Manazuru can be explored through several distinct themes: the Manazuru Peninsula Prefectural Natural Park maintains walking trails, a sightseeing boat trip offers views of Mitsuishi and the cape from the sea, and the Endo Shell Museum is home to a large shell collection. In July, the Kibune Festival adds a cultural highlight. When looking for a holiday rental, it helps to first decide whether you want to focus on nature trails, coastal views or culture. Each destination offers its own emphasis and opens up a different perspective on Manazuru.

The Kibune Festival in July

Held annually in July, the Kibune Festival 貴船まつり is a major shrine festival. Mikoshi portable shrines and festival floats are carried in a procession through the town, accompanied by an impressive procession on the sea. The festival thus brings together processions on land and water. It is designated as an intangible folk cultural property of Kanagawa Prefecture. If you would like to plan your trip around this occasion, check the specific festival dates for the year you plan to visit.

Exploring the peninsula on foot and from the water

The Manazuru Peninsula Prefectural Natural Park maintains four walking trails and a car park. Park maintenance includes paths, stairs, wooden railings and signposts. For a nature-focused visit, the trails offer a different way to explore than a trip out to sea; maintaining the stairs and signposts is also part of the park’s management. If you enjoy walking, this gives you a clearly identified starting point for planning.

A sightseeing boat excursion offers views from the sea of Mitsuishi, a scenic spot known for its unusual rock formations, and the landscape around Cape Manazuru. Unlike the walking trails, the focus here is on the perspective from the water. This lets you distinguish between exploring on land and taking in coastal views from a boat when planning your trip, without treating the two as the same kind of outing.

Discover the cape and the shell museum

The “O林 Station” is located at Cape Manazuru. It features exhibits about the Manazuru Peninsula and explanations of how “O林” was formed. The focus is therefore on the peninsula itself and on the formation of the named “O林”. Check the station’s current operating details before visiting.

The Endo Shell Museum houses around 4,500 shell species and 50,000 specimens. The collection was assembled over the course of his life by Haruo Endo, a shell researcher from Manazuru. The number of species and the number of specimens describe two different aspects of the collection. The focus here is on shells and the history of the collection—a different way to experience Manazuru than taking in the scenery or walking the trails.

When choosing what to do, you can distinguish between a specific annual occasion and the different themes of a stay: the Kibune Festival takes place in July, while the natural park, boat views, station and shell collection each offer their own focus. First consider whether the festival dates or nature, the coast or the collection are of most interest to you. Then you can tailor your search for a holiday rental in Manazuru to the reason for your trip.

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