is nice.

Like what others have mentioned, ise, the bay area (ise lobster) and the surrounding peninsular make for a good short trip.

Ever considered campervans ? They sound quite cool.

the rental company does allow a different location dropoff.

 

[stars87]

the rental company does allow a different location dropoff.

Yes, that's true, but for operational reasons, they can also refuse your rental if you have a different return/dropoff location.

Even for things like returning at kansai airport instead of umeda area, have been rejected before even though it's technically within the same district

Just saying la, don't want you to get blind sided by some arcane rules hidden in the system.

The dirty little secret is Toyota, orix, budget and Honda rentacar share cars from a common pool. If one denies you drop off, can just try another one. But if they all refuse you, possible that the depot may not have enough cars to go around for the next week/period after your rental

How about looking northwards ? Gunma and all the little onsen areas upwards of there. Yubatake onsen (can't remember if I spell it right) is pretty scenic

 

[kifo]

take the highway 1 all the way to odawara (visit the castle) and then go south from there to atami. some interesting museums and maybe spend a night there to soak in the onsen? but i suggest you drive on and head to ito and hike mount omuro. further south of ito is the jogasaki coastline, which looks pretty scenic from photos that I saw. carry on along the coast all the way down to shimoda in the south. apparently this is where pokemon started. more importantly, the black ship that forced the opening of japan came here. rest a day here and head for the cape irozaki, the furthest south point on the izu peninsula. to return, go by the west coast and head for dogashima and further up to toi gold mine. both should be interesting to visit though the gold mine may be closed in the new year. head inland to shuzenji, a famous onsen town and then up north to numazu before coming back to tokyo.

i would recommend izu rather than gunma since you are going in winter you are more likely to meet snow if you go to gunma. unless you have winter driving experience?

 

[darkmatt]

take the highway 1 all the way to odawara (visit the castle) and then go south from there to atami. some interesting museums and maybe spend a night there to soak in the onsen? but i suggest you drive on and head to ito and hike mount omuro. further south of ito is the jogasaki coastline, which looks pretty scenic from photos that I saw. carry on along the coast all the way down to shimoda in the south. apparently this is where pokemon started. more importantly, the black ship that forced the opening of japan came here. rest a day here and head for the cape irozaki, the furthest south point on the izu peninsula. to return, go by the west coast and head for dogashima and further up to toi gold mine. both should be interesting to visit though the gold mine may be closed in the new year. head inland to shuzenji, a famous onsen town and then up north to numazu before coming back to tokyo.

i would recommend izu rather than gunma since you are going in winter you are more likely to meet snow if you go to gunma. unless you have winter driving experience?

how longs the drive inbetween each town?

 

[kifo]

how longs the drive inbetween each town?

sorry i have not driven there yet so you got to try it yourself. use google to estimate the driving times for you...

https://www.google.co.jp/maps/dir/A...0!2m2!1d138.945316!2d34.6795334!3e0!5i1?hl=en

 

[darkmatt]

sorry i have not driven there yet so you got to try it yourself. use google to estimate the driving times for you...

https://www.google.co.jp/maps/dir/A...0!2m2!1d138.945316!2d34.6795334!3e0!5i1?hl=en

this is useful thanks..

er.. any website to check toll charges?

there's 5 of us. so car, lodgings, fuel and tolls will be split evenly. hence we decided its cheap enough to go cross pref.

 

[evilerniex]

this is useful thanks..

er.. any website to check toll charges?

there's 5 of us. so car, lodgings, fuel and tolls will be split evenly. hence we decided its cheap enough to go cross pref.

u will need a 7/8-seater MPV (with collapsed back seat for luggage) for 5 person. and even then, luggage is going to be a bit of a squeeze. so u may want to impose luggage restriction on those travelling with u

 

[darkmatt]

u will need a 7/8-seater MPV (with collapsed back seat for luggage) for 5 person. and even then, luggage is going to be a bit of a squeeze. so u may want to impose luggage restriction on those travelling with u

4 of them are already working/studying there. im the only one not studying/working there who has to lug a suitcase around....

 

[Quasar]

this is useful thanks..

er.. any website to check toll charges?

there's 5 of us. so car, lodgings, fuel and tolls will be split evenly. hence we decided its cheap enough to go cross pref.

http://www.driveplaza.com/dp/MapSearch

Need to use a bit of kanji to navigate. But that's the minimum amount to drive comfortably there.

 

[stars87]

http://www.driveplaza.com/dp/MapSearch

Need to use a bit of kanji to navigate. But that's the minimum amount to drive comfortably there.

Good share.

Thanks !