Hakone, Mount Fuji & Volcanic Adventures

Another day of travelling began with a local bus and train ride into Shinjuku.

After a bit of wandering around the station (there are a lot of train routes here… and quite a bit of construction), we eventually found our train: the Odakyu Romancecar.

Yes… the Romancecar 😂😂

> The Elusive Mount Fuji

During the journey the famously shy Mount Fuji kept playing hide and seek… briefly appearing between hills and buildings before disappearing again.

Finally, near Shin-Matsuda, she made a proper appearance.

For a few magical moments the mountain stood clearly against the blue sky, with wisps of snow drifting along one side.

Enough time for a carriage full of passengers to collectively gasp and admire the view…

…but not quite enough time for me to take a decent photo 😂

> Hakone

Our final stop was Hakone-Yumoto, where we picked up a Hakone Freepass giving us access to all the local transport.

Which was perfect… because Hakone is basically a playground for transport geeks.

Next up was the Hakone Tozan Railway, climbing steadily up through the mountains.

The route allows you to hop on and off along the way, with each stop offering something different… including hot springs, small towns and scenic viewpoints.

> Bakery Stop

We paused briefly at Miyanoshita for a snack from a local bakery.

I chose a delicious cheese cube… light and fluffy inside with a crisp golden top.

Exactly what was needed.

> Hakone Open Air Museum

Back on the railway we continued upwards until reaching the wonderful Hakone Open Air Museum.

The museum spreads across a large landscaped hillside, with sculptures placed throughout the gardens.

Art mixed with nature - a brilliant idea.

There’s also an impressive Pablo Picasso collection here, including many of his ceramics.

> The Cable Car & Volcanic Valley

Next we transferred to the Hakone Cable Car (Funicular), which climbs higher into the mountains. Then changed at Sounzan to the Hakone Ropeway (Cable Car) 🤪

This part of the journey took us to Owakudani, sitting at around 1,044 metres above sea level.

By now we were much closer to Mount Fuji… but of course a few clouds had decided to drift in.

Typical.

Even so, seeing the mountain from here was still incredible.

Random fact: In Japan the mountain is often called “Fuji-san”, using the same honorific you’d give to a person… a sign of the respect people have for it.

Owakudani itself is an active volcanic valley, filled with steaming sulphur vents and bubbling geothermal activity.

There are warning signs before boarding the Ropeway (cable car) 😳 sorry Yzzy not one for you 😂

You can also try the famous black eggs, boiled in the volcanic water… though we decided to skip that particular culinary adventure 😂

> The Pirate Ship

From Owakudani we continued along the Ropeway down towards Lake Ashi.

The final part of the Hakone loop involves crossing the lake aboard one of the wonderfully theatrical Hakone Sightseeing Cruise.

Yes… a pirate ship 🏴‍☠️😂

Unfortunately, when we arrived we discovered we had missed the final departure by 15 minutes 😳

Along with several other disappointed travellers, we accepted defeat.

Still… we had already seen plenty of amazing things that day.

So we simply caught a bus back to Hakone-Yumoto instead.

> The Journey Back

The return trip to Tokyo involved several trains… all fast, efficient and wonderfully organised.

By this point, though the day’s adventures were definitely catching up with us.

Or maybe it was the cumulative effect of the entire trip so far.

Either way, by the time we arrived back in the city we had plenty of ideas about where to go for dinner…

But exhaustion won.

Back at our accommodation around 10pm, we decided the best option was simply sleep 😂Read more