Things to do in Yugawara

Activities

Hikes, parks, beach walks, farm experiences, and scenic detours you can build into most Yugawara weekends. Date-specific workshops and festivals now live on the Events page.

Back to guide

What’s inside

  • 7 places
  • Each place links to maps, bookings, or a full guide page
  • More entries can be added as the guide expands
Plum blossoms and the Yugawara Bairin stone marker at Makuyama Park.Park

Photo: Guilhem Vellut / CC BY 2.0

Park + hiking • Yugawara (Makuyama)

Makuyama Park

A 4,000-plum-tree park with a Feb-Mar plum festival and a 626m summit hike - Yugawara’s definitive seasonal outdoor stop, with year-round trail access.

Why go
4,000 plum trees - Feb-Mar bloom
Season
Year-round trail; plum festival early Feb to early Mar
4,000 plum treesSummit hike (626m)
Read guide
View over the Yugawara hills and Sagami Bay from the summit of Mount Shiro.Hiking

Photo: Guilhem Vellut / CC BY 2.0

A 13.6km loop from Yugawara Station tracing Minamoto no Yoritomo’s 12th-century escape route - 563m summit, castle-ruin signage, and Hakone views.

Why go
13.6 km loop starting and ending at the station
Watch for
Some details can change — check the notes before making a special trip.
13.6km loopMinamoto history
Read guide
The Yugawara coast at the Chitose River mouth on Sagami Bay, near the Yoshihama beach area.Beach

Photo: Yoshi Canopus / CC BY-SA 4.0

Beach • Yugawara (Yoshihama)

Yoshihama Beach

A 500m black-sand swimming beach with AA water quality, five minutes by bus from Yugawara Station - open mid-July through August only.

Why go
500 m sand beach
Season
Swimming: mid-Jul to end of Aug • Walking: year-round
500m sand beachAA water quality
Read guide
A person jumping in a Yugawara hillside mandarin orchard overlooking Sagami Bay.Farm experience

Farm experience • Yugawara hillsides

Mandarin Picking

Unlimited-eat mandarin picking on terraced hillsides overlooking Sagami Bay, Oct-Dec - adults ¥300 at member farms, free shuttle from the station.

Why go
Unlimited on-site eating
Watch for
Some details can change — check the notes before making a special trip.
Unlimited eatingOct-Dec
Read guide
A wooded stream path inside Man’yō Park in Yugawara.Park

Literary park • Yugawara (Miyakami)

Man’yō Park

A riverside park of Man’yōshū poetry stones with a free foot bath, forest paths, and the 40-minute Yugawara Sōyu guided walk - the town’s literary heart.

Why go
Man’yōshū poetry stones along the river
Season
Year-round
Free foot bathPoetry stones
Read guide
Stone lanterns and Buddhist figures at the entrance to Shitodo Cave.Historical site

Photo: Guilhem Vellut / CC BY 2.0

Historical site • Yugawara (upper valley)

Shitodo Cave

A sacred cave where Minamoto no Yoritomo hid in 1180, now filled with 20-plus weathered stone Buddhas and spring water - a free, year-round detour up the valley.

Why go
20+ hand-cut stone Buddhas
Season
Year-round
20+ stone Buddhas12th-century hiding place
Read guide
A Yugawara hillside mandarin orchard overlooking Sagami Bay, matching the hosted farm-work setting.Farm experience

Experience • By arrangement

Farming with Masato

A hosted farm-work day or weekend with Masato: real hillside labor, seasonal mikan work when available, meals, and an onsen reset after.

Why go
Private hosted experience with Masato
Watch for
Some details can change — check the notes before making a special trip.
Real farm workBy arrangement
Read guide