What the Japanese City of Zushi Has to Offer

Japan is filled with all kinds of areas that cater to the different attractions a local or tourist may be into. If you are into fashion, there are several places you can go to. The same goes for people who are into food, history, and art. If you are a person looking for something like a relaxing place to go to in Japan, there are also several places you can go to depending on your taste or what you are looking for but if beaches are your idea of a relaxing place, you need not look further than the city of Zushi found in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan.

kcomiida [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

An Overview of Japan’s Zushi City Inclusive of Details like the Zip Code, the Map, and the Weather 

The city of Zushi or Zushi-shi is surrounded by areas like Kamakura, Yokosuka, Hayama, and Yokohama. In the Kanagawa Prefecture, it is specifically located at the Miura Peninsula which gives its visitors a great view of the Sagami Bay as well as the Pacific Ocean. A fact about this place that isn’t common knowledge is that the land that Zushi stands upon wasn’t always there. It is an alluvial plain which means that the land was formed by the sediments that flow along with the Tagoe River. In a way, it can be seen as naturally reclaimed land.

Tadashi Okoshi [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Knowing that the zip code for the Zushi area is 249-8686 is useful in some situations but it is probably more practical to know that this place isn’t dense at all considering the area it has. The recorded area of this city is 6.7 square miles and the surveyed density as of 2017 is around 10,000 per square mile. Taking into consideration that this place is supposedly crowded due to all the beaches found here, having that value for density isn’t bad at all. As a traveler, this fact may make the place more appealing to go to since it is more likely that you will get the privacy that the crowded beach resort areas in Japan lack.

Since the main attractions people enjoy in this city are primarily the beach resorts, it would also be useful to know when it gets warm and when it gets cold because you wouldn’t want to be in your swimsuit at the beach with the temperature at lows of 3 degrees Celsius. Essentially, if you want the summer weather when you hit the beaches, you’ll want to go anytime from the month of April until the month of November. The temperature during those months reach highs of 30 degrees Celsius and lows of 11 degrees Celsius which is where you would want the temperature to play around if you want to be comfortable in your summer attire.

Japan is a country that is frequent hit by tsunamis and earthquakes and as a traveler, you are sure to be concerned about these hazards as well. The good thing about the city of Zushi and its beaches is the fact that in the past 600 years, it has only been hit by a massive tsunami twice and neither of these incidents was in the recent decades. This hints that it is a pretty safe place to enjoy the water and the sand carefree but with the climate change issue becoming more serious every year, it would be wise to simply avoid the months with the rainy weather or if you hear or read news about massive storms brewing around these areas.

A Guide to the Different Attractions and Restaurants Found in Zushi, Japan

wohop [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Before going anywhere in Zushi, you should first know how to get to the city. Given that Japan’s public transportation system is one of the best in the world, this is an easy task to do. You can get to Zushi through several routes and the route you should take is dependent on which stations you are nearest to. If you are coming from Tokyo, you can opt to take the Yokosuka line which departs from the Tokyo Station. This route would take you to Zushi in about an hour. If you are coming from Shinagawa, you can take the Keihin Kyuko line straight to the Shinzushi station. Taking this route would have a travel time of about 50 minutes. If you are in Tokyo but nearer to the Shinjuku area, you can take a train from to Zushi through the Shonan Shinjuku line but be cautious about taking this route because not all Shonan Shinjuku line trains go to Zushi.

Once you get there, all you will need to know is which bus goes where. There are many buses that can be found in this area so moving around shouldn’t be much of a problem. In addition to that, some attractions are within walking distance from one another so it’s pretty convenient. If you have things with you, taking a bus might be uncomfortable but worry not because this place is also loaded with taxis so you have your options.

Contrary to the belief that this place only has beach-like attractions, there are several attractions you can find here that are quite different from that of a beach. Of course, seeing the crescent-shaped Zushi Beach is on the “To-Do” list when you are here but there is plenty more in store aside from that. An example of such a place is the Kotsubo. This place is a small fishing village that has a wondrous view of Mount Fuji. Aside from the fishing and the site seeing you can do here, this place is also where the summer Ayu Festival is held.

There are also two major parks that you can visit here. These parks are namely the Hiroyama Park and the Osaki Park. Both these parks offer the same view but from different positions. The Hiroyama Park is more visited though because it also offers a mini-zoo wherein you can see monkeys and other small animals for free. To get to the Hiroyama Park, you just need to get on a bus bound for Kamakura at the Zushi Station. The target is to get down at the Hiroyama-iriguchi bus stop because the park should be a short 15-minute walk from there.

If you are into temples, there are two great ones to enjoy here as well. These temples are the Gandenji Temple and the Jinmuji Temple. Both these temples are very old as their founding dates back to the year 721 and 724, respectively. The Gandenji Temple is only a 15-minute walk away from the Zushi Station while the Jinmuji Temple is much closer to the Higashi Zushi Station. If ever you find yourself lost, do not hesitate to ask help from taxis and locals. The people in Zushi are used to guests so they can be very accommodating.

Since this city has developed quite a bit, you can find a lot of restaurants that serve different cuisines. To cut down this long list of options, you should know about the prime dining spots that are usually visited by travelers to this city. If you are looking for Japanese food, you can check out the restaurant called Shokusaido. They are open from 5 PM until midnight and they regularly close on Thursdays. Sadly, there are no English speakers in the restaurant so either be prepared with your Japanese or bring a friend who can understand at least.

If you are in the mood for Italian food, there are two restaurants here that are popular. These are the Lanterna Rossa and the Napoli Pizzeria Cantina. The Lanterna is a wine bar that opens from 6 PM to midnight but the wine here can be quite expensive. Napoli Pizzeria, on the other hand, is a much better option if you have a money limit for food and it offers a great view of the ocean and Mount Fuji.  This place is open from 11 AM until 11 PM and they change their menu for lunch and for dinner. If, by any chance, you are in the mood for a cuisine that wasn’t mentioned, feel free to search the internet for your options to known the latest restaurants that have opened in the area.

Where you can Find Housing, Apartments, and House Rentals in Zushi, Japan

By Ajtnk [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

Finding a place to stay in while in Zushi is quite easy because there are only two hotels to be found in the area and these are the Kotubokaigan Linca and the Yanagiya Ryokan. Amongst the two, the better one would definitely be the Kotubokaigan Linca because they offer free Wi-Fi along with a beachfront location. Staying in the Linca would be more expensive because of these perks so if you don’t need to have Wi-Fi or be at a beachfront, staying in a cheaper room in the Yanagiya Ryokan or an Airbnb room would be a wise choice.

Because of its tropical beauty, there are quite a few travelers who end up buying property here so that when they go back, they need not worry about accommodations anymore. If you are one of these people, worry not because it is quite easy to get listings of available spaces, houses, and apartments here. Checking out Mitsui Fudosan Co., who also owns Japan Car Sharing Co., Ltd., should be enough to gather the information you need. This company is heading the Nihonbashi projects in Tokyo so you can be sure that the building spaces and houses they offer are of great quality.

Zushi is one of the better beach spots in Japan and all these information shared above are the reasons why it is seen that way. It is easy to have fun here. The key thing you need to do to ensure that is to do the proper research and to book things in advance to be as cost-efficient as you can be. If you do this, you should be able to be more flexible with your time and money when the time comes. Just be sure to avoid the bad weather and you should be assured a great time in the city of Zushi.