Hakone Park

By patrick

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Mt. Fuji from Hakone

Owakudani

Hakone is a great day trip for visitors to Tokyo who want to see the natural side of Japan. It offers spectacular views of Mt. Fuji, a beautiful lake "Ashi no ko", and is the home of many spas and historical areas.

Some regions in Hakone include:

Owakudani - Take a ropeway to Owakudani, an area of volcanic fumes where you can eat black eggs, steamed from the sulfur. This area is fairly high, so there are great views of Mt. Fuji too.

Lake Ashi-no-ko - The lake was formed by the crater of the Hakone volcano. Today, tourist boats appearing like pirate boats offer sightseeing cruises.

Hakone shrine - Take a stroll through the lantern-lit roads to the Hakone shrine. A short walk towards the lake will also take you to the famous Hakone torii gate in the water.


Hakone is about 90 minutes West of Shinjuku (Tokyo).

The best way is perhaps with Odakyu's Hakone free pass, which offers a combination pass that includes ropeways, buses, cable cars, and a ride on the pirate ship for about 5000 yen from Shinjuku. It is cheaper from other cities nearer to Hakone.

A sample itinerary:
From Shinjuku, take the Odakyu line to Hakone-yumoto. Transfer to a mountain cable tram to take you to Gora, where you can take a ropeway to Owakudani. After touring Owakudani, continue on the ropeway to Lake Ashinoko, where you can board a "pirate ship" sightseeing cruise across the lake to Hakone Machi. Buses there await to transport you to Moto Hakone, where you can get off and tour the Hakone shrine and torii. Then take the bus back to Shinjuku. The Hakone free pass from Odakyu will cover this route.

Hakone Free Pass from Odakyu




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