Umihotaru - Rest Area in the middle of Tokyo Bay
I think I've mentioned before how amazing the rest areas in Japan are. They are located along major freeways (which are almost always toll roads) and they can be destinations all on their own. We spoke to someone who told us their family plans vacation routes based on which rest areas they want to visit. Some people drive to certain rest areas just for the food (local delicacies). Some hit up rest areas that carry unique gifts (sometimes collectibles). And some go for entertainment (Ferris wheels or beautiful parks) This rest area obsession seemed strange to us until, well, it didn't....
In December we had a free Saturday and decided to made a trip specifically to visit Umihotaru rest area. This rest area is unique in that its a totally man-made island in the middle of Tokyo Bay. During the 1990s Japan built a tunnel/bridge across the nearly 10 miles of water between Kanagawa Prefecture and Chiba Prefecture. The first 6 miles are in a tunnel that runs under Tokyo Bay. Then then road immerges onto Umihotaru and continues the rest of the way by bridge.
On a clear day the views from Umihotaru would be spectacular - you should be able to see the Tokyo skyline perfectly as well as a great view of Mt Fuji. Unfortunately, the day we went there was a layer of pollution over the entire area that made it impossible to see more than a short distance over the water. Even so, it was cool to be out in the Bay and see all kinds of ships.
On display is one of the boring wheels used to create the tunnel. I understand the planning and engineering for the tunnel were 30 years in the making. It took 8 years to construct from start to finish.
The rest area has a cruise ship type theme. You feel like you are on a ship as you walk around the 5 levels. There are a lot of places to see the views, and to sit and enjoy the atmosphere. We really enjoyed the huge gift shops and bought several Christmas presents there. There were many food options but since we arrive by 10am we only got snacks.
After stopping at Umihotaru we decided to keep going over the bridge to visit Chiba. I had read about a Kameyama Lake and how it had lovely fall colors so we drove to see it. December is a bit late for fall colors but even still, we saw some beautiful trees. This lake is know for bass fishing and we saw a lot of small boats with fishermen. We also saw kayakers - I want to try that sometime!
We made the loop hike around the lake and then stopped to visit the dam that formed the lake.
On our way to the lake we passed signs for Kururi Castle. It wasn't too far of a drive from where we were so we added a stop. Its a quaint little castle in the hills and its open to go inside. There are a ton of wild monkeys living in the forest area all around the castle. They are less accustomed to people than the ones we saw at Kamikochi. I thought it was a bit never racking to walk along the trail and hear them in the brush and trees - calling to each other or warning us to stay away.
After the castle it was getting late in the afternoon so we stopped at a local grocery store and bought light dinner foods - katsu sandwiches have become a favorite! Its a good thing we got food when we did because unbeknownst to us we were about to hit a major traffic jam.
If traffic is flowing smoothly it should take under 2 hours to get from Chiba, via the Aqualine bridge and tunnel, back to Camp Zama. That is pretty much what we had on the drive over, but going back it took us almost 5 hours! There were no accidents, just congestion as traffic goes through the tolls gates at Umihotaru and the lanes narrow down in the tunnel. So.Many.Cars.
So, we won't be doing that trip again anytime soon. (Even with the bad congestion, our GPS still showed it was faster to take the Aqualine than to drive up and around the Chiba peninsula and down through Tokyo.)
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