Ōiso is a quiet seaside town on Sagami Bay, west of Hiratsuka, and it has an important place in Japanese social history: in 1885 it became the site of Japan's first public sea bathing beach, promoted by an army surgeon who believed that sea bathing was good for health. Wealthy families from Tokyo built villas here, and the town became a fashionable resort for politicians and aristocrats.
Among them was Yoshida Shigeru, prime minister in the years after the Second World War, who lived in Ōiso for many years. His former residence, with its gardens overlooking the sea, has been restored and is open to visitors. Ito Hirobumi, Japan's first prime minister, also had a villa here.
The old Tōkaidō highway, which linked Edo and Kyoto, passes through Ōiso, and a stretch of the old road is still lined with ancient pine trees. Each January, the Hakone Ekiden, a famous university relay race from Tokyo to Hakone and back, runs along this route, and the roadside is lined with spectators.
For riders, Route 1 and the Seishō bypass run along the coast, with views over the sea and, on clear days, Mount Fuji to the west and the Izu Peninsula to the south-west. Traffic can be heavy, especially on weekends. Fuel and food are available in Ōiso and Hiratsuka. As a photo stop, the coast near Ōiso, with the sea and Fuji, is lovely, especially in winter, when the air is clear.