Sagamihara · 相模原市

Sagamihara is one of those Japanese cities that hardly anyone has heard of, even though more than 700,000 people live here. It's still worth a visit: in the south, the space agency researches asteroid probes, in the west forested mountains are reflected in reservoirs, and once a year a kite the size of a living room rises above the Sagami River.

From the Plain to the Mountains

The city is divided into three wards that could hardly be more different. Minami-ku in the south, around Sagami-Ōno, is densely built up, with shopping streets and commuter stations on the Odakyū Line. Chūō-ku contains the administrative center and the broad expanses of the Sagamino Plateau, where military sites and factories were built after the war. Midori-ku, the green ward, stretches to the border with Yamanashi and Tokyo, with mountain villages, hiking trails, and the Hashimoto rail hub. An underground station is being built there for the Chūō Shinkansen, the future maglev line to Nagoya.

Sights in Sagamihara

The Sagamihara Campus of the space agency JAXA is the center of Japanese space science. It was here that the Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 probes, which brought samples from asteroids back to Earth, were managed; a small exhibit shows models and capsules. The neighboring city museum with its planetarium also takes up the space theme. To the north, Lake Sagami draws visitors with paddle boats and the Sagamiko Resort Pleasure Forest amusement park, whose winter light display is one of the largest in the region. At Miyagase Reservoir and Lake Tsukui, you can hike and cycle. The art village of Fujino, where artists have settled for decades, scatters sculptures across its hillsides.

Festivals and Food

At the beginning of May, the Sagamino Giant Kite Festival takes place on the Sagami River. The largest kite measures roughly 15 by 15 meters and takes dozens of helpers to get airborne when the wind is right—each year it's painted with two new characters. Food in Sagamihara is down-to-earth: in Hashimoto and Sagami-Ōno you'll find ramen shops, izakaya, and yakitori stands, and in the mountains of Midori-ku, trout from clear streams and handmade soba. Local farmers sell vegetables and fruit at small stands along the roads.

Parks and Nature in the City

Even in the densely populated south, there's no shortage of green space. Sagamihara Asamizo Park sits on a former military site and offers wide lawns, sports facilities, and an avenue of plane trees. In Sagamihara Kita Park, tens of thousands of hydrangeas bloom in June, while Sagamihara Park features a French-style garden with fountains and a large greenhouse. Bike paths run along the Sagami River, and on summer weekends families grill on its banks. In the mountains of Midori-ku, hiking trails begin that lead into the Tanzawa Mountains and up to peaks like Jinba-san. If you'd like to stay overnight, you'll find small ryokan with water views at Lake Sagami and guesthouses in converted farmhouses in Fujino.

Getting Around and Best Time to Visit

Several rail lines serve the city: the JR Yokohama Line to Yokohama, the JR Sagami Line, the Odakyū Line toward Shinjuku, and the Keiō Sagamihara Line, which ends at Hashimoto. For the lakes in the west, take the JR Chūō Line to Sagamiko or Fujino; for Miyagase, you'll need a bus. The best times to visit are spring and fall, when the mountains change color; in summer, campgrounds at the lakes draw families from Tokyo. Day trips lead to Mount Takao in neighboring Hachiōji or to Ōyama in the Tanzawa Mountains.