During my stay in Japan, I really wanted to go to an area that is very close to Mount Fuji and from where you can enjoy a good view of it. Climbing Mount Fuji itself is only possible during the summer months until around the beginning of September. Looking for a nice place in the area, I came across Hakone - pictures of a beautiful lake and a great view of Mount Fuji had quickly convinced me.
Tip: For public transportation, check out the "Hakone Free Pass" option. You can purchase this pass for a varying number of days and then ride just about any mode of transportation in Hakone and the surrounding area. For a small extra charge, this pass even includes travel to and from Tokyo if you are coming from there.
On my first full day, I left my quarters (in Odawara, the quasi-neighboring town of Hakone) very early in order to get a lot out of the day and not get lost in the tourist crowds. This leads me also immediately to my next tip.
Tip: Odawara is the neighboring town of Hakone and the two cities are well connected by bus and train. In Odawara there are from my experience cheaper hotels than in Hakone, so who wants to save money, is also very good here. And the "Hakone Free Pass" is also valid in Odawara. 😊
So from Odawara I took the train to the station "Hakone Yumoto". From Hakone, you then have different options to continue with buses to explore the Fuji-Hakone Izu National Park. This national park was founded in 1936 and consists of the volcanic peak of Fujisan, Hakone, five Fuji lakes, the Izu Peninsula with the Amagi volcano and the Izu Islands.
I took the H bus and rode it to the OH 67 station, called "Motohakone-KO." This station is located on the edge of Lake Ashi.
From this station I visited the Hakone Shrine. It is located right on the shore of Lake Ashi and I'm sure many of you know this very famous picture of the torii (red gate) of this shrine by the water. This shrine was originally built on Komagatake Mountain. Only later was it moved down to the shore of Lake Ashi.
Due to the tourist crowds at the shrine, I did not stay here very long, but immediately walked a piece around the lake, to then take another bus, which brought me to the "Mishima Skywalk", the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Japan with 400 meters. From there you should have a top view of Mount Fuji. Arrived at the bridge I could recognize the Mount Fuji, but he was wrapped in a variety of clouds.
I was admittedly a bit disappointed. In addition, the bus back to the lake went only hourly and I had to wait another 50 minutes. After standing on the bridge and somewhat demotivatedly watching the cloudscape around Mount Fuji, I noticed beautiful birds elegantly making their rounds across the bridge. It was great to watch them and I also tried to photograph them - this was not easy because of the distance, but you can recognize them - I think they were eagles. So the waiting time passed then but as in flight. 😊
After arriving back at Lake Ashi by bus, I took a boat to go to the other side of the lake. On clear days you should also have a super view of Mount Fuji from the boat, but on this day unfortunately not. The boat ride was still totally beautiful. You could look from this side again the Torii of the Hakone shrine and generally it was great to see the landscape around the lake from this perspective.
After we arrived at the other end of the lake, you could take a cable car to Owakudani. Also from the cable car you can see Mount Fuji generally well.
Owakudani is a volcanic valley at the altitude of 1040 meters. It was formed (as was Lake Ashi) by the last eruption of Mount Hakone about 3000 years ago. Once there, you can see the escape of volcanic gases, which come from sulfurous hot springs. Eggs are boiled in these springs. The sulfur turns the shell black. These eggs are then sold in stores right there. It is said that eating these eggs prolongs one's life. I was already so put off by the smell that I couldn't bring myself to try these eggs.
Also from this point you can have a super view over Mount Fuji on clear days.
To add variety to the number of different modes of transportation, I then took a funicular to get to the other side of the summit, to Gora. From Gora, you could then take a train back to Hakone or Odawara.
Tip: I would advise everyone to start as early as possible and start with the most frequented places in my opinion (Hakone Shrine & boat trip). In all other areas, the tourist crowds are not so drastically felt, there it gets lost well.
Overall, it was a very long but varied day with many opportunities to see Mount Fuji from very different perspectives. Even if the view of Mount Fuji was not as clear as I would have liked, the landscape within the national park was worth this visit alone.
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