Day 4: Hakone
Today the weather forecast is SUNNY!!!! I crossed my finger and hope it's as accurate as RAINING!!
Hakone is part of the Fuji-Hakone National Park and is popular for its hotspring and views of nearby Mt. Fuji. The day before when I was at Shinjuku Station, I went to the Odawara counter to purchase my Hakone freepass ticket. The Hakone Freepass which is 5000 Yen for 2 days unlimited travel within Hakone with return Odakyu train from Shinjuku is really a bargain. If you are going there for a day trip like me, you should also make use of the freepass for 1 day. The 3 days pass is 5500 Yen.
First, I had to take the Odakyu train to Odawara which is about 1.5 hours ride.
Once reached Odawara, transfer to local train which departs from platform 7 or 11 to Hakone Yumoto. This is another 15 minutes ride. At Hakone Yumoto, follow the signboard to the bus stop to take the Hakone Tozan bus to MotoHakone. The bus ride is another 40 minutes, minus the waiting time. The fare is included in the Pass. All these directions and train transfers are in the Hakone area map so you need not worry. Just follow.
This is the Hakone Yumoto Station and the right picture is where the bus stops are located, outside the station. To go to MotoHakone, queue up at no. 2.
This is the town of MotoHakone. I immediately fell in love with it. Thank God, the weather was fantastic. It was cool and sunny and I get the blue blue sky and the green green mountain.
Just a short walk ahead in the opposite, you will see Lake Ashi.
Continue walking ahead and you will see more of MotoHakone town. There are some souvenir shops here.
A little further ahead is the Ancient Cedar Avenue. It's a fairly short walk here. Just walk through it and exit from the other end which is the Hakonemachi area. The cedar avenue area is quite quiet and there are not many people but it's safe.
After that I hopped onto the sightseeing cruise at Hakonemachi. Just show your Pass to the counter and queue up for the next pirate cruise. The cruise will take you along the Lake Ashi to Togendai.
These are some of the sights you will be seeing from the cruise.
This is taken from the upper deck of the cruise.
At Togendai, transfer to the Hakone Ropeway for a 20 minutes ride to Owakudani, the boiling valley.
At Owakudani, get down and walk to the sulphuric area. This area was created from the last eruption of Mount Hakone 3000 years ago. It's really beautiful here. There are also some shops here selling souvenirs, sweet potatos and the famous black egg. I didn't have a chance to try the black egg as they are sold in a packet of 6 and I do not need that many eggs.
After that, continue with the Hakone Ropeway to Sounzan station. From there take the Cable car to Gora station and transfer to Tozan Train to Hakone Yumoto. Go back to Tokyo the same way you arrive.
I was very happy that I had such a beautiful day to enjoy Hakone and I really like this place very much because of the surrounding mountains and lakes. One day is a bit short. You just move from one place to another but since I am short of time, this is better than nothing. I was also disappointed that despite such a great day, Mount Fuji is not visible at all. Both Lake Ashi and Owakudani are supposed to have good views of Mount Fuji but I did not see a single sight of it.
Tomorrow is my last chance to try my luck in viewing Mount Fuji as I will be heading to Mount Fuji for a short hiking trip. The weather forecast for tomorrow? Rain! Oh Please !!!
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