Odawara Castle Sightseeing Tour by Shinkansen

This is a great tour if you want to experience a bullet train (Shinkansen), tour a castle, experience the food the local people eat and see an area close to Tokyo without travelling for hours to busy tourist areas. It is ideal for first time visitors to Japan, giving a gentle introduction to all that Japan has to offer. Odawara is just 30 minutes from Tokyo by Shinkansen. Miyuki is an excellent guide. She organised all the travel, starting with meeting us at our hotel to guide us through the busy Tokyo stations. She guided us through the local streets and helped us to choose a restaurant for a genuine local food experience. She also helped us to choose from the different flavours of Kamaboko where the local people buy this tasty snack. There is also an opportunity to put on armour as a Samurai or princess at Odawara castle to add to the fun of the day. The expertise provided by Miyuki as a local guide was invaluable and made the the day so enjoyable.

The tour was a great time to one of the few castles near Tokyo that is also open year round. Miyuki is a super helpful guide, booking the Shinkansen tickets and finding places to eat. The tour includes the castle as well as the surrounding Odawara area. It’s a good way to spend half a day, retuning in time for a night in Tokyo.