Buy a Day Pass to Miura Peninsula
Here’s a perfect destination for all the foodies and artists out there – if you especially like tuna, the Japanese maguro, you’re in for a real treat. Miura Peninsula, better known as Miura-hanto, is located on the Southern tip of Kanagawa prefecture and makes for a great day trip from Tokyo or Yokohama. The Keikyu Line offers a special ticket called Misaki Maguro Kippu which includes a roundtrip train ticket, an all-day bus pass, one “leisure” activity or gift, and even a lunch ticket. For all of this, it’s only 3,060 yen from its furthest starting point, Shinagawa station. One breezy sunny morning, I grabbed a pass and took off on the Keikyu Limited Express heading south and within an hour, I arrived at its last stop, Misakiguchi station. Misaki Port is about a 15-25 minute bus ride away depending on traffic. Along the way you’ll see seas of green – cabbage and daikon (radish) patches. Miura isn’t only famous for its tuna, but also for its fresh vegetables.
Take Advantage of Your Leisure Activity
At 10:30am, it was still a bit cloudy and cold to enjoy the outdoors. So first, I headed down the narrow streets to find shelter in Kirari Miura Glass Studio. With the ticket, I had two craft choices: design and fire a glass bead for a necklace or make a gel candle. I chose the latter and was handed a shot glass and hundreds of colorful beads and sand. I’ll admit, though, that this wasn’t the best use of my ticket because the glass cup given to me was smaller than what I would have gotten if I had just paid 1,200 yen for a larger glass without using the ticket. And I still had to pay extra for the trinkets I put inside the candle. All the other choices using the ticket are similarly priced (1,000yen to 1,500yen) so I suggest you choose another activity, but feel free to still visit this lovely art studio! You can rent a bike, take a boat ride, relax in an onsen, visit the aquarium, or take home local food items, just to name the other options.
Restaurants and Food Choices: The Tuna Bowl
There are more than a dozen restaurants to choose from using the ticket, and you won’t be disappointed regardless of your choice. It wasn’t long before I found one without a long wait that also advertised the ticket use. I had two lunch set options and chose the maguro donburi (tuna bowl), surprised that I didn’t have to pay an extra yen for this delicious meal! The melt-in-your-mouth tuna bowl came with a side of fried tuna, miso soup, pickled vegetables, sweet egg, and coffee jelly for dessert. Other restaurant options with the ticket include fish hot pot, sushi platters, and more. So do some research if you’re keen to find the perfect spot to indulge in tuna or other fresh seafood.
Jogashima: Use your Bus Pass to Visit This Beautiful Island
In the afternoon, the blue sky showed its face and I was ready to breathe the salty air. I headed to Jogashima, an island right off the coast that’s close enough to see from the port. You can use your all day bus pass to take a 15 minute bus ride there, but I chose to take a 300 yen boat ride across. It was a brief, less than 5 minute ride but it felt nice to sway with the waves and look out at the sea from a rare angle. Because it wasn’t summer yet, many stores were closed and the island had a calm atmosphere. Come July and August, Jogashima would be filled with beach-goers here to soak up the sun and hunt for shells. But even in March, handful of families and couples walked along the beach and tiny huts sold mouth-watering oysters and corn on the cob. Starting from the back side of the island, I walked along the suggested course, stopping at the lighthouse, peculiar rock formations, and the Jogashima Nature Park where bird watching was phenomenal. The park’s a great place to relax or picnic – just don’t let the eagles and vultures swoop down on your food! Within an hour and a half, I found myself back at my starting point where I took the bus back to port.
Don’t Forget the Local Produce
The sun started to set so I decided to head back towards the station, but not before I made my round around the Farm Fresh Center Urari. Inside, local fishers and farmers sell their products – a great place to grab some gifts or tuna dishes to cook up at home. I grabbed a toroman on the go and ate it as I waited for the bus. Your round trip ticket also allows you to get off at any stops along the way back on the Keikyu line, such as Miurakaigan (the actual beach area), Yokosukachuo (the US Naval base), or Yokohama, so if you have any extra time, you can use that to your advantage too.
