Japan - Day 4 - Hakone / Mt. Fuji

 Day 4 - Hakone / Mt. Fuji

Today we took a trip outside of Tokyo to the south about 50 miles to the Hakone (ha-Cone-eh) region which is only about 20-30 miles from Mt. Fuji.

We followed the suggested route of the Hakone Free Pass.

We took a train to Hakone.  We did not buy the RomanceCar option which may have been a mistake - for a separate additional fee, you can ride this version of the train which makes much fewer stops and has restrooms and reclining seats.

When we got to Odawara, we got off the train and then took a second train to the Hakone-Yumato station.  If you take the right train or RomanceCar, it will go there and you don't have to switch trains.

From the Hakone-Yumato Station you board a bus to Lake Ashi. We boarded the H bus which went through town and was probably the slowest, but the most frequent departure.  We got off at Port Moto-Hakone to get on a Pirate Ship which took us across the lake. The scenery around the lake was beautiful with bright green hills and temples and few houses. 

Brooke does her One Piece Impersonation

At the port on the far side of the lake we took a gondola (the "Ropeway") to two stops and had lunch in the volcanic town of Owakudani. The views of Mt. Fuji from the cable car were spectacular and we got more pictures from the ropeway stop. Clouds kept floating in front of the mountain which seems to be a thing, because most images and cartoons fo Mt. Fuji show clouds floating in front of it.

Mount Fuji-san from Owakudani

Once we got to Sounzan, we got off the ropeway and onto a cable car which took us down the mountain. I call these funiculars in Europe.  Basically a tram down a steep slope where the people are on platforms that stay flat while the track goes down the side of the hill.

Mother's Day in Japan

At Kowakadini we got off and took the H bus again a couple of stops to Kowakien to visit the Yunessan water park. This is an indoor/outdoor waterpark with two sections - a naked section and a clothed section (our top pick!)

We switched into bathing suits and first tried out the indoor heated pools filled with Wine, Sake, Tea, and Coffee.  Then we sat in an outdoor heated pool that looked out onto the nearby hills. It was very relaxing.  

Green Tea Bath

Sake Bath

Coffee Bath

Red Wine Bath

We took the H bus back to the train station and took the train home. We ended up eating 7-Eleven food for dinner, which is not horrible in Japan, just not what we would have preferred.