Odawara 小田原

Getaway to the castle

Odawara, a coastal town on Sagami Bay in Kanagawa Prefecture, is often overlooked in favor of its neighbor Hakone. However, its castle with its flowery park and its seaside make it a pleasant city to visit.

In 1938, Odawara-jo has declared a "National Historic Landmark", and renovations were undertaken. In 1950, repairs were made and a park was laid out around the foundations of the donjon. The latter, rebuilt in concrete in 1960, has four floors.

Inside, documents and paintings retrace the history of the castle, and various objects are exhibited, such as crockery, sabers, or the armor of warriors of the time.

The fourth floor is surrounded by an observation deck from which one has a view of the mountains, the sea, and, on a clear day, of the Boso peninsula.

Le chateau d'Odawara au crépuscule

Odawara Castle at dusk

lensonjapan, Flickr

Near the Odawara Blue Way Bridge, the fishing port provides the city with fresh fish that can be enjoyed in the many restaurants in the center and also around the port.

Odawara is also famous for its "kamaboko", a paste of steamed white fish mixed with egg white, similar to surimi and often sold in the shape of pink or white half cylinders. Moreover, not far from the sea, the small Suzuhiro Kamaboko museum offers workshops for making fish patés. The museum is located on the Hakone Tozan Line, Kazamatsuri Station, about 10 min from Odawara Station. It is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm.

Le pont Blue Way Bridge à  Odawara

The Blue Way Bridge in Odawara

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Cassiopeia_sweet

Kamaboko

Kamaboko

Kinori, Wikimedia

enoura-observatory-stage

The view of Sagami Bay is breathtaking

LWYang


Address, timetable & access

  • Address

  • Access

    Odawara Castle: 9 am to 5 pm. From 9 am to 6 pm from June to August, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. Closed the 2nd Wednesday of December, December 31, and January 1.

Our activities in Hakone

  • Duration : 8 hour
  • Location : Odawara
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Our tours in Hakone

  • Duration : 13 days
  • Locations : Tokyo, Hakone Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Miyajima
  • Included : Visits & meals, English-speaking tour leader, Hotel temple, 3*/4* Hotels & Ryokan
  • Duration : 14 days
  • Locations : Tokyo, Hakone Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Nara, Koyasan, Osaka
  • Included : English-speaking tour leader, 3*/4* Hotels & Ryokan, Hotel temple, Visits & meals
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  • Locations : Tokyo, Hakone Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Nara, Koyasan, Osaka, Kobe, Takachiho, Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Miyajima
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