22 days in Kanto & Kanagawa Prefecture Itinerary

Nearly synonymous with Tokyo and its suburban sprawl, the region of Kanto encompasses many historical sites, hot springs, semitropical islands, and picturesque mountains. Predictably, most tours of Kanto begin and end in Tokyo, which serves as an ideal base for day trips to nearby national parks, ancient temples, and grand monuments reminding visitors of Japan's shogun era. During feudal times, Kanto reigned as the center of political and military power; today, the area represents one of the country's tourism hubs. As you plan your Kanto itinerary, be sure to include a stop in Kamakura, a small temple town filled with notable cultural treasures.

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture located in southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital of the prefecture is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area. Kanagawa Prefecture is home to Kamakura and Hakone, two highly popular side trip destinations from Tokyo.HistoryThe prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period (around 400 BCE). About 3,000 years ago, Mount Hakone produced a volcanic explosion which resulted in Lake Ashi on the western area of the prefecture.It is believed that the Yamato dynasty ruled this area from the 5th century onwards. In the ancient era, its plains were very sparsely inhabited.In medieval Japan, Kanagawa was part of the provinces of Sagami and Musashi. Kamakura in central Sagami was the capital of Japan during the Kamakura period (1185–1333).During the Edo period, the western part of Sagami Province was governed by the daimyō of Odawara Castle, while the eastern part was directly governed by the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo (Tokyo).