Three Day Drives from Tokyo in Kanto: Miura, Kisarazu and Nagatoro by Purpose

Kanto, the region around Tokyo, has three day drives that are easy to plan from the Tokyo area: Miura for the sea, Kisarazu for shopping and Nagatoro for a riverside walk. Choosing what you want to do and keeping to one direction makes the day simple to organise. This is a choice of three, not a plan to visit all three in one day.

Journey times change with your starting point and traffic, so no single figure such as "two hours from anywhere in Tokyo" applies. The time slots below are planning examples, not driving records or recommended visit times.

Which course should you choose?

Course	Main activity	Easiest starting area	What to check first
Miura: Jogashima and Misaki	Walking by the sea and a meal	Southern Tokyo and Yokohama	Wind and rain, parking on the island, the crowds going home
Kisarazu: Umihotaru and time in town	Sea views, shopping and a meal	Kawasaki and the Tokyo Bay side	Aqua-Line traffic restrictions, congestion on the way back
Nagatoro: Iwadatami and a town walk	Riverside scenery and walking	North-west Tokyo and Saitama	Comfortable shoes, the weather, which car park to use

If you start from the south and head to Nagatoro, or start from the north and head to Miura, allow for crossing the city. If the round trip from your starting point takes up most of the day, cut down your stops or switch to a closer direction.

What to do on each course

Miura course: walk Jogashima and eat in Misaki

If you want a proper walk by the sea, one option is Jogashima Park in the morning, lunch around Misaki and a short stop nearby in the afternoon before heading home. Jogashima Park is on the eastern part of Jogashima, at the southern tip of the Miura Peninsula, with views facing the sea.

An example split is 90 minutes in the park, 90 minutes for lunch and the Misaki area, and 60 minutes for breaks and spare time. These slots cover time on site only, so add your round-trip travel time. If you like long walks by the sea, it is easier to extend the walk than to add afternoon stops.

Check car park names and locations closely. The island's designated-parking one-day pass and "Jogashima No. 2 Car Park", marked D on the access map, stopped operating on 6 September 2026. Do not confuse it with the park-side No. 2 car park because of the name; compare the sections on the map too.

On days of strong wind or rain, do not keep rocky or seaside walks in your plan. Cut back to a meal in Misaki, or reconsider going at all. Do not enter restricted areas for photographs.

Kisarazu course: break at Umihotaru, then one destination

This plan uses Umihotaru as a break and narrows your time on the Kisarazu side to one destination, either shopping or a meal. For shopping, Mitsui Outlet Park Kisarazu is an option. The outlet's access map shows the car entrances and the way to the car parks. Set your on-site time first, for example 60 minutes at Umihotaru, 120 minutes on the Kisarazu side and 90 minutes for lunch and spare time. Check each shop's hours separately.

Umihotaru can be reached from both the Kawasaki and Kisarazu sides, and you can make a U-turn by following the signs in the facility. The toll when you make a U-turn is the one-way Aqua-Line toll. Keep this separate from a normal round trip when you work out the cost.

Decide before leaving whether to keep it short and just enjoy the view at Umihotaru or go across to Kisarazu. That makes it easier to adjust if your stop runs long. Check Aqua-Line tolls by time of day and any restrictions in that day's traffic information, and do not budget from an old fixed toll. An ETC card is needed to pay by ETC; our ETC card guide covers this.

If the way back looks congested, set a finish time for shopping first. It is easier to drop an afternoon visit than to squeeze the plan once you are already running late.

Nagatoro course: park and walk Iwadatami and the town

On the Nagatoro course, you park near the station and walk around Iwadatami, the broad rock terraces by the river, and the surrounding area. The tourism association's walking course includes Iwadatami and Tsukinoishi Momiji Park. Whether you walk it all depends on your companions' footing and your time.

An example split is 90 minutes walking around Iwadatami, 60 minutes for lunch, 60 minutes in town and 60 minutes for breaks and spare time. If you add an activity such as the river boat ride, allow time for check-in and waiting, in place of the town walk. This plan does not secure boat operation or seats.

Check the car park's operation, fee and closing time on the day, and do not treat private land or the roadside as parking. After rain, put your footing first, do not take risky routes near the river and follow local restrictions.

Planning your way home

A simple formula to work back from your return time

The latest time to leave is "the time you want to be home − expected journey time − breaks and refuelling − a margin for congestion and similar". Check the expected journey time with road information and a route search for your travel day.

For example, to be home at 18:00, with an assumed two-hour journey, 30 minutes for breaks and refuelling and a one-hour margin, you should leave at about 14:30. This is a sample calculation, not a journey time for any particular course. If the journey is three hours, leaving moves forward to 13:30.

Review your plan twice, before leaving and after lunch

Before leaving, check the weather, road restrictions and car park operation. After lunch, recheck the way home and the time left until you need to be back. If you fall behind, decide to skip the last stop rather than hurry on the road.

For all three plans, it is easier to avoid a day of nothing but travel if you first choose one thing to enjoy on site and then add detours.

If you don't have a car

If you go by rental car, use your booked return time as "the time you want to be home" in the formula above, and add time for the return procedure to breaks and refuelling. In the morning, also allow time for the rental procedure at the branch. Drivers with a foreign licence should check our licence and IDP guide first.