A friend-style hub guide to all 12 day trips from Tokyo — Nikko, Hakone, Kamakura, Mt Fuji, Yokohama, Enoshima, Mt Takao, Kawagoe, Karuizawa, Atami, Naritasan and Odawara — with travel times, fares, JR Pass coverage and a decision tree for picking the right one.

Atami is the closest Shinkansen-accessible onsen town to Tokyo: 40 minutes from Tokyo Station, with hot springs recorded since the eighth century, an art museum redesigned by Hiroshi Sugimoto, an early-blooming plum garden, and a palm-lined city beach.

Visit Odawara Castle on a day trip from Tokyo: Shinkansen logistics, ticket prices, the kamaboko shops worth your time, and an honest take on the 1960 reconstruction.

A guide to a day trip to Narita-san Shinshoji Temple from Narita Airport or central Tokyo, with the goma fire ritual, Omotesando approach, unagi at Kawatoyo, and a numbered layover plan.

A friend-style guide to Kawagoe, the kura-zukuri Edo merchant town 30 minutes from Ikebukuro — Toki no Kane, Kashiya Yokocho, Hikawa Shrine, Kitain and the unagi worth queueing for.

Karuizawa is the highland resort town the Hokuriku Shinkansen reaches in 65 minutes — JR Pass-covered, 1,000m elevation, founded in 1886, and full of waterfalls, Antonin Raymond churches, and the best jam in Japan.

Mt Takao is the world's most-visited mountain, 47 minutes from Shinjuku on the Keio Line. A 599m forested peak with the steepest cable car in Japan, an 8th-century temple, tengu folklore, and Fuji views on clear days.

Half-day or full-day plan for Yokohama from Tokyo, with Chinatown, Minato Mirai, the Cup Noodle Museum, Sankeien Garden and the trains that get you there.

A first-timers guide to Enoshima island day-tripping from Tokyo, including the Odakyu route, the Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass, the three shrines, the Sea Candle tower and the Iwaya sea caves.

How to plan a Mt Fuji day trip from Tokyo, with the Fuji Excursion train, Chureito Pagoda climb, Lake Kawaguchiko, Oshino Hakkai, and an honest take on which seasons actually give you a clear view.