Looking at a map of Japan it's easy to underestimate or overestimate the time it takes to get from a place to another by train. It can come as a surprise that going to Hakone or the Mount Fuji area, 100 km outside the Japanese capital, take as much time as to reach Sendai in remote Tohoku, and more time than to get to Nagoya, 350 km away. On the contrary, it takes nearly 3 hours to Matsumoto, which is halfway between Tokyo and Nagoya on the map.

Here is a list of destinations that are all within 2 hours' reach from central Tokyo .

About 30 minutes away

Kawagoe

About 1 hour away

Chiba
Narita
Kamakura
Atami
Takao-san
Karuizawa

About 2 hours away

Hiraiizumi
Matsushima
Sendai
Niigata
Nagano
Nikkō
Hakone
Nagoya
Hikone