Published on May, 2025
We had only one full day to spend in Hakone, so we decided to book a tour to make the most of our time there. We had a fun and interesting tour with Kiyomi—he was friendly and engaging. We met Kiyomi at the Hakone-Yumoto Train Station and boarded the Hakone-Tozan Railway, which is quite scenic and has switchbacks that enable the train to work its way up the steep terrain. We then changed to the Hakone-Tozan Cable Car—a funicular, and then to
a gondola car of the Hakone Ropeway—which crosses above the volcanic area. We had heard that on a clear day the view of Mt. Fuji from the Ropeway is magnificent, but unfortunately it was very overcast the day we went. We stopped for lunch at Owakudani Station, and Kiyomi told us about the area. We then took the Ropeway down to Lake Ashi, where we boarded one of the Pirate ships that cross the lake. Again, it was too cloudy to see Mt. Fuji, but the lake was scenic and peaceful.
We were interested in shopping for local handicrafts, so Kiyomi found a shop that had beautiful wooden products made in the area. We then caught a bus back to the Hakone-YumotoTrain Station. It was a fun and interesting day, and we were able to see and learn a lot about the area without the stress of trying to navigate it ourselves!
