Odawara

Odawara is a castle town on the coast of Kanagawa Prefecture, guarding the approach to the Hakone mountains southwest of Tokyo. In the Sengoku era it was the stronghold of the Hojo clan, whose fortress withstood siege after siege, and the town still introduces itself castle-first.

The rebuilt keep of Odawara Castle stands in a moated park beside the station, its museum floors covering the Hojo years and its lookout facing Sagami Bay. The town built its food name on kamaboko, steamed fish cake, and long-running shops along the old Tokaido road still sell it.

Most travelers change trains here for Hakone; adding an hour for the castle is the smarter play, especially in cherry blossom season when the moats fill with petals. The shinkansen and Odakyu line both stop in town, and the fish market side streets reward an early lunch.