Escape to somewhere cool. Cool Day Trips

This is a day for enjoying the cool shade of the forest and the sea breeze at Ohayashi Observation Park (お林展望公園), which spreads out near the tip of the Manazuru Peninsula. The deep forest known as Ohayashi (お林), which covers the peninsula, is shaded by towering camphor and black pine trees, so the park stays shady even on days with strong sunshine. Beyond the lawn plaza, the view opens up over the Izu Peninsula and Sagami Bay, and the breeze rising from the sea feels wonderful, making it a perfect outing even in the lingering heat of September or October. The park is open from 9:00 to 16:00 (last admission 15:00), and is closed on the third Wednesday of every month and during the New Year holidays. There are restrooms in the park. This course stops in the morning at Kifune Shrine (貴船神社), which overlooks Manazuru Port, and the Endo Shell Museum (遠藤貝類博物館) at Cape Manazuru (ケープ真鶴) at the tip of the peninsula, then spends the hot afternoon hours relaxing in the forest-and-sea-breeze park.

Spend a day enjoying the cool breeze off the water at Lake Miyagase (宮ヶ瀬湖), one of the greater Tokyo area's leading dam lakes. Surrounded by the Tanzawa mountains, Lake Miyagase offers a beautiful contrast between its blue surface and the green mountains, with spacious lakeside parkland and the Mizu-no-Sato Suspension Bridge (水の郷大つり橋), while the breeze crossing the lake feels wonderful. Even in September and October, when the lowlands are still hot, this mountain lakeside stays comfortably cool. The lakeside Konakazawa Parking Lot (小中沢駐車場) charges 300 yen for up to 2 hours and 500 yen beyond that (900 yen during special periods) for regular cars, and 1,500 yen for large vehicles. This course stops at the free-admission Hattori Farm (服部牧場) and the Miyagase Dam Water and Energy Museum (宮ヶ瀬ダム水とエネルギー館), where you can learn how the dam works in a fun way, in the morning, then spend the hot afternoon hours relaxing in the breeze by the lake.