Hakone
Onsen Town In Fuji Hakone Izu National Park · Hakone, Kanagawa
A mountain resort area about ninety minutes from Tokyo, in the volcanic hills of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, and the most popular hot-spring destination near the capital. People come to stay in a ryokan, a traditional inn, bathe in onsen water and eat multi-course dinners in a yukata, and to see Mount Fuji. The classic day is the Hakone loop: a mountain railway that zigzags up through the valleys, a cable car, a ropeway over the steaming volcanic vents of Owakudani, where eggs boiled black in the sulphur springs are sold, a replica pirate ship across Lake Ashi, and the red torii of Hakone Shrine standing in the water. Fuji appears over the lake on clear days, which are more common in winter. The Hakone Open-Air Museum, with sculptures in a hillside park and a Picasso pavilion, is one of the best art museums in Japan. Owakudani and the ropeway close when volcanic activity rises. Many onsen restrict or refuse bathers with tattoos, and it is worth booking a room with a private bath if that applies. Weekends are crowded.
Yumoto, Hakone-machi, Hakone, Kanagawa, 250-0311, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The structure: the loop transport runs from morning to late afternoon, with the ropeway and lake boats stopping earlier than the trains, around 4 to 5 pm, and the ropeway stopping in strong wind; day-use onsen open from morning or midday into the evening; museums open around 9 am to 5 pm; ryokan check-in is mid-afternoon and dinner is at a fixed time. Owakudani and the ropeway close during volcanic alerts, and heavy rain can close the mountain railway. Confirm before travelling.