Hakone

Hakone is famous spot for domestic tourism in Japan, and many Japanese, as well as foreign people come here to enjoy onsen, hiking on mountains and taking pictures of Mt.Fuji.

Hakone is a town in Kanagawa prefecture.

It takes about two hours from Tokyo to Hakone with Odakyu Odawara Line from Shinjuku.

Those travelling in group might want to reserve seat from Odakyu Romance Car, as some of them have large windows suitable for sight seeing. The tickets usually can be purchased as packages which sometimes include accommodation.

Often Hakone Freepass is included in the package. It is a special ticket which allows unlimited travelling inside Hakone.

In Hakone, you can feel the presence of volcanic soil and untouched mountain forest. There is still untouched forest here on mountains and the air smells very different.

The mountain trains do zig-zag as the hill is too steep to climb directly. The most steepest hills are operated by cable car type trains which are attached into a thick wire in center of the tracks.

A boat is operating on Lake Ashi, which can be accessed with Hakone Freepass. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands are some of the most famous sightseeing spots. The most largest mountain in Hakone is called Hakone Barrier. From here its not far to Lake Kawaguchi, either.

In Hakone, chances are that you can catch a decent picture of Mount Fuji. Some people go to Hakone for that sole purpose.

Hakone is most known of it's onsen resorts. The oldest onsen in Hakone is Yumoto onsen which is famous of it's tenzan buildings and open air baths, and the fact that it is always open.

In Hakone, you can also enjoy ashiyu, a Japanese foot spa.

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