Trip reports
Hiratsuka Journey - Speed and Leisure in Hiratsuka
Hiratsuka is a coastal city located in Kanagawa Prefecture with many famous tourist attractions. Although not as busy as Yokohama, visitors who come here to visit will surely be attracted by the breathtaking nature of the sea, mountains and rivers, and can fully enjoy fresh fish, vegetables and fruits that are caught or harvested on the same day.
Most of the places in the itinerary below are quite far from Hiratsuka station, so you can rent a car for convenient commuting and stop for sightseeing whenever you want during the whole journey. If you do not drive, you can still take the train and the bus to travel between locations.
F Dream Hiratsuka
Are you passionate about speed? Do you want to experience professional racing in miniature? If the answer is yes, then F Dream Hiratsuka is the place for you. From Hiratsuka station JR Tokaido line, take bus number 9 and get off at Kogyodanchi Iriguchi stop, with a few more steps and you arrive at the F Dream race track. There are many types of Go-karts here, such as single, double or children's karts - the model is similar to professional racing but with a low and compact position, the engine block is hidden under the steering wheel.
Racing guests are required to wear helmets, protective masks and put on specialized gloves in order to participate in the race. If this is your first time participating, you can buy a pair of gloves and a mask at the store for 500 yen. Depending on your interests and preference, you can choose different racing packages like 3 or 5 or 10 round laps. At the end of the race, you will receive a race report from the F Dream Hiratsuka track.
Arai Daruma Store - Daruma Painting Experience
From F Dream racetrack, you can catch a bus nearby and spend about 10 minutes to arrive at the Arai Daruma store. As you may now know, Daruma is a symbol of luck and happiness to Japanese people, it is often purchased and considered as a small gift to each other during the special holidays with a deep meaning of wishing other people happiness. Daruma dolls are dressed in many different colors, but the most popular color is red.
The Arai Daruma shop has continued to hand-craft each of these Darumas while preserving traditional production techniques. In the store, there are different types of Daruma dolls from size to color displayed for exhibition and for sale. Depending on your personal preferences, you can also purchase a ticket for the Daruma drawing and coloring experience here for an affordable price from around 1000 yen. When people paint a new doll, usually they will still follow its characteristic lines and traditional appearances, but you can completely color whatever color you like. When you have finished drawing, you can paint the iris on the doll's left eye when making a wish, and when the wish comes true, you can paint the right eye as a gratitude.
Shonan Hiratsuka Beach Park
Shonan Hiratsuka Beach Park stretches for about 4km with a beautiful coastline - where you can observe Mount Fuji and Shonandaira Tower, a familiarly known symbol of Hiratsuka city. You can take the bus from the aforementioned Daruma store to get to the beach, but if you go from Hiratsuka station, you can take the bus Minami-junkan line and get off at Shonan-kaigan-kouen.
In addition to the beautiful scenery here, Shonan Hiratsuka Beach is also a volleyball, football, and basketball court - also known as a multi-purpose square that visitors can participate in or watch tournaments held all year round. There is also a small restaurant selling a variety of food and beverages, along with some pretty tables and chairs that allow you to enjoy the sea air while refueling for your next activities. In the summer, people like to swim, bring tent camping, in other seasons, you can enjoy different events and activities all year round.
