Oiso & Jyoyama Park - Part 1

Monday was a national holiday in Japan (Sports Day -- to celebrate the 1964 Tokyo Olympics), so my friend invited me to go to (yet) another beach and try some shore fishing. The Google Map showing the location of Oiso in Kanagawa, is HERE. From Yokohama, it's approximately 2 hours by car.

We took local roads, passing by many rice fields. The harvest is almost over here, so I enjoyed looking at the husked rice teepees....

After these teepees dry, they are bundled together and burned. The ash is then spread over the rice field acting as fertilizer for next year's planting. ^_^ Very ecological, eh?

An hour after the rice fields, we arrived at our destination: Oiso Beach.
This place is unique for three reasons:
1. It's located next to a major highway,
2. It's closed for swimming due to the sea floor dropping to a deep depth close to the shore,
3. It's never crowded.

View of Oiso beach and the highway next door:

My friend suggested we give up on fishing for the day, as these high waves seemed a bit dangerous. We were expecting a strong typhoon in two days, thus, the rough seas.

Instead, we decided to walk the length of this beach and enjoy the blue sky. This beach has lots of smooth beach stones and some seashells. We saw several families; kids seem to really enjoy picking up unique stones and shells.

One lone person, sitting, enjoying the day:

After 20 minutes, my friend suggested visiting a nearby park. This park used to be the property of Japan's most famous Prime Minster, Shigeru Yoshida. Born in Kanagawa, he was famous for his Western thinking and reshaping the nation after World War II.

Yoshida's former property is now called: Oiso Jyoyama Park. There are two large sections which feature Japanese gardens, carp ponds, bamboo trees, and large lookout points. It's completely free, and should be visited if you are in Oiso town.

The entrance gate, showing the name of the park in kanji characters:

We picked up a free map and walked the おすすめ　[oo-su-su-me = recommended] course.
We passed this traditional Japanese gate:

Some stone steps led up to a lookout point:

The lookout point:

On a clear day, from this point, you can see: Mount Fuji, Sagami Bay, Ooshima island, Izu Peninsula, etc.

Small rivers and waterfalls were found throughout the park:

My friend has a funny hiking style -- to always climb to the highest point. Studying the map, we located and climbed a hill to get to the top point in the park and snapped a photo.

Yay! The highest point! ^_^

I have a lot more photos to share from Jyoyama Park. Please check back to see more tomorrow. ^_^


~Information~

Oiso Jyoyama Park website is HERE. (Japanese only) This park is free. 
I translated part of the park website for my readers:

(Access)
- Via bus: from Oiso station, take a Kanagawa Chuo bus going to either: Kozu, Shonan Oiso Housing, or Ninomiya Station North Exit. Get off at stop "Oiso Jyoyama Park". In Japanese the announcement will say: "ooiso - jyouyama - koen". Trip takes 10 ~ 15 minutes. 
- By car: Take route 1, getting off at Oiso. Follow signs. 
- Two car parks available. Car park #1 costs ¥200 first hour, ¥100 every 30 minutes after. Car park #2 is free. 


(Other)
- There are barrier-free hiking courses too, so prams or wheelchairs are welcome. 
- Toilets and water fountains are plentiful in the park and are very clean. 
- There is a traditional Japanese tea shop in the park too; visitors can enjoy a cup of hot matcha (Japanese foamy green tea) for ¥500 ($5).