Unlike the surrounding area’s of Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba, these day trips from Tokyo are proper full-on journeys and do include a fair bit of travel but with an early start they are all very do-able within daylight hours. However, when you’ve only got one day spare you don’t have too much choice! So following the success of Tokyo Fox‘s Top 10 day trips in Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba it’s time to move on beyond those prefectures! Here then, in no particular order, is the list featuring a mix of famous sights and some hidden gems too.

1. Fuji Shibazakura, Yamanashi-ken – A spectacular picture postcard-type view (below) of a stunningly beautiful pink carpet in the foreground of the iconic mountain. More details here

2. Nikko, Tochigi-ken – UNESCO World Heritage listed Toshogu Shrine (below) deservedly takes the main plaudits along with a few other shrines and temples but don’t forget about the surrounding natural beauty too. More details here

3. Ushiku Daibutsu, Ibaraki-ken – The worlds third tallest statue (below) has no religious or historical meaning but was simply built to be in the Guinness Book of Records. It’s an impressive sight at 120 metres tall (including its 10 metre base). More details here

4. Fuji Q Highland, Yamanashi-ken – The theme park with some of the world’s greatest roller coaster rides. The likes of Fujiyama, Dodonpa, Eejanaika and Takabisha are awesome experiences. More details here

5. Hitachi Seaside Park, Ibaraki-ken – Splendid hillside of kochia shrubs (below) which turn a dazzling crimson colour in the Autumn. More details here

6. Tobu World Square, Tochigi-ken – Japanese people seem to always laugh when I mention this place. They may not regard it too highly which is a shame as the work which has gone into these scaled down models (below) of the original world wonders is incredible and deserves appreciation. More details here

7. Mount Tsukuba, Ibaraki-ken – Well known for its double peaks rising nearly 900 metres above sea level this mountain is referred to as the “Purple Peak of Kanto” because of its colour change from dawn to dusk. More details here

8. Kawaguchi-ko, Yamanashi-ken – This lake is the second largest of the Fuji Five Lakes in terms of surface area, and is located at the lowest elevation providing beautiful views of Mount Fuji. More details here

9. Kairakuen, Ibaraki-ken – Plum blossom precedes the more famous cherry ones and one of the best places to view it is at this place in Mito (below) which is one of Japan’s three most celebrated landscape gardens. More details here

10. Atami, Shizuoka-ken  – Loved by the domestic market but not of such interest to international travellers, there’s more to this place than just onsen. Views across the harbour (below) are supposed to be reminiscent of Naples. There’s also a lovely castle and an expensive sex museum! More details here