Car-free day trips from Tokyo to Chiba and Boso: three ways to enjoy the sea and local food

If you want to add just one more day to your sightseeing schedule in Tokyo.

Shopping and museums are nice, but I want to see the ocean from the bus window. I want to go on a boat. I want to enjoy lunch a little longer than usual. If you're in the mood, why not go to the beaches of Chiba and Boso?

Here we will introduce three trips: Kisarazu, Kanaya/Nokogiriyama, and Kamogawa. This is not a course that covers three locations in one day. This is a guide to help you choose one that suits what you want to do today.

For a day where you want to enjoy walking around town and eating without worrying, choose Kisarazu.

Take the express bus from the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station and go through the Aqua-Line to the west exit of Kisarazu Station. You can experience the road that leads from the undersea tunnel to the bridge on the sea without needing a rental car. ^[1][2]

For lunch upon arrival, choose Takaraya's clam dish or Ikiikitei's self-service grilled seafood. The mood of your day will change depending on whether you sit and enjoy a set meal or choose the ingredients and bake them yourself. ^[3][4]

After eating, walk to the port and take a short break. This is a trip for a meal across the bay, without a long list of major sights. Of the three options, it suits a day when you would prefer not to hike.

For those who want to enjoy the journey itself, we recommend taking the Tokyo Bay Ferry from Kurihama to Kanaya.

After the ferry journey of about 40 minutes, walk from the port to the ropeway station and continue to Nihon-ji Temple on Nokogiriyama. Enjoy the sea and rock scenery, including Jigoku Nozoki and the Hyakushaku Kannon relief. ^[5][6][7]

After descending from the mountain, choose fried horse mackerel at the Fish or enjoy local fish sushi at Funaosa Sohonten. This is a trip that combines mountain hiking and fish dishes in the same area of ​​Kanaya. ^[8][9]

However, even if you use the ropeway, there are stairs inside the shrine grounds. Think of this separately from walking on flat ground, and plan accordingly to the area you can walk. It depends on the operation of ships and ropeways, so it's best to check the weather and plan accordingly. ^[10][11]

If you want to spend a day meeting sea creatures, make Kamogawa Sea World the main attraction. From the Tokyo area, there are directions to take the free shuttle bus from Wakashioto Limited Express Station or the Axie express bus. ^[12][13]

If the aquarium is your priority, have lunch inside and stop for sushi at Marufuji near the station on the way home. If lunch is the main event, plan an itinerary that includes MAIWAI at Kamogawakan. ^[14][15]

Rather than packing in both meals, it will be easier to plan if you decide whether you want to enjoy the aquarium for a long time or whether you want to enjoy lunch at the inn as well.

On the day you go to Kamogawa, you don't need to add sightseeing spots further away. See what you want to see at the aquarium, eat at Kamogawa, and go home. Try to focus on the day.

The scenery is not the only factor in choosing these three trips.

At Kisarazu, you can enjoy clams in a variety of dishes. At Kanaya, enjoy fried horse mackerel and local fish sushi after hiking in the mountains. At Kamogawa, you can enjoy sushi after the tour and Southern Boso ingredients eaten at the inn. You can choose your destination based on the food you want to eat. ^{[3][8][9 ][15][14]}

Rather than saying, "I'm going to a famous place," it's "I'm going there because I want to try that meal at that place." Once you decide on one reason, the time you spend walking around before and after that time is not just to fill your schedule.

The order of planning is return transportation, time for meals, and time for sightseeing and walking. First, try connecting these three.

You could still be on the mountain when lunch service ends, or finish your meal only to find that your planned ferry has left. To avoid this, do more than list places to visit: check whether each will be available at the time you expect to arrive.

Choose the amount of walking that suits you. Kisarazu is a city walk around the station and port, Nokogiriyama is a mountain walk with stairs, and Kamogawa is a stay at an aquarium. The physical strength you use and the places you take breaks are not the same.

You might spend a day in Asakusa or visit a temple in Kyoto. Consider adding just one day for lunch across the bay to your wider trip.

The road seen from the bus, the shore viewed from the ferry, a fish name first encountered on a menu: these small moments can also become memories of your time in Japan.

What if there is one day on your next travel itinerary where you have not decided anything? Why not use that extra space for Chiba/Boso's sea and food?