region image

Kanagawa

Contrasting realities from Yokohama to Hakone

About Kanagawa
Photo: Geoff Day / JT

Top Attractions in Kanagawa

Owakudani
Kanagawa
Activities

Owakudani

4.7 (3) 3 Reviews

Around Kanagawa

Yokohama

Yokohama

Everyone who lives here in Japan—Japanese and foreigners alike—admire the port city of Yokohama. This is mainly due to the ma...

Kanagawa
Kawasaki

Kawasaki

Kawasaki, with a population of almost 1.5 million is situated between Tokyo to the north and Yokohama (and the Tama River) to...

Kanagawa
Yokosuka

Yokosuka

Yokosuka Yokoso! Welcome to Yokosuka! The "other" Yoko, a city in Kanagawa located far down the Miura Peninsula, is filled wi...

Kanagawa
Odawara

Odawara

Odawara is a town situated on Sagami Bay along the Tokaido Line coast, fairly close to Mt. Fuji. It is best know for the beau...

Kanagawa
Kamakura

Kamakura

Kamakura is pure Japan. Often called “the little Kyoto”, Kamakura has hundreds of temples scattered around the hilly, green c...

Kanagawa
Hakone

Hakone

Hakone is one of the most famous hot springs areas in the world. A stunning place, Hakone is surrounded by mountains and Lake...

Kanagawa
Yugawara

Yugawara

Yugawara is a beautiful little coastal town at the western-most edge of Kanagawa that boasts of plush forests, colorful mount...

Kanagawa
Zama

Zama

Zama is located in central Kanagawa, and home to the United States' Camp Zama army base.

Kanagawa
Chigasaki

Chigasaki

Chigasaki (茅ケ崎) is a coastal city in southern Kanagawa, sandwiched between Hiratsuka to the west and Fujisawa to the east,...

Kanagawa
Fujisawa

Fujisawa

Fill your lungs with the fresh ocean breeze in this pleasant coastal city. Fujisawa, located in the Shohan area of southern K...

Kanagawa
Enoshima

Enoshima

Enoshima, Kanagawa, lies at the mouth of the Katase River near Sagami Bay. It’s a small offshore island, only about 4 km in c...

Kanagawa
Sagamihara

Sagamihara

Nestled in the northwestern part of Kanagawa Prefecture lies Sagamihara, a vibrant city with life and history. As the third m...

Kanagawa

Top Articles

Upcoming Kanagawa Events

Where to eat in Kanagawa

How Sake is Made

How Sake is Made

Yoshi Hirasawa

As sake is made from rice, local rice producers are finding a new acquirer. Therefore the brewery is actively increasing the ...

Kanagawa

Places to stay in Kanagawa

Solso Farm

Solso Farm

Julian Kloby

Kanagawa prefecture is where you will find Solso Farm, a large and spacious nursery that upon further inspection has so much ...

Kanagawa

Latest Kanagawa Reports

A Special Trip in Odawara

A Special Trip in Odawara

Serena Kim

Odawara is a captivating coastal city nestled along Sagami Bay on the Tokaido Line, just a 30-minute Shinkansen bullet train ...

Kanagawa
Sea Fever in Yokohama

Sea Fever in Yokohama

Arlene Bastion

The beauty of Yokohama Port is quite captivating, in how nature, sea, sky, and stone, align themselves to create quite stunni...

Kanagawa
Close

About Kanagawa

Kanagawa
Okinawa Nagasaki Fukuoka Saga Kumamoto Kagoshima Miyazaki Oita Ehime Kochi Tokushima Kagawa Yamaguchi Hiroshima Okayama Tottori Shimane Hyogo Kyoto Osaka Wakayama Nara Shiga Mie Fukui Ishikawa Toyama Gifu Aichi Nagano Shizuoka Niigata Yamanashi Kanagawa Tokyo Saitama Gunma Tochigi Chiba Ibaraki Fukushima Miyagi Yamagata Iwate Akita Aomori Hokkaido

Perhaps the term “melting pot” is the best way to describe Kanagawa Prefecture (神奈川県, Kanagawa-ken). Being the second most populated prefecture, Kanagawa’s first impression is a modern, “concrete jungle” similar to its northern neighbour, Tokyo. And that’s true to a certain extent, as you can tell from the big city of Yokohama and the Minato Mirai 21 district. However, that urbanity is perfectly balanced with beautiful nature, such as Enoshima’s beaches, Sankei-en, Yamashita Park, and Hakone Onsen.

Being the site of Commodore Perry’s landing in 1853, Kanagawa is also a fusion of foreign and Japanese history and culture. Traditional Japanese structures such as Enkaku-ji and the Great Buddha of Kamakura co-exist with Yokohama Chinatown, the Red Brick Warehouse, and Western-style buildings in the Motomachi district.

Romantic nighttime views of the city and Tokyo Bay can be enjoyed from the Landmark Tower observatory and Osanbashi Pier.

Close