Alternative destinations near Tokyo.
Places near Tokyo that score high on beauty and low on crowding, according to our data.
Hachiōji-shi
Autumn-foliage hillsides frame sweeping views over this large western Tokyo city, where forested upland trails give way to a dense urban centre with a lively…
Kawagoe
Known locally as "Little Edo" for its concentration of historic buildings that recall the old name for Tokyo, Kawagoe is a city in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.
Takasaki
Takasaki, the largest city in Gunma Prefecture on Japan's main island of Honshu, is best known as the home of the Daruma doll — a round, weighted figure repr…
Maebashi
The capital of Gunma Prefecture in Japan's northern Kantō region, Maebashi sits along the water with mountains visible from the city and carries a self-style…
Utsunomiya
Utsunomiya, the capital of Tochigi Prefecture in Japan's northern Kantō region, is best known for gyoza — pan-fried dumplings — with well over two hundred re…
Kashiwa
Known locally as "Little Shibuya," Kashiwa is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, with a notably dense café, restaurant, and shopping scene concentrated aroun…
Fujisawa
This sizeable Japanese city on the Shonan coast, Fujisawa pairs a lively central café and dining scene with easy access to the waterfront, upland countryside…
Sakura
Sakura, a city in Chiba Prefecture east of Tokyo, has a castle-town streetscape recognised as a Japanese Heritage site, and the wider region holds UNESCO Wor…
Ichikawa
This densely populated Japanese city on the edge of Tokyo's metropolitan sprawl, Ichikawa sits along the waterfront with a lively central dining scene and ea…
Hiratsuka
Mid-sized Japanese city on Kanagawa's Shonan coast, Hiratsuka pairs a lively café and restaurant scene with bold Brutalist civic architecture and easy access…
Kiryū
Kiryū, in Gunma Prefecture, is a textile city long defined by Kiryū-ori, a traditional silk-weaving craft that has left the city with a dense concentration o…
Izunokuni
A Japanese town on the northern Izu Peninsula where forested hills rise directly from a broad residential valley, offering elevated viewpoints across layered…