A day trip from Tokyo - Jogashima Island & Misaki

 Jogashima Island & Misaki - A day trip from Tokyo.

Tokyo is truly fantastic but if you feel like heading out of the city for a different experience - head off south to the Miura Peninsula for a day of fresh air, fantastic views, nature and relaxation. Read on for information, transport tips and useful resources.

(Originally published in 2017)

Jogashima is a small island that sits at the southern tip of the Miura peninsula and is joined to Misaki Port, a major tuna landing harbour, by the Jogashima-Ohashi bridge. It is accessible by road in addition to boat services; the nearest rail station of Misakiguchi on the private Keikyu Line is located a 25-30 minute bus ride away on a route that loops through Misaki Port.

There are a number of different ways to approach Miura from Tokyo, including utilising a JR pass and a direct link on the private Keikyu Line from Shinagawa in Tokyo. 

Keikyu also sell an inclusive pass that includes the rail journey, bus pass for the Miura area, a set meal and an activity (aquarium, boat trip etc) - see more on their website about the Misaki Maguro ticket.

Find transport information, a handy infographic and resources at the end of the post.

Outdoor pursuits and accessible trails

Rugged and beautiful, the island has hiking trails to make the most of the landscape, wildlife, flora and fauna on offer and I'm pleased to say that Jogashima Park also has accessible trails and facilities. Water sports, diving, fishing and bird watching seem very popular on the island and facilities can be found dotted around near to the lighthouse. For keen photographers, the landscape has lots to offer including stunning views of Mount Fuji on a clear day.

Old-time ambience and tuna cuisine

Misaki Port has an old-time ambience with traditional lanes, old fashioned shops full of interesting items and fish merchants. Restaurants here, just like in Tosa Kure on Shikoku, specialise in the locally caught tuna, including some quite unique dishes to the area.

Our trip - too much planned, too little time (again)!

As usual, we had bitten off more than we could chew, planning to get to Jogashima & Misaki Port by train for a look around and early lunch at one of the many restaurants offering fresh tuna before heading back to Kurihama, where we hoped to catch the ferry across to Kanaya Port to visit Mt Nokogiri. On paper it seemed do-able. I should have learned by now that things always look much easier on paper! In future I need to plan a day and cut by at least a third.

Using the JR Tokyo Wide Pass to get to Miura

Due to using the JR Tokyo Wide Pass, our route was a little quirky compared to the direct Keikyu option. However, we were hoping to return back to Tokyo using a JR Express train from Hamakanaya station on the Boso Peninsula after visiting Mt Nokogiri, so we had costed it in advance and it seemed the best value option for us at the time when other usage over the three day validity was factored in (in hindsight, for what we personally did get out of it, the Tokyo Wide Pass was an expensive error - more about that in my post about the feasibility of using JR Passes).

Because we wanted to use as much of the JR network as possible, we took the train from Tokyo to the end of the Yokosuka Line at JR Kurihama. Here, a short, flat walk led us to the private Keikyu Kurihama station where we transferred onto a train for Misakiguchi. Getting tickets from the machines was a bit tricky as everything was in kanji but IC cards can be used.

The Misaki city area

We hadn’t factored enough time to look around the immediate area of Misaki city, but from the Misakiguchi Station, buses do reach out into the surrounding area where there are a number of attractions and interesting areas to explore, including an alternative tuna auction to Tsukiji; more information can be found on the the Miura City website and the Miura Tourist Association website (Japanese only).

The bus pass that never was.

During our research, we had read that a day bus pass could be purchased to save some money on individual ticket prices. We were expecting to hop around a bit so headed off to purchase one as soon as we arrived only to find that they were not available. Perhaps this pass exists as a seasonal ticket though - it was the end of January, the area was really sleepy and not much was open. 

We armed ourselves with useful maps, timetables and information offered by the helpful staff at the tourism office, which is situated just outside the main entrance (Japanese only spoken when we visited), and headed over to the bus stops just opposite to the queue. Buses accept cash or IC cards but if the balance is running low, be sure to charge it up at the train station as there did not seem to be anywhere else (that I could see) once in the Misaki Port and Jogashima area.

Jogashima Island & Mount Fuji

We targeted Jogashima first and the bus was very busy, mainly with older Japanese men weighed down with serious photographic gear. We were confused but it became clear as to why as we crossed over the Jogashima-Ohashi Bridge between Misaki port and the island. 

On that beautiful, crystal clear day there was Mount Fuji, standing resplendent with its snow capped peak glinting brightly in the sunshine like a jewel. We couldn’t work out our bearings and assumed that this view from the bus would be it...as is often the case with Fuji ... because it’s notoriously secretive and hides behind clouds most of the time. A quick glimpse here when the weather permits or a glimpse there, between buildings, from the plane or from the Shinkansen hurtling past at 200 miles per hour. Blink and you miss it!

Typically, we got off the bus at the wrong stop! After getting our bearings we walked to the restaurant we had targeted for our early lunch. It had great reviews and their website stated that it would be open. It was closed! Hoping that it would open a little later we decided to explore the island.

