Manazuru, a beautiful seaside town

Manazuru (真鶴町) is a seaside town on a small peninsula in Sagami Bay at the southwestern part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It is a popular place for fishing, swimming and diving.

One of the most famous spots in the area is Mitsuishi, a complex of three rocks in the sea, part of the Manazuru Hanto Prefectural Natural Park. Most of the locals and many tourists come here on New Year’s Eve to watch the idyllic scene of the first sunrise of the year. The sun is rising right over the shimenawa (sacred rope in Shinto religion) that connects the rocks. Another main attraction of Manazuru is Ohayashi, a virgin forest with black pine trees planted there by the Odawara Domain 350 years ago, camphor trees and castanopsis.

The most crowded period in town is during Kibune Festival, one of the three major boat festivals in Japan, which is held every year on 27-28 July.

You can come to Manazuru by train, in about 1 hour and 45 minutes from Tokyo Station on JR Tokaido Line.