Day Trip from Tokyo: Jogashima

As you know my boyfriend and I have grown to be a little bit snobbish lately when it comes to our trips since we like to visit places where usually the mass of tourist doesn’t go. Having traveled a lot in Japan and having already enjoyed the most famous places, now we like to hunt for the most hidden gems. Our last discovery is Jogashima Island (城ヶ島). It is the biggest island of Kanagawa Prefecture and it is located at the southernmost tip of Miura Peninsula.

Jogashima can be reached from Tokyo Shinagawa in 90 minutes using the Keikyu Kurihama Line to get to Misakiguchi Station and then with a bus ride of 30 minutes. To ride the bus you can use your Suica or Passmo or pay directly on the bus.

We woke up around 9 and had a lazy breakfast in my favorite bakery, will write about it one day so stay tuned. Around 10 we took the train to get to Misakiguchi. Just out of the train station there is the bus station and a tourist information office. The staff at the tourist information office gave us a number of pamphlets and also very good suggestions about where to get off from the bus and where to visit and eat.

From the bus we enjoyed the view of the nature and the typical atmosphere of a small town by the sea.

We got off at the parking area, it is the first bus stop passed the bridge and get to the Island. It was lunch time when we got there so we headed directly towards the tiny restaurant on the other side of the street. The name is そば新  and according to the locals it is the best restaurant of the island. It is run by two funny old men and it was probably refurbished last time 40 years ago. Don’t judge the book by its cover, the food is delicious and fresh, some say that the tuna of Jogashima is even better than the highly prized tuna in Tsukiji and, trust me, it might be true from my experience. We had a bowl of rice literally covered by many slices of tuna so fresh it melted in the mouth, and it was just ¥1000. The menu is in Japanese only but don’t worry, point at the tuna bowl picture and you’ll never be wrong.

After lunch we had a short walk to Jogashima Park, the park is the main attraction of the island and there are many hiking trails to try. Also, if you like, you can choose to bring your lunch from home and enjoy it at the park.

The coast trails offer a magnificent view of the pacific ocean, we spent a couple of hours walking and looking at the waves crashing on the rocks. The wind breeze makes it pleasant to sit on the rocks and relax by the ocean. The coastline is impressive, full of hidden caves and mysterious trails. One of the most famous rock formation, carved by wind and water, is Umanose-domon (馬の背洞門), the Horseback cave opening. Simply magnificent.

Around 5 pm we walked towards the bus stop in the small town area and had an ice cream while waiting for the bus to go back to Misakiguchi station. I hope we have the chance to go back soon to Jogashima because it was an excellent escape from the city.