Weekend trip to Hakone 🏞

21 and 22 September 2019 - Trip to Hakone

On my 3rd weekend in Japan, I had my first 'real' overnight trip: a visit to THE recreational area for stressed Tokyoites. Hakone, or rather the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, is located 80km west and only 2 hours by train from Tokyo. In addition to the obligatory shrines, it offers numerous (art) museums, hot springs, hiking trails, cable cars, and a lake where you can take a pirate ship ride. Oh, and of course, views of Mt. Fuji 🗻 (weather permitting)

Saturday - Planning is everything

Later than planned and equipped with the Hakone Free Pass (which includes round-trip travel and all public transportation in the park), I set off on Saturday morning from 'my' train station. Although I didn't end up on the wrong platform this time, I still underestimated how long it would take to reach the mountains by bus from the train's final stop. Instead of arriving around 11 am as planned, I didn't reach my hostel until shortly after 1 pm. I quickly dropped off my things, put on my hiking shoes, and set off again.

Since I had imagined Hakone as a manageable tourist destination with plenty of information available on site, I had hardly planned in advance what exactly I wanted to see and what hikes I wanted to do. A mistake, as it turned out. I had definitely underestimated how vast the area is...there are several bus lines going in different directions, and because of the lake and the mountains, a 'circular route' is possible but quite time-consuming.

On a hiking map at the hostel, I had chosen a path along the western shore of Lake Ashi. It looked quite long, but without much elevation, and after spending the entire morning on a train and bus, I still wanted to stretch my legs. So I took another 30-minute bus ride to the southern shore of the lake. At the hiking maps there, I also found a distance indication for 'quite long': almost 11 km. Okay, if I'm quick, I should be able to do that in about 3 hours before it gets dark...

So I started walking, first along the old Tōkaidō, the former trade route between Tokyo and Kyoto, on an old cedar-lined avenue and through the control station that has been repurposed as a museum called Seki-sho. All very touristy. Shortly after, it became quite quiet around me, and on the hiking trail along the lake, I only encountered a few fishermen on their way to their boats... And when I came across a gate with lots of signs blocking the way, I made a spontaneous decision: instead of continuing to hike, I turned back and took the pirate ship across the lake, passing by the Hakone Shrine and reaching the northern shore. By now, it was getting dark, so I took the bus back to the hostel.

So, all in all, it was - unlike expected - much more traveling around than hiking... but I still had the whole Sunday.

The Hostel

I had booked a cheap spot in a 6-bed dormitory for the night. The hostel was very new, and the staff was all young and nice. In the evening, I signed up for the communal traditional dinner: soup, rice, and freshly grilled fish and vegetables right in the common room. Unfortunately, the other guests were all Japanese, and only the receptionist talked to me in English and helped me with the grilling. And let me tell you: eating fresh fish with chopsticks is not the easiest task 😅 I have no idea how the Japanese managed to neatly remove all the bones and some skin from their plates...mine looked more like a battlefield 😄

Armed with 2 recommended routes for the next day, I crawled into my 'sleeping pod'. And apart from the thin walls, it was more comfortable than expected 😴

Sunday - View of Mt. Fuji from Mt. Kintoki 金時山

This time, I set off really early, first by bus to the northern part of the area, to the foot of Mt. Kintoki. At 1212 m, it is the northernmost peak of the Hakone Caldera, and the next 1.5 hours were steeply climbing up a small path through the forest, with roots and steps that I was already familiar with. Steps ranging from 50-70 cm in height were more the rule than the exception, and I mostly encountered families with elementary school children - the little ones could barely see over the steps 😄

But the view more than made up for the effort!

When I reached the summit, it suddenly appeared: unreal and enormous, rising above a cloud: Mt. Fuji 🗻 Despite the haze and clouds starting to gather, it was a truly majestic sight.

But the view to the left was also worth noting: here, there was an overview of the entire Hakone Caldera, with Lake Ashi and the rising sulfuric fumes from the 'boiling valley' called Ōwakudani. Speaking of which, Ōwakudani actually boils: the eggs cooked in the rising sulfur are the local delicacy (no, I didn't try them, I was already overwhelmed by the smell of sulfur, I didn't need to eat it too). Unfortunately, the surrounding area, including hiking trails and cable cars, has been closed for several years due to increased volcanic activity 😳 Instead of riding the cable car directly over the rock formations, only replacement buses circulate around the area, accompanied by the smell of sulfur and past withered forests..

After a short lunch break, I continued along the edge of the caldera to the Otome Pass - by then, Mt. Fuji had already hidden behind the clouds again. After a long descent, I was glad to be on the bus. I returned via a detour involving a replacement bus, cable car, and another bus, passing through Ōwakudani, to collect my remaining belongings from the hostel, and then took the bus out of Hakone.

But before I got on the train back home, I visited a very nice onsen ♨ And I also brought a practical souvenir: the small face towel in the onsen was not for loan 😋

Since I still have 2 hikes on my list and Hakone is also supposed to be very beautiful during the autumn foliage, I will definitely come back for another day or two. And maybe I'll try one of those sulfuric eggs 😉