Today’s day trip showcases the scenic coastal city of Odawara in Kanagawa!
Odawara is very accessible, connected to Tokyo Station via Shinkansen and Shinjuku Station via the Odakyu Limited Express Romancecar. 2018 marked the city’s 500th anniversary, while 2019 marked the 500th year of Samurai Hojo Soun’s death, making it one of the city’s anniversaries.
First on the agenda is meeting up with Morita at Odawara itself. For this trip, we took the Odakyu Limited Express Romancecar.
Timothy, with our editorial team, was to be Morita’s trekking partner for today, and coincidentally he managed to get a seat on the new Romancecar model, the Romancecar GSE Type 70000 with all its sleek and stylish exterior.
Timothy: “So actually, I’m a huge fan of Odawara – and the Romancecar is a perfect way to get there. I love these chances to get out of the city for a spell and enjoy some new sights. Morita-san always finds the unique spots. I’m looking forward to seeing a different Odawara from what I’ve experienced.”
The Romancecar consists of entirely reserved seats, so you’ll be able to get a seat and enjoy the gorgeous sights on the way to your destination in comfort. The new GSE Type 70000 mentioned above debuted in 2018, with viewing seats at the front of the car boasting a dynamic view of the scenery.
Timothy: “So one thing I’ve always loved about the Romancecar is that you can get a splendid view of Mt. Fuji from the window seats. I want to try the viewing seats in the front-most car next time, which offer a fully open, wrap-around view.”
The Romancecar GSE Type 70000 has sockets outfitted on every seat, not to mention Wi-Fi coverage within the cars. Timothy enjoyed a rather comfortable 70 minute journey aboard the stylish vehicle.
After getting off the Odakyu Romancecar, Timothy met up with Mr. Morita at Odawara Station.
Uiro and the Uiro Museum: Traditional Japanese medicine with a 500+ year history
The first stop for the pair is the main branch of Uiro.
Morita: “Timothy, have you tried Uiro sweets? Actually, rather than sweets, ‘Uiro’ was a kind of herbal medicine compound made by the Uiro family. The family arrived in Hakata, Kyushu, from China in 1368, and the family got busy making sweets and medicine since. The current head of the Uiro family, Uiro Toemon, is the 25th head of the family.”
Timothy: “I’ve never tried Uiro sweets before. Actually, it’s my first time hearing of Uiro. I always thought this building was like a small castle or something! That’s some deep history there.”
Morita: “When Hojo Soun first occupied Odawara Castle, …
