Kanto

Apart from the metropolitan Tokyo, Kanto consists of the prefectures Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama and Tochigi. A bit of trivia for the Pokemon fans amongst us, the name Kanto may sound familiar to you as the original region the story took place in Kanto. Although you will pretty much find anything you could ever wish for in Tokyo, exploring the rest of Kanto is well-worth doing. Kamakura to the south of Tokyo, for example, was once the capital of one of Japan’s most powerful shogunates before Tokugawa but also hosts countless of temples of which the Daibutsu Great Buddha as Japan’s second largest Buddha statue is the most famous. Hakone, on the most eastern side of Kanto, is a popular mountainous area with various onsen and beautiful untouched nature offering stunning views of Mount Fuji.  Tucked away in the beautiful nature of the hills of Tochigi prefectures to the north of Tokyo lies the town of Nikko with its famous elaborate shrine and mausoleum of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. In terms of weather, Kanto has a moderate climate and therefore rarely sees snow in winter while summer is not as humid as the western part of Japan’s mainland.