Ocean hiking trails and beaches in the Miura area

 

MONKEY MOUNTAIN (ZUSHI)(30 minute walk uphill to overlook/small zoo- good walk for small children)

A fun park on a hill in Zushi overlooking the ocean. They a small playground and caged monkeys and birds such as peacocks. You can hike or drive.

Directions to parking lot.:
Take the Yokoyoko or 16 to the 24. Continue on the 24 until it dead ends at a 3 way intersection in Zushi, where you turn right. Go left at the next stoplight (if you get to the train tracks then you have gone too far.) There will then be 3 stoplights which are close together. At the third stoplight, turn left. There will be 3-4 roads close together on your left. About 300 meters after these streets you will come to another road on your left. Turn left onto this road and head up the hill. Take the second left at the top of the hill (this is the first medium sized road, the first left is a small street.) This will lead to the parking lot.
Walking: The best way is from Zushi beach. Go to the farthest northern end of the beach and go inland on the last road near the NTT building. These roads are very small and twisty! Go down the first left and the trailhead will start there at a temple. The walk is perhaps 20 minutes through a forested area.

NANGO PARK (ZUSHI/HAYAMA BORDER)(extensive moderate hikes from park)

This is a large park with baseball fields and tennis courts and a playground. It is popular for picnicking and kids riding bikes on the path encircling the park. There is plenty of parking. There are many hiking trails out of Nango Park (see the information building for maps).

Directions from Yokosuka
Take the Yoko Yoko and get off at the Zushi exit. After the toll gate, head left onto the Zuyo-Shindo Toll Road. At the end pay a 100 yen toll. Go to the second stoplight and turn left. Follow this road to the top of the hill where it will dead end at a large park with baseball fields. There is a large parking area.

KAWAKUBO (ZUSHI) (extensive hikes, but fairly flat for first 45 minutes)

This is a large and long hiking trail famous with locals. It parallels a small creek.

Directions:
Follow the directions above for Nango but go to the 3rd stoplight after the Zuyo-Shindo toll booth to the intersection marked “Kawakubo”
Go right at this intersection. It immediately turns eastward (left) At the first road on the right, turn right. Follow this road until it ends in a dirt area with some large sheds, etc. You can park off the road here.

Walk through the gate (pedestrian gate) and the wide and generally flat path will lead eastward through the forest along a stream. This is a large forested region and I think you can go as far as Taura.

ROKA MEMORIAL PARK (ZUSHI)(short but steep)
This park with a tatami museum dedicated to a famous Japanese artist has hiking paths with great views of Zushi beach and Mt Fuji on a clear day. Plum trees can be found in the park below the museum (bloom in late Feb/early March.)

Directions from Yokosuka:
-Take the YokoYoko, get off at Zushi exit
-Take the left fork of the road after the Zushi exit onto the Zuyo-Shindo Toll road
-Pay a 100 toll and continue strait to the Nagae intersection (3rd light after the toll booth with an X shaped green pedestrian bridge over it.)
-Turn right at Nagae and go through tunnel
-At the first stoplight, turn left. As you go down this road, you will parallel a river on your right. Pass Zushi Sports and Swim club on your left. -After the river departs from the street, take the first left. Then take the first right. This is a very narrow road. At the top of the road, you will see a large apartment building and you can park in the lot (?) From the parking lot walk up to the museum and trails.

TAURA (YOKOSUKA) PLUM PARK (TAURA-OSAKU-CHO) (Steep hiking to park, extensive steep hikes out from park)

This park is at the top of a steep hill which winds through a grove of plum trees and bamboo trees. The plum trees are in bloom in March. At the top is a long and challenging obstacle course. My 2nd grader did well but it took a lot of bravery from my kindergartener. Lots of picnic sites

Directions:
On the JR line, go one station north of Yokosuka to Taura, or two stations from Zushi to Taura. When you exit the station you will come out onto route 16. Go right (north) on the 16 through one tunnel. When you come out of the tunnel, you will see a green pedestrian overpass at the post office. Cross to the other side of the road on this bridge. There will be a map at that location, and you follow the small street leading away from the 16 at the pedestrian overpass. This small road goes through a residential area. When it dead ends, turn left. You will pass a cemetery on your left. Continue until it dead ends and you then go right under a railway bridge. You will then immediately see the entrance to the park on your right. There are two paths leading up from the road, separated by about 20 yards. It is about a 15 minute walk from the station to the park entrance.
There are extensive paths in the park but many maps. The obstacle course starts on the left side of the slope as you get to the top of the hill. The uphill path is not suitable for strollers.

HAYAMA HIKING

The Hayama libary on the 134 has a room where you can buy local hiking maps for a few hundred yen.

SENGENYAMA (HAYAMA)(approximately 2 hours, moderate hiking)

Sengenyama is my favorite hiking course. It starts at the stoplight just south of Hayama Shogakko on the 134. The hike is about 2 hours and ends further north on the 134 near the Hayama library. There is not parking in this area, but it is accessable by bus 10 (and some other buses- don’t know the numbers) from Zushi and Shin-Zushi stations.

