I suddenly had this idea of visiting this place after seeing a photo on the internet. Instead of going alone, I ended up creating a meetup event where 6 other great people joined. It took about 1.5 hours from Shimbashi station one way, then we had to take a 15-minute bus ride to the ume/ plum field. I will let photos speak for the scenery itself. The trip was really great, we had a nice lunch set at a local restaurant on the way to the bus stop. It was a buri-don set (980yen with soup, side dishes and fruit), think the restaurant is called 魚仁. After wandering and snapping around the plum field, we all agreed and ended up in an onsen/ hot spring called Kogomenoyu/ こごめの湯. It was just fine as we expected a slightly larger outdoor pool. Then we finished up the day with a cold beer and tantan yakisoba which is their famous local menu. Leica M-E + Kobalux 21/2.8 & Sonnetar 50/1.1

Access: Yugawara Station (湯河原) on Tokaido Line (can also be accessed via shinkansen), takes about 1.5 hours one way.

My Verdict:

It was a perfect timing as ume is at its peak. There are other few things to see and do on top of that including nice onsen, what else can you ask for? Highly recommend for a day trip when the season is right.