Amagi Sanso and environs
Women from all over Japan attend the Women’s Conference, which is located on The Izu Hanto (peninsula) about three hours travel from both Tokyo railway station, and Haneda airport in Yokohama. The Izu Hanto is a mountainous area famous for its many onsen hotels (hotels whose main features are large communal baths powered by natural hot springs), and is a popular location for short retreats from the city-life of the Tokyo-Yokhama area.
Amagi Sanso is a Christian retreat centre located at the foot of Amagi Yama (Mount Amagi). “Sanso” means mountain hut, and Amagi Sanso maintains some elements typical of the more remote mountain huts but is considerably more luxurious, offering varied food, dual-occupancy western-style rooms as well as the traditional shared tatami mat rooms, as well as its own large hot bath. The Conference itself is focussed around the chapel, the wooden interior of which can been glimpsed in the bottom right photo above, and there are also a number of other rooms available for the use of smaller groups. On the Saturday afternoon of the Conference, buses are arranged to enable attendees to take the short trip down the hill to visit the local public onsen, which has indoor and outdoor hot pools, a cool pool and a sauna. An alternative is to walk to the onsen through the woods, with the option of catching the bus one way.
Any questions? Email: amagi2009@gmail.com