Kanagawa

As a part of Greater Tokyo, Kanagawa may seem like a mere prefecture that just happens to be heavily integrated with Tokyo’s transport and infrastructural systems only by virtue of its location. However, Kanagawa is not without its own rich history, though it is not considered a major city today. Kamakura, Kanagawa, was the base of the Shogunate and Regency back in the ancient Kamakura period (1185-1333), at a time when the power of governance lay in the hands of Sei-i Taishōguns (best understood in a modern sense as generals or commanders). It was also on the shores of Kanagawa that Commodore Matthew Perry landed in 1853-1854, and it was the Convention of Kanagawa that he signed that paved the way for the United States to sail into Japanese ports. Yokosuka, a coastal city within Kanagawa, serves today as headquarters for the U.S. 7th fleet, and also as the base of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. Despite the presence of such international and militaristic efficiencies, however, Kanagawa still retains many of its feudal-era constructions, temples and shrines in its southeastern cities, such as the famous Kotoku-in Temple—where a large bronze statue of Buddha said to be built in 1252 sits—or the Odawara Castle, previously the family home of feudal lord Go-Hojo, head of his samurai clan.
 
Also a distinct part of Kanagawa is the prominent Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, spanning about 1200 kilometers squared over 4 prefectures (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shizuoka and Yamanashi). The park encompasses within its grounds Mount Fuji, the Fuji Five Lakes, the Izu Peninsula and islands, and the mountainous resort town of Hakone; it was established in 1936, and is the most-visited national park in Japan today. The landscape is largely volcanic, and in fact, a few of the volcanos on the Izu islands are still active. This accounts for the large number of hot-springs in this area as well, which draw tourists and locals alike in holiday season and makes for a perfect short getaway for busy Japanese in their free time. Both Gora Kadan and the Hyatt Regency Hakone, located in Hakone town, are fantastic options from which one can choose to stay at to behold this spectacular park or to admire the majestic Mount Fuji on the horizon.