Hakone 箱根
Art museums, hiking & onsen
Less than 100km southwest of Tōkyō and easy to get to, Hakone is a popular destination among both Japanese and international tourists .
Its famous for its numerous hot springs, natural beauty and the view across Lake Ashinoko of Mt Fuji.
There are lots of options. Our pick is - from Hakone-Yumoto, take the Hakone Tozan Railway and transfer at Gora to the cablecar to Sounzan Station.
The Hakone Ropeway then connects Sounzan Station with Togendai Station (on the shore of Lake Ashinoko), with stops at Owakudani and Ubako stations on the way.
For volcanic fun, get off at the Owakudani ropeway station and head into Owakudani, with sulfurous fumes, hot springs and hot rivers in an active volcanic zone. Eating one of the eggs cooked in a hot spring pools is said to prolong one's life by seven years.
Hop back on the ropeway to get to Togendai Station and take a bus from there.
For keen hikers, there’s an excellent hiking trail from the Owakudani ropeway station to the peak of Mt Kamiyama and on to Mt Komagatake. From there, catch the Komagatake Ropeway down to Lake Ashinoko.