スミス英会話相模原校を経営し、相模原駅の近くに住んでいると東京や横浜といった大きな街へのアクセスが簡単です。スミス英会話で英語を教える仕事には長く休暇を取れるといった利点もあるので、2026年のゴールデンウィークは日本でも有名な温泉リゾートでゆっくりするために静岡県の伊豆高原へ行くことにしました。私たちはゴールデンウィークの混雑前に移動することができたので、混雑した電車や渋滞のストレスはありません。素晴らしい！

Smith’s School of English, Sagamihara: Golden Week Holiday

Owning an English School in Sagamihara and living near Sagamihara Station allows easy access to larger cities like Tokyo and Yokohama. Teaching English with Smith’s School of English also has the benefit of extended holidays, so during this Golden Week holiday (2026) I decided to take a trip to Izu Kogen in Shizuoka Prefecture to enjoy a relaxing experience at one of the finest hot spring resorts in Japan. We were actually able to travel a few days before the Golden Week rush, so there was no stress with crowded trains or heavy traffic. Perfect.

I shut down my English school in Sagamihara on a Tuesday night and took an easy train ride from Sagamihara Station to Shin-Yokohama on Wednesday morning. Izu Kogen is quite far from Sagamihara, but it is amazing how fast one can get there by using trains in Japan. Travelling from Shin-Yokohama to Atami takes 25 minutes on the Shinkansen, and then another 45 minutes on the Ito Line in Shizuoka to Izu Kogen.

Sagamihara Station area is usually quite noisy, so upon arriving at Nasubi no Hana was  refreshing because the only sounds we heard were birds chirping and a few dogs barking in the distance. Our hotel was located at a high elevation, surrounded by forest, and overlooking the Pacific Ocean. A private open-air bath attached to a big Japanese style room, balcony, sea view, and some of the best Japanese cuisine I’ve ever eaten for dinner and breakfast. We will definitely return!

I was also able to check-off something from my “bucket list” in Japan, and that is staying at the New Grand Hotel in Yokohama. The New Grand Hotel is a very historical building, having hosted many famous people in the past and present. Most notably perhaps was General MacArthur at the end of World War II occupying a suite in the hotel for some time. The first floor of the hotel kind of resembles a museum, displaying photos of famous people as well as their biographies.

Located just behind Yamashita Park, the hotel offers a great view of the park and Yokohama Port, as well as a very short walk to Japan’s largest Chinatown. We had an excellent course lunch there at a very reasonable price. Sagamihara has many good Chinese restaurants, but nothing is better than experiencing the aura of Chinatown in Yokohama!

I spent the rest of the Golden Week holiday in Sagamihara cleaning my English school, creating new English lessons to the curriculum, spending time with my son and his family in Machida and my daughter and her family who also live in Sagamihara. It was as perfect as it could be.

Reopening  Smith’s School of English Sagamihara after the holiday was also refreshing. Many of my English students had good stories to share about their Golden Week holiday. I am always interested to hear about their experiences, and they always ask me about mine. Working with Smith’s School of English isn’t always about “teaching” English. Sharing our stories and experiences often develops friendships amongst my students and myself. And English conversational skills naturally occur along the way.  It’s easy to love this job, my students, and the entire system of Smith’s School of English.

I am always ready to welcome new students! Free trial English lessons/level checks in Sagamihara are easy to reserve and stress-free! Thank you for reading!

Jim