Hiratsuka · 平塚市

In early July, paper streamers many yards long hang over Hiratsuka's shopping streets, so dense that you walk beneath them as if through a colorful forest. A trip to Hiratsuka on the Shōnan coast combines one of Japan's biggest star festivals with beaches, surfers, soccer, and views of Mount Fuji.

A Post Town on the Tōkaidō

Hiratsuka was the seventh of the 53 stations on the Tōkaidō between Edo and Kyoto, and Hiroshige captured it in his woodblock print series with the distinctive Mount Kōma in the background. In the 20th century, the navy built a gunpowder factory here, which is why the city was heavily bombed in 1945. Hiratsuka was rebuilt after the war, and to celebrate the reconstruction, local merchants began the Tanabata festival in 1951. Today, Hiratsuka is an industrial and residential city with the relaxed lifestyle of the Shōnan coast, just an hour from Tokyo.

The Shōnan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival

The star festival commemorates the legend of the cowherd and the weaver girl, who are allowed to meet only once a year across the Milky Way. In Hiratsuka it takes place over a weekend in early July, and around the north exit of the train station, more than a thousand streamers made of paper, bamboo, and lanterns decorate the streets, some of them up to 33 feet long. There are also parades, concerts, and street stalls selling yakisoba, grilled squid, and kakigōri. The festival draws more than a million visitors and, along with the Sendai festival, is considered one of Japan's largest Tanabata celebrations.

Sights in Hiratsuka

Hiratsuka Hachimangū, with its large torii gate and a pond full of lotus, is the spiritual center of the city. The Hiratsuka Museum of Art shows Japanese painting and modern art, while the city museum covers the nature and history of the Sagami Plain. To the southwest lies Shōnan-daira, a viewpoint on the hills from which, in clear weather, you can see Mount Fuji, Sagami Bay, and Ōshima Island. Surfers gather at Hiratsuka's wide beach, and the lighthouse at the fishing harbor marks the start of the coastal promenade.

Food and Sports

At the fishing harbor, a small market building serves fresh fish from Sagami Bay, especially shirasu, tiny baby sardines served raw or boiled over rice. In the city center, izakaya, ramen shops, and small bars invite you to unwind after work. Soccer fans know Hiratsuka as the home of Shōnan Bellmare, who play at Lemon Gas Stadium, where green-and-blue flags decorate the stands.

Getting There and When to Go

The JR Tōkaidō Line connects Hiratsuka with Tokyo in about an hour and with Yokohama in half an hour. From here, Kamakura, Enoshima, and Odawara are easy to reach. The best time to visit is early July for Tanabata, summer for beach days, and the clear winter days for views of Fuji. In spring, the cherry trees bloom along the hills of Shōnan-daira and the Sagami River, and in fall, mild days are ideal for bike rides along the coast. If you come on a match day, you can combine an afternoon at the beach with an evening at the stadium, which is only a few minutes' walk from the coast.