After spending Golden Week on the beaches of northern Ibaraki Prefecture, little Kaiju and I made our second visit to the resort town of Hayama in Kanagawa Prefecture. On our first visit, we had a photoshoot at Isshiki Kaigan beach. This time around we were able to experience posh Hayama on a budget with the Hayama Excursion Ticket.
Hayama isn’t your “ordinary” beach resort. It’s where wealthy families, established celebrities, and even the Imperial family come when they want to get away from it all. If you’re looking for a family-friendly beach getaway, this is the place to be!
About The Hayama Excursion Ticket
The Hayama Excursion Ticket is a set of 3 tickets and coupons offered by Keikyu Railways. There is some confusion regarding its official Japanese name 葉山女子旅きっぷ (Hayama Joshu Tabi Kippu | Ladies’ Hayama Trip Ticket), but the ticket can be used by anyone. I saw couples and families using it, solo male and female travelers as well.
The Hayama Excursion Ticket is 3,500 yen and includes:
Roundtrip Train Ticket and One Day Bus Pass (A)
Round trip train fare between Keikyu Shingawa Station and Shin Zushi, as well as a one-day bus pass around Hayama
Lunch Voucher (B)
Gift Voucher (C)
Getting to Hayama: Keikyu Shinagawa Station (京急品川駅)
With the exception of a small Kinokuniya opposite the ticket vending machines, there’s not much on this side if you need snacks and drinks for the journey to Shin Zushi Station. However, there is a satellite 7-Eleven on the platform.
Ideally you want to take a train bound for Shin Zushi Station so you won’t have to transfer.
But, you can also take any train bound for Keikyu Kurihama (京急久里浜), get off at Kanazawa Hakkei (金沢八景) and wait for a train headed to Shin Zushi.
Arrival at Shin Zushi Station (新逗子駅)
The north exit is not stroller friendly BUT there’s a Watt’s 100 yen shop perfect for buying beach and picnic supplies.
All the action is on the south exit, with the exception of a few eateries that accept the Hayama Excursion Ticket lunch voucher. The south exit is also where you’ll find the bus stops for getting around Hayama.
Lunch At Seedling Kitchen Zushi
I knew I wanted to get my hands on Hayama’s famed Misaki Donuts, so I opted for a healthy and colorful lunch at Seedling Kitchen Zushi.
The cosy and rustic cafe is just a 5 minute walk from the south exit of Shin Zushi Station.
Walk past the bus stops towards the large intersection. Turn right and walk until you see a white and yellow building (it’s a daycare). Seedling is on the ground floor.
All the dishes at Seedling Kitchen Zushi feature vegetables grown in Miura. I chose the Hatake no Wappa Meal, which came with soup, a side dish and a drink.
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“Wappa” is a traditional round Japanese lunch box and “hatake” means field, a nod to the locally grown colorful veggies of the Miura Peninsula. Complimenting the rainbow assortment of vegetables is grain rice mixed with black rice.
There’s even a cute booster seat and a basket of books and coloring goods for kiddies!
Snack Time at Misaki Donuts
I redeemed my gift voucher at Misaki Donuts, a one minute walk from the south exit of Shin Zushi Station. In our case, it was a 3 minute walk down the street from Seedling Kitchen Zushi.
I love doughnuts yet have never eaten doughnuts as fluffy and flavorful as these, no exaggeration!
With the voucher we could choose any three doughnuts of our liking and we got a cute canvas tote.
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I’m crazy about reusable tote bags so this is a lovely addition to my collection and a wonderful reminder of how darn good Misaki Donuts are!
Hayama Park
After doughnuts, we walked across the street to the bus stop for our final destination — the beach!
Last year we visited Isshiki Kaigan, and this time around we went to Hayama Park. It’s beautiful park set against green mountains and overlooking the blue ocean.
We stayed right until sunset, and it was worth it.
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The easiest way to get to the park is to get off at Hayama Kouen Mae bus stop and walk towards Hayama Kouen Iriguchi intersection.
Walk until you see this sign for the parking lot and walk down the side street.
Enter via the parking lot for quick access to the toilets and also you won’t have to worry about sand.
Be warned that the wheelchair accessible stall closes at 4pm for some reason…
After taking a stroll through the park, you can just leave your stroller near the fence as you can see it from below when you’re on the beach.
How To Buy The Hayama Excursion Ticket
The Hayama Excursion Ticket is available for purchase at ticket booths or at ticket machines.
Final Verdict: Is The Hayama Excursion Ticket Worth It?
Hayama is only an hour out from central Tokyo so I recommend it as a day trip for anyone interested in experiencing a different side of Japan. With plenty of parks and beaches, it’s definitely worth visiting as a family.
3,500 yen for lunch, souvenirs, and round trip transportation is an incredible deal.
However…
In my case, coming from a station in Chiba, I felt silly getting off a JR train bound directly for Zushi and transferring at JR Shinagawa only to get on a train bound for Shin Zushi. (Zushi and Shin Zushi are just 10 minutes away by bus.)
With that said…
I’d still probably consider buying the Hayama Excursion Ticket if I were to visit Hayama once more. It’s a really good deal and little Kaiju can get her Shinkansen fix at JR Shinagawa before transfering. (That’s what we did actually!)