SANGOAKA-YAMA (HAYAMA)(approx 1 hour, moderate hiking)

A little further down on the 134 is the Sangaoka-Yama course. Beautiful views of the ocean and ends at Morito beach in Hayama. The entrance is 2 stoplights south of the 134/27 junction opposite a convienance store (I think 7-11). There is no parking nearby this route, but it is on bus routes which return to JR Zushi and Shin-Zushi stations (both the trail head and the trail ending). This walk is about 1 hr.

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BEACHES –

If you want to go by train, Zushi beach is the easiest. There are 100 yen parking lots throughout Zushi, but they will be full in busy beach months. Zushi’s beach is busiest of the area, but does have the best beach houses (restaurants) in the summer. A few are open for lunch with kids, but the evenings have the drinking crowds. I don’t know much about summertime at the beach because I always went on off-season. Look out for Hanabei dates in Zushi and Hayama- which you might enjoy but are also packed.
My personal beach preferences are Hayama or Akiya, but they don’t have train access. Hayama Koen has one or two beach houses in the summer only and no other food nearby. There are some shops in Akiya near the beach, but better to pack your own food.

ZUSHI BEACH

During some times of the year you can find lots of hermit crabs. There are many shells on this beach, including fragile pink shells (sakura- like the cherry trees) that have a famous song written about them, making this beach famous. You can also find some sea glass here.

Directions:
After exiting JR Zushi station, walk past the McDonalds and turn right down Zushi Ginza (covered shopping street). At the first intersection you will see a large 100 yen/drug store. Cross the road and continue left. Turn right at the first stoplight at the restaurant with palm leaves on it (if you get to the post office you have gone too far). Go down this road to the end and you will be at the beach.

From exiting ShinZushi station, go left down the road. At the stoplight, turn right. Continue down the street to the next stoplight and turn left. Follow this road to the end and you will be at the beach.

HAYAMA KOEN BEACH
This is my favorite beach. You can find a good amount of sea glass on the beach. It also has a small playground and picnic area on the bluff. The small parking area is open and free all year long. In the summer the large parking lot is also open and there is a fee for parking (maybe 1500 yen—sorry, I can’t remember!) In the summer and on nice days off-season parking is crowded, but this is a lovely beach in the off season. A good place for kite flying.

Directions:
Take the 134 from Fujisawa/Zushi to Hayama. When the 134 gets to a T junction at the Emperor’s Summer Palace (you can’t see the palace, but you will see a guard.), turn left towards Jogashima. You will still be on the 134. At the second stoplight (marked in English “Hayama Park Ent”) turn right onto a VERY SMALL road. Near the end of this road on the right is the entrance to the beach parking lot.

ISSHIKI BEACH (HAYAMA)

This is the most famous beach in Hayama.

Directions
Follow the directions above for Hayama beach except turn right at the Emperor’s Palace. Just after the Hayama Modern Art Museum, there will be parking on the left (500 yen off season, 2000 yen in summer, open until 5PM). More rocky and less sandy than Hayama Koen Beach.

AKIYA BEACH

Known mostly to the locals- fishermen and non-tourists. Since parking is rarely a problem and the parking lot doesn’t close at night, we go to this beach to have evening barbecues and light off hanabei (which are likely not allowed in Zushi and Hayama beaches.) The last few kilometers of the drive are very scenic. This is a fisherman’s beach with docks, rocks, and seawalls, so not as scenic as the others. The fishermen will charge a parking fee during the high season but not at other times of the year.

Directions:
Follow the directions to Hayama beach, but continue on the 134 to the 6th stoplight after turning onto the 134 at the Emperor’s palace. There is a red temple gate in the trees on your right at this stoplight. At this stoplight turn right onto a small road. The beach parking is just down the road. If you go too far on the 134 you will see a gas station (I think Esso) on the right.

ARISAKI POINT

Beach/rock hiking course which starts at fishing docks. Follow directions to SOLEIL-NO-OKA (Nagai Uminote Park) above but instead of turning at the ENEOS station, continue on the coast road to the end. Pay parking

JOGASHIMA

This island at the end of Muira Peninsula has lots of cool rock formations and tide pools. Not a sand beach! It is a very short hike down from the open park on the bluff to the tide pools. One of the routes to the water is through a small bamboo forest. We saw a small beached shark at Jogashima!

Directions:

Train–
At the MISAKIGUCHI Station, take a bus #9 at bus stop #2 to JOGASHIMA 城ケ島. Get off at the last stop.

Driving–From the north, take Rt 16 to Rt 134. Continue on Rt 134. At Hikibashi crossing (引橋) veer to the left onto Rt. 26 (Rt. 134 goes to the right at this crossing). The next sign is blue and in English, follow it to Jogashima. The next landmark you will see in 1.4 km will be a police station on the left. Watch for a blue sign in English which says “Jogashima 1.2 km”. At this point you will turn left, a Family Mart will be on the left corner. The next blue sign to Jogashima is in English and will be 1 km down the road. It takes you to the toll bridge to the Island. The toll is ¥150 for cars, ¥300 for vans.

JOGASHIMA AREA

Aburatsubo off of the 26 by Jogashima has an aquarium and an onsen nearby the aquarium. I was at the aquarium more than 10 years ago and it wasn’t very impressive– old and not as nice and extensive as Ensoshima Aquarium (Fujisawa) and Yokohama Hakkeijima. But after a long day at Jogashima, the onsen may be nice!

— Courtesy of KMH