A One-Day Hakone Itinerary: Day Trip from Tokyo

Hakone is located in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, west of Tokyo. It is well known for its hot springs and views of Mount Fuji. The main sightseeing route is a loop, so you can travel in either direction, which makes planning easy. Hakone is one of the first places travelers think of for a trip from Tokyo. Today we'll show you a simple way to visit Hakone as a day trip from Tokyo.

Take the train from Shinjuku Station to Hakone-Yumoto Station on the Odakyu Romancecar (about 85 minutes; it's best to depart early in the morning). From there, take the Hakone Tozan Railway to Gora Station, then ride the Hakone Tozan Cable Car to Sounzan, the departure point for the Hakone Ropeway with views of Mount Fuji. The ropeway offers a full 360-degree view, and after about 10 minutes you'll reach the Owakudani valley, formed by the eruption of Mount Kamiyama about 3,000 years ago. Even today, heat remains trapped beneath the surface, constantly turning underground water into steam. Large deposits of volcanic sulfur give the rising steam its distinctive smell, which is why locals call this area the 'Valley of Hell.' The sulfur-rich water from here is piped to nearby hot spring resorts, where visitors soak to relax their muscles and ease various ailments.

Every visitor to Owakudani should try the black eggs, or kuro tamago, eggs boiled in the valley's hot springs. Legend says eating one black egg adds seven years to your life. You can buy them at the shop below for 500 yen for a set of five. You can also buy black egg-shaped souvenirs. Don't miss the chance to take photos of Mount Fuji from the viewpoint here, since this is one of the clearest spots in Hakone to see the mountain.

After exploring Owakudani valley, take the ropeway on to Togendai-ko, where you can board the pirate ship cruise on Lake Ashi. Boat fares are as follows:

Standard class: adults ¥1,000, children ¥500

First class: adults ¥1,500, children ¥750

The boat has separate first-class and standard-class sections, with seating on the first and second floors, plus a deck where you can enjoy views of Mount Fuji and the lake.

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After the lake cruise, you can take the Hakone Tozan Bus from Hakonemachi Pier (Hakone-shindo Line) or Motohakone-ko Pier (Hakone-kyukaido Line) to Hakone-Yumoto to connect back to Tokyo. If you have 3-4 hours to spare, you can instead take the boat (or the Ashinoko Skyline bus from Hakonemachi) back to Togendai, then board the Hakone Tozan Shinjuku Hakone Line bus to Gotemba Station (about 30 minutes), and continue on to Gotemba Premium Outlets (buses depart every 20 minutes).

You can download the bus route map at http://www.hakone-tozanbus.co.jp/english/pdf/access.pdf

Photo by Jungle from commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gotemba_premium_outlets1.jpg [CC by-sa 3.0] On the way back from the outlet, take the bus back to Gotemba Station, then board the Hakone Tozan Shinjuku Hakone Line bus bound for Shinjuku, or take the JR Gotemba Line bound for Kozu and transfer to the JR Tokaido Line bound for Koganei to reach Tokyo.