As we headed past groups of divers preparing to go out and the various water-sports facilities along the sea wall, we emerged around the corner to the magnificence of Mt Fuji again - clear as day! This was completely unexpected. We’d made the journey to Lake Kawaguchi during our visit the year before with the sole intention of getting some great views and had been disappointed (it was partially clear when we got there but disappeared in the clouds soon after).

The photographers - in the know!

And here were the photographers from our bus! Whether they knew that the conditions would be good and clear or whether they go every day on the off-chance, I really don’t know. I quite like the idea that there might be an organised group of Fuji photo chasers who spring into action when the conditions are right - they certainly knew which stop to get off at, unlike us.  Lesson learned - if you see multiple serious looking photographers with even more serious photographic kit - follow them!

Mesmerising Fuji-san

Fuji really is mesmerising to look at - sadly the intense light reflecting off the sea was just too much for my little camera to cope with (I did develop serious camera envy during this visit), so sadly our pics look a bit hazy.

Jogashima Lighthouse

After having a walk around the area we climbed up to the lighthouse where we drew breath in the small garden area and watched the Kites circle and dive all around. Occasionally, they came near to perch and wait for their next lunch opportunity...

...they were certainly having better luck at getting lunch than us. Having climbed back down, we tried the restaurant again to no avail. The only place we saw open was bursting with a coach load of visitors and as we walked past the staff tried very, very hard to get us to go in. This practice, so common in tourist destinations elsewhere around the world, is not something we’ve experienced in Japan before. Generally we steer clear because it usually means there’s a tourist menu at tourist prices. A quick look at the menu outside confirmed our suspicions, so we kept on going.

With no sign of the ferry boat that crosses back over the narrow stretch of water to Misaki Port, we took another packed bus. By this point we knew that we would miss our connection to get the ferry from Kurihama Port, so we spent a little time looking around the quaint harbour town. We didn’t have an awful lot of luck finding anywhere open to eat and found ourselves eating cake for lunch (yet again!) at the well known Misaki Donut shop. I can highly recommend it!

Thoughts on our excursion

Overall, we had mixed feelings about our day; we were disappointed with not being able to find some of the famous tuna dishes for lunch, happy to have seen lovely Jogashima and Fuji and annoyed at the lack of value we got out of the Tokyo Wide Pass. The biggest disappointment was not reaching Mt Nokogiri, but that’s top of our list for a day trip from Tokyo on a future visit.

A great day trip from Tokyo?

Would I recommend visiting Miura as a day trip? If you have plenty of time, have experienced Tokyo and are looking for something a bit different, yes. Consider the Keikyu Misaki Maguro ticket if you are there later in the year when it’s a little more lively. From our experience, I’d certainly advise travelling less and seeing more - make the journey as direct as possible and spend some time visiting other areas in the locality by bus rather than standing around trying to catch connections and missing out like us! There are some fantastic off-the-beaten-path places to explore in the region - this site has a good overview.

Viewing Mount Fuji - an alternative to Hakone or the Fuji Five Lakes?

Jogashima is fantastic for views of Fuji (in the right weather, just the same as anywhere else) so if you fancy something a little less guidebook than Hakone and Fuji Five Lakes or are into nature trails, water sports or bird watching then consider it as an alternative option.

Getting to Miura - Jogashima Island and Misaki Port from Tokyo

Keikyu Line:

The Keikyu Kurihama train line runs from Shinagawa Station in Tokyo, through Yokohama to Misakiguchi. This private line is not covered by JR passes. Purchase tickets or use an IC card.

Misakiguchi to Jogashima Island (via Misaki Port) is accessed by bus from just outside the rail station. Use cash or an IC card (a day pass may be available for the busses but were not when we visited).

Using Japan Rail (JR) Lines:

If you want to use a JR pass from Tokyo, take the JR Yokosuka line to the terminal JR station at Kurihama. From here, transfer to the private Keikyu Kurihama train station a short walk away (leave JR station, turn right, cross the road and you’re there) and take the private line to Misakiguchi. JR passes are not valid on this portion of the route - purchase tickets from the machines or use an IC card (Suica, Icoca etc). Once at Misakiguchi Station, transfer to a bus, as above.

Jogashima Island:

Jogashima island is small but has a number of bus routes that also link it via the Jogashima-Ohashi Bridge to Misaki Port. Timetables and information are available from the Tourist Information Office at Misakiguchi Station.

Travel Resources

HyperDia - Japanese train timetable, fare and route search (English).

Keikyu Line - trains, discount tickets and Tokyo airport access.

Miura City Website - Sightseeing information for the Miura region (English pages available)

Miura City Tourist Association - (Japanese only)

Japan Accessible Tourism Centre - Fantastic resource for accessible travel in Japan.

Helter Kelter Blog - great, first hand information about the Keikyu Misaki Maguro ticket...so good they did it twice!

Japan-Guide.com - a wealth of information on travelling in Japan plus a useful forum for queries.