Day trip out of Tokyo in early November

Hi.
I understand there are many suggested day trips out of Tokyo : Fuji 5 Lakes, Nikko etc, Hakone etc.
Nonetheless, if we have time for 1 trip only, which spot is highly recommended ?
Bearing in mind that we will be in Tokyo in early November which I understand is the autumn foliage season ?
Thank you.

For me it's Kamakura and Enoshima.

Thanks.

We have been to those 2 places :) Beautiful.

If the choice is between Nikko and Hakone, which would you choose any why ?

Cheers.

Sorry haven't been to either, but I can suggest kusatsu, but not sure if a day visit is worth going for.

OK, thanks v much. Let me check out Kusatsu.

Kusatsu would be good if you love hot springs.

We've been to both Nikko and Hakone, and we love both places. Nikko has extraordinary architecture (temples and shrines) against awe-inspiring natural background. Hakone has museums, hiking trails, gardens, lake rides, ropeway, etc.

If you are going after the autumn colors, Nikko could be past its peak in autumn foliage by early Nov (though you'd never know, it will vary each year).

Hi. I would suggest Nikko if you're after autumn colors. Just watch out for when the peak season will be.

My favorite is Kamakura and Enoshima but I'm not sure how they are for autumn colours.

I'd choose Nikko if you can only do a daytrip due to general cultural importance and nature (especially the very small garden at Rinnoji) and Hakone if you can spend one night there and return in the morning for nature, possible views of Mount Fuji and Onsen, which I find more easily accessible than around Nikko.

Nikko wins hands down. Hakone is over-rated and way too crowded.

However, you could also do Kyoto if you have not included it elsewhere. The time taken is not too different from some of the other usual day-trip suggestions.
There are other day trips I have done such as to Sendai/Matsushima which I like.

Unless the issue is you are just getting a Tokyo Wide Pass, I love @JapanCustomTours option of Sendai and Matsushima. There is a lot to see and do there. I also am partial to Nagano/Ueda and you could throw in Bessho onsen or Karuizawa as well.

While I've been to Nikko once and Hakone multiple times, I think Nikko is more impressive and interesting. Hakone is just an easier stop off going to/from Kyoto.

My last "holiday" was Sendai (over-night at the end of June). I think before that it was Nikko. Both places I go a lot. I would choose both of those over Hakone any day. I even like Nagano city more than Hakone, but I see a lot of unhappy people touring Hakone. I have to go back next month - I might stay in Odawara, at least I can get a decent meal outside of a hotel/ryokan (actually last time I stayed in Hakone, I did go to Odawara to get food).

One of the things I find returning to Sendai frequently is that there is a lot hiding just below the surface. Even on my last tour there, we did a slightly different route around the cinerarium caves - there was a lot of history and really interesting stuff less than 50 meters from the route I previously took. But, it is outside of the Tokyo Wide Pass area, so a bit expensive without one of the wide coverage passes (and it can make for a long day trip).

Wow @JapanCustomTours we just sort of missed you, we were in Sendai/Matsushima as a day trip on July 2nd lol

I feel like I am one of the only people on this forum who feels this way but I actually really like Nagano. And I don't mean the prefecture, I mean the actual city. I really like Zenkoji and I find the city pleasant and fun to walk around. It had a ton of cute cafes close to the temple many of which I don't remember seeing when I was there in '09. It's not listed on this website, but I really enjoyed visited Kawanakajima Park/Battleground. There was some great fall foliage there. I also really liked Ueda and its castle ruins and Matsushiro and its ruins. I want to stress I like Kyoto, but unless you have a good reason to get a 1 week JR Pass, Sendai or Nagano with one of the JR East Passes makes more sense, since those only cost 19,000 yen vs. the 21,000 for the discount round trip via JapanIcan. And yes, I know it is just a 2000 yen difference, but you can possibly get a lot more travel than just one roundtrip out of that 19,000 yen pass. And yes I know there are buses and the Kodama Platt, but they all take considerably longer and with a shorter trip, sometimes you don't want that.

If you are specifically looking to use a Tokyo Wide Pass pass or use of the private lines (which is why you're thinking Hakone or Nikko) I find Hakone just seems to be a lot of different forms of transport. I guess for people fascinated by that, it's pretty awesome. I've been to Hakone more because it is an easy stop off to/from Kyoto. I will say that in late June/early July when the hydrangea are in bloom if you're into hydrangeas Hakone is gorgeous then.

Thanks everyone.
Will try to fit in Nikko on the day trip where possible to see the autumn foliage.
I have been to Kamakura and Enoshima a few years ago (not during autumn) and just visited Nagano earlier this year in the winter.
Cheers.