One Day in Odawara

With all the recent uncertainty surrounding Covid-19, it’s difficult to know what you can and can’t do. In Japan, we’ve been told to not go out during the evenings and weekends – because, of course, Corona doesn’t operate during standard 9-5 office hours – and avoid restaurants, nightclubs and bars. Turns out they’re, both, the dens of ‘iniquity and Corona viruses.’ Who knew? But, when it all starts to die down, you’re going to need somewhere to go to take your mind off the ungodly amount of Netflix shows you’ve binged in the past (insert number here) months. Step forth: Odawara.

Less than one hour from Tokyo via JR Tokaido line – the gateway to Hakone and only 25 minutes from the popular seaside resort of Atami – Odawara is one of the most pleasant, relaxed and accessible seaside breaks I’ve encountered during my time in Japan. Whilst I love the city and the madness that comes with it, I’m always up for escaping the noise and letting the clean, country air turn my city ‘fro into your grandma’s bedraggled perm.

Much of Odawara is accessible by foot, making it the perfect spot to stop off if you’ve only got a little time, or, simply want to clear your head. The town centre, itself, has a quiet bustle about it – packed with unique souvenir stores, family-run restaurants and lots of older folk, pottering about. Despite smoking being illegal on the streets, the scene of these two pals – above – giving absolutely no fucks epitomised the laid back feel that Odawara has. Even outside the, comparatively, busy train station, you instantly get that small-town vibe, often, lacking in Tokyo.

My main purpose of the day was to visit Odawara castle – below. Like many of Japan’s castles, it’s been knocked, burnt and blown down more times than the Three Little Pigs’ houses. However, Japanese castles can have a similar feel to that of being at a temple or shrine, often, beautifully laid out with specially placed microcosms of nature. And places to eat ice-cream. We mustn’t forget the ice-cream. Unrelated tip: If you hit up Osaka castle in the heat of summer, make sure to get the shaved ice. I’ll say no more.

Unfortunately, I was a little too early to see this year’s cherry blossom but if you were to go around the end of March, you would most likely be able to see spectacular avenues of sakura leading, upwards, towards the castle. However, there were still some conveniently placed plum blossoms – above. It’s best not to get the two mixed up, though, as that and wearing shoes indoors are Japan’s equivalent to spitting on the Pope. Or the Queen. Pick your poison. Like it’s more famous cousin, plum blossom and the 360 views of Odawara from the top of the castle, lend themselves to some bitchin’ photos. Below you can see valleys leading up into Hakone, with Mount Fuji just hidden to the right, Tokyo to the east and on a clear day, Chiba, across Tokyo Bay in the south.

Whilst I was sitting under a tree, enjoying my strawberry and vanilla ice-cream, I spotted this young gentleman, above, happy as a pig in shit, feeding the birds. Honestly, he looked like he could keel over at any moment, so much so, that all his friends were egging him on with words of encouragement.

‘Go on Jack. Do your best, Jack. What a hero, old Jack…’ and so on before asking, ‘Do you want a beer, Jack?’

‘Of course!’ He replied and went back to feeding the birds. It was 10am.

I couldn’t help but think, this is how I wanna go. Feeding the birds on a beautiful winter’s day whilst my friends egg me on and bring me a beer, which will, most likely, kill me. No regrets.

After spending a good couple of hours at the castle – exploring the grounds, taking photos and watching the mad pigeon lad – I got into my paper map and decided to make my way down to the ocean. At around ten minutes walk, there’s no need to take the bus and there’s an entrance to the Miyukinohama Beach just west of the swimming pool of the same name. Whilst the pool was drained for winter and looking like a location straight out of a shady crime film, it looked like a great place to go in summer, when local governments deem beaches and pools ‘open.’

Growing up, it was rare to go, even a few days, without seeing the ocean in Ulster. Whilst I didn’t like the beach much, personally, it was always a source of comfort to go to the sea. Stepping out of the car and getting blasted by the scents of salty ocean air and drifting seaweed, whilst ice-cream stealing seagulls squawk overhead are features as Irish as Guinness and sarcasm. Living in Tokyo, the sea can seem like a world away, at times, and despite being 8456 miles from home – yep, I checked – walking around Odawara felt nostalgically like being back in Ireland. If anyone is game for a sponsored walk, it’s only 2547 hours from Odawara to Belfast but with Google overestimates, I’m pretty sure we could round it down to a brief 2500?

After chilling by the beach and failing to take the giant piece of driftwood home, above, it was time for lunch. My next destination was the Kanagawa Natural History Museum, so I took the fifteen minute walk west, towards Hakonetabashi Station; deciding to stop somwhere local on the way for a feast. This gave me a chance to check out the local area and see how people around here live, day-to-day. Tokyo is infamous for it’s tiny living spaces, with some living in actual closets for hundreds of dollars a month yet Odawara had the exact opposite feel. Wide, tree-lined avenues harboured homes that had a stately air about them, with gardens that were bigger than six shoe-boxes squared. Cyclists pedalled leisurely along quiet roads with pedestrians, also, sharing the sakura sheltered lanes. Homes here actually have driveways and classic cars were displayed proudly under covered awnings, with others that looked like they’d been gathering dust since the dawn of time. Life is slow here and I like it.

I decided to have Tempura for lunch after spotting a family run joint on the way to the train station. Japan is the only country where you can have numerous battered food items and still consider it healthy. For ¥1200 (about £9), you can get the set below of miso soup, salad, tea and tempura bowl plus an additional tea or coffee. Cheap as chips, mate. Pretty sure this bowl also included a tempura battered nettle leaf, which was a first for me. In honesty, the majority of tempura that I usually consume comes in a microwavable container, so it was nice to relax and watch the chef – through the little cubby hole above – personally prepare my meal, from scratch.

The old and the new intersect – above – with the high speed Shinkansen flying towards Tokyo and the slow but scenic Hakone-Tozan train chugging, uphill, towards Hakone-Yumoto.

In what turned out to be an unexpected blessing, the Kanagawa Natural History Museum was closed due to corona virus fears so I had to come up with a new plan, on the fly. A lesson there for any day-tripper – do at least, some, planning. This gave me an opportunity, though, rather than being stuck inside, I was able to get out into the mountain town of Hakone-Yumoto – the gateway to the greater Hakone region. Situated at the final stop on the Hakone Tozan line and only 15 minutes from Odawara Station, Hakone Yumoto is famous for onsen (hot springs), sulphurous-water boiled black eggs and enough luggage-wheeling tourists to fill Narita airport six times over.

In my final excursion of the day, I hiked my way up the bending mountainous streets of Hakone Yumoto. Around the station, it can be rather frantic, with the sheer number of tourists and buses but if you keep going round the bending lanes, you can find some solitude in a really beautiful town. As Hakone is famous for it’s natural onsen, I thought ‘when in Rome’ and took what is, for me, a rare trip to the hot springs. I spent ¥2500 (around £18) which gave me access to the – below – Tenseien Hotel’s roof onsen, with complimentary yukata (traditional Japanese robe) to wear around the complex. There are a number of features available at onsens, however, this one featured indoor and outdoor baths, outdoor hot-tubs as well as a sauna, steam-room and a cold bath which makes things that really shouldn’t, disappear. You can also purchase a massage at extra cost. If you’re in the Hakone area, I’d recommend visiting this or any onsen for an authentic Japanese experience and a good opportunity to soak in your own filth.

Let me know in the comments section, below, how your trip to Odawara goes and what you got up to!