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Hakone is a mountainous area about 100km south-west of Tokyo. It is a very popular touristic destination because of its many onsen, beautiful scenery and its proximity to Tokyo. You can get there easily by train (JR East or Odakyu).

Hakone is one of my favorite places around Tokyo. I visit there from time to time, but I like it especially in winter. One of the best experiences you can have is being at a rotenburo (an open-air hot spring bath) while it’s raining or even snowing

More after the break.

Hakone Tozan Railway

This is a train line operated by Odakyu Railways, and the one you’ll most likely use when you go to Oowakudani, Lake Ashi and Moto-Hakone. The part between Odawara and Hakone-Yumoto is quite unremarkable, but between Hakone-Yumoto and Gora it runs very small trains that climb a narrow valley over bridges and through tunnels.

At Gora you will change to the Hakone Tozan Cable Car to Sounzan, and then you’ll take the Hakone Ropeway to Oowakudani and later Togendai in Lake Ashi.

The Fujiya hotel

This is a historic hotel near the Miyanoshita station of the Hakone Tozan Railway. It was built in 1891, and consists of many buildings in a mixture of western and traditional Japanese styles.

Owakudani

This is a volcanic valley with sulphuric vents and hot springs. It is reachable by the Hakone Ropeway. The local speciality are the kuro-tamago: eggs that turn black when hard-boiled in the sulphuric hot springs. It is said that eating one of them adds 7 years to your life. It is also said that you can eat up to two and a half eggs, but eating the whole third one is not a good idea (superstitions!).

Moto-Hakone

The last stop of the Hakone Ropeway is the Togendai station. From there you can take a boat to Moto-Hakone. This is a small town by the lake, with very beautiful views of Mount Fuji on clear days. It is also known for the remains of the Hakone Checkpoint in the old Tokaido.