Hakone sits roughly 90 minutes from Shinjuku on the Odakyu Romance Car, a limited express with reserved panoramic seating that makes the journey itself feel like the beginning of the experience. The volcanic landscape around Owakudani, a still-active crater valley where sulphurous vents steam from the hillside, is unlike anything within the city's orbit. Black eggs slow-cooked in the mineral springs are the local speciality, and eating one while overlooking the crater is an entirely non-negotiable part of the day.

Lake Ashinoko anchors the southern end of Hakone and, on clear days, frames a direct view of Mt Fuji across the water. A sightseeing boat crossing the lake connects to the Hakone Ropeway, which rises over the volcanic ridge with views across the entire region. The Hakone Free Pass, available from Shinjuku Station, covers the Romance Car, ropeway, lake crossing, cable car, and local buses with a single purchase, removing all transport planning for the day.

For those whose priority is Mt Fuji itself, Lake Kawaguchiko in the Fuji Five Lakes area offers the most celebrated views of the mountain's north face. The Chureito Pagoda at Arakurayama Sengen Park, reached by a steep stone staircase through cedar trees, frames Mt Fuji behind a five-storey red pagoda in one of Japan's most photographed compositions. The Fuji Excursion limited express runs directly from Shinjuku to Kawaguchiko in approximately 105 minutes.

Kamakura is an hour from Shinjuku by direct train, and the journey brings an immediate shift in atmosphere: the air carries the scent of Sagami Bay, temple bells mark the quarter hour, and the streets narrow into paths flanked by bamboo and stone lanterns. The town served as Japan's political capital in the 12th and 13th centuries, and the density of temples, shrines and historical monuments within a relatively compact area makes it one of the most rewarding single-day cultural destinations in the country.

The Great Buddha of Kamakura at Kotoku-in Temple is the defining image of the town: a 13.35-metre bronze figure seated in the open air, having outlasted the wooden hall that once enclosed it. The hollow interior can be entered for a small additional fee. Hasedera Temple, a short walk away, offers hillside gardens and a wooden eleven-faced Kannon statue among the tallest of its kind in Japan, with views across the rooftops toward the coast.

Nikko, two hours north of Tokyo on the Tobu Nikko Line, offers an entirely different register of historical grandeur. The Toshogu Shrine complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Japan's most ornate places of worship, with its buildings covered in lacquer, gold leaf, and intricate carved reliefs depicting animals, mythological figures, and floral motifs. The surrounding cedar forest, some trees over 400 years old, lends the entire precinct a hushed solemnity that contrasts sharply with the visual extravagance of the shrines themselves.

Yokohama is only 30 minutes from Shinjuku on the Shonan-Shinjuku Line and is often overlooked by visitors who assume it is simply an extension of Tokyo. In practice, it is a city with a distinct identity shaped by its history as Japan's first major international port, opened to foreign trade in 1859. The Minato Mirai waterfront district clusters galleries, restaurants and the iconic Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel along a revitalised harbour front, with the city skyline reflected in the bay.

Yokohama Chinatown is the largest in Japan and one of the most atmospheric urban eating districts in the country, occupying a dense grid of streets behind ornate painted gates. Dim sum houses, Cantonese bakeries and roast meat shops line the lanes from mid-morning onward. A short walk from Chinatown, Yamashita Park runs along the harbour waterfront, with the retired ocean liner Hikawa Maru moored alongside as a floating museum.

For those with a particular appetite for the unexpected, the Cup Noodles Museum in the Minato Mirai precinct is earnestly enjoyable: visitors can design and package their own instant noodle cup in a hands-on workshop, and the exhibits trace the invention of instant ramen with surprising depth. Osanbashi Pier, a short walk along the waterfront, offers the finest free view of the Yokohama skyline and is a fittingly unhurried place to end the afternoon before the train back to Shinjuku.