Hakone is Japan’s most polished nature day trip – a single-day loop of mountain views, hot springs and open-air art on the Hakone Free Pass circuit. Nikko is deeper and wilder: a vast mountain city with a UNESCO shrine complex, a national park, lakes, waterfalls and river swimming that rewards days, not hours. Earth Hostel…

Kamakura is a near-perfect one-day trip from Tokyo, with its giant Buddha, temples and coastline coverable in about six hours. Nikko rewards far more time: most visitors who day-trip see only a fraction of its shrines, mountains and hot springs. With three to five days, Nikko is the deeper destination – and Earth Hostel Nikko…