Although a little bit off the beaten path, Sankeien is a very impressive garden. It was built by Tomitaro Hara, a wealthy silk trader, in the late 1800's. Originally his private residence, he opened it to the public in 1906. It was heavily damaged during WWII, and in 1953 was transferred to the Sankeien Hoshokai Foundation. For five years the garden was restored, and then it was re-opened to the public.
Tomitaro Hara, nicknamed 'Sankei Hara', collected and preserved a variety of historic structures within the property. One of the oldest is a three story pagoda from Kyoto that dates back to 1457.
Other structures include a villa from Wakayama built in 1649, a gate constructed around 1708 for Saihoji Temple in Kyoto,... All of the structures are made of wood, and have been incorporated into the surrounding hills, streams, and ponds. If you take your time to enjoy everything there is to see, it would be very easy to spend half a day at the garden.
Address: Sankeien Hoshokai Foundation231-0824 Yokohama-shi, Naka-ku, Honmoku Sannotani 58-1
045-6210-6345
Hours of Operation: 9:00 - 17:00 (last entry at 16:30)
Entrance Fees: Adult (middle school and older): 500 yen
Child: 200 yen
City residents over 65 are free. Non-residents over 65: 300 yen
Multiple Entry ticket (5 entries): Adult 2000 yen, Child 500 yen
Annual Pass: 4500 yen
Access:
*From JR Negishi Station: At bus stop #1, take any one of the buses labeled Route No. 58, 99, 101, 108, or 126. Get off at Honmoku (10 min. ride), and then walk to the garden (7 min.).
*From East Exit of Yokohama Station: At bus stop #2, take the bus labeled Route No. 8. Get off at Honmoku Sankeien Mae (35 min ride), and then walk to the garden (5 min).
There is very little parking near Sankeien. If you do decide to drive, I recommend parking at MYCAL Honmoku Department Store and walking.
On a cold, rainy day in January; I was soaking, ocean-side, in a hot spring fed pool. Hawks circled overhead, ocean waves lapped at the rocks below; it was pure heaven.
EnoSpa, on the island of Enoshima, is less than an hour outside of Tokyo, but it feels worlds away. An upscale complex filled with different types of hot spring pools, it is a great 'ladies only' or 'couples' get-away. Some of the pools there are for swimming, others for just soaking. The pools are indoors, outdoors, and a few are even in grotto-like caves opening to the sea. There are saunas and whirlpools. Everything is co-ed and bathing suits are mandatory; except in segregated traditional Japanese style baths connected to the locker rooms.
On the fourth floor is the Beng Teng Spa, a Southeast Asian themed spa on scale with the finest in Tokyo. On the second floor there is a medically-based spa that focuses on anma and shiatsu, Japanese-style massage. They also offer oxygen therapy capsules and medical conditioning therapies. Very little of the spa menus are in English, but the staff speak a little. It should be enough for you to get what you want.
When entering EnoSpa, visitors take off their shoes and put them in a locker. The key is removed from the locker (by the way, it slides up to the left, it doesn’t pull straight out) and is taken to the front desk and it becomes a ‘charge card’ for the day. Everything purchased, including the entrance fee, is charged to the wristband. The total is paid when leaving.
Getting to the EnoSpa is easy, there are three train lines to Enoshima, and it is also possible to go by car. I recommend taking the JR Tokaido Line to Ofuna Station. Change to the Shonan Monorail, ride it to the end, then walk out to the island. Entrance fees are 2,650 for adults, 1,200 for children. Slightly higher on weekends and holidays in July and August. Although children are welcome (except on Sunday), I don't recommend bringing them, as it is a very quiet, relaxed place. The day I visited, not a single visitor was under 20 years old.
Zoorasia is divided into six areas: the Asian tropical forest, the sub arctic forest, the Oceanic grassland, the Central Asian highlands, the Amazon jungle, and the Japanese countryside. In each area, everything follows the theme, even the plants and trees planted there! The entire zoo is designed as a circuit. Follow the path and you'll never see the same thing twice, but you won't miss anything either. This also helps to disperse crowds.
Some of the best animal enclosures house lions, tigers, elephants, polar bears, and penguins - just to name a few! Many can be viewed from above, or through glass windows. I was impressed that animals not accustomed to winter all had heaters, and I read that those not accustomed to summer have air-conditioning!
Similar to Tokyo's Tama Zoo, the park consists of rolling hills and lots of green. There are some great playgrounds for kids, large picnic areas, hiking trails, and even a stable for pony rides.
I would say that the only negative to Zoorasia is its lack of food services. There are a couple of places for buying food, but even in the middle of winter, with minimal attendance, the lines were long. I suggest packing a lunch as there are so many wonderful places for families to sit outside and eat.
Best of all, I felt like I was at Disney, but I only paid 600 yen to get in! One of the best bargains in Japan!
My husband and I drove to Hakkeijima in January. From the parking lot, we walked a short distance over the Marine Gate onto the island. On our right we found 'Pleasure Land'. This is a mini-amusement park with 14 attractions. The attractions include: 'Bluefall' (a free-fall ride), the 'Surf Coaster', an 'Aqua Ride', mini 'Sea Boats', a merry-go-round, 'Drunken Barrels', and more. There is also a tall 'Sea Pardise Tower' for those who want a gorgeous sky view of the area. Each ride is priced individually (from 300 - 1000 yen), and all-inclusive passes are also available. 
The 'Aqua Museum' boasts over 500 different varieties of fish, with a total of more than 100,000 sea creatures. Although a little dated, it was a decent aquarium.
The 'Fureai Lagoon' is fairly new and was very impressive. It is billed as "an establishment where partitions are removed as much as possible with the aim to increas contact and communication between sea animals and humans". Even I was thrilled when a beautiful dolphin swam up to where I was standing (beside its pool) and allowed me to touch it.
We visited in January, the slow season, as it is pretty windy and cold. We were there on a mild winter day and it was almost perfect as practically no-one was there. I don't know what kind of crowds visit when the weather is warmer.
Also on the island, the 'Hotel Sea Paradise Inn', for those who want to stay overnight. All rooms overlook the ocean and the animals living in the Fureai Lagoon.
During the Meiji period, fortifications were built into rock walls, ammunition magazines and barracks were underground and they were connected by tunnels. These fortifications were concealed behind French-style brickwork, possibly the last remaining of its kind in Japan.
I visited the island with Japanese friends during the middle of the summer holidays. The beach and ocean were packed with people. Considering its location near the US and Japanese naval bases, I was surprised that the water was crystal clear. That said, I wouldn't swim here again. Although there may not be a connection, I fell sick the day after visiting Sarushima. Some friends of mine in the US military said they wouldn't swim there, but my Japanese friends had not been concerned. It is up to you.
If you want to BBQ, as long as you bring your own food, everything else you need can be purchased or rented. There is also a snack shop selling cold drinks and shaved ice.
Another smaller building, the 'DS Wonder', focuses on deep sea creatures, it was also interesting.
The only other attraction is a marine show, which we missed. The park does have a lovely ocean side location, with beautiful views of the sea. In addition, there are some playgrounds, a BBQ house, and a main stage (although it was not used the day we visited).
Admission: Adults: 1700 yen
Right off of the coast is a small island called '
The main street is lined with little shops, most of which serve food and sell a variety of seafood. They sell a lot of tourist junk as well. Most people don't make it this far into the 
I had grilled marinated tuna over rice, it melted in my mouth. They obviously don't get many foreign tourists as I could hear them whispering about me in the kitchen. They were extremely friendly, and the meal was a bargain. It even included refills on rice, 
