Hakone & Mt Fuji

Why Hakone & Mt Fuji works

Hakone has drawn Japanese travellers seeking rest and hot-spring healing since the Edo period, when it sat along the old Tokaido road connecting Tokyo and Kyoto, and its onsen culture remains the region's central appeal today. Lake Ashi, formed in the caldera of Mount Hakone's last major eruption thousands of years ago, is best crossed aboard one of the lake's replica pirate-ship cruises, which offer, on clear days, an unobstructed view of Mount Fuji's symmetrical cone rising beyond the water — one of the most reliably photographed vistas in Japan. The vermillion torii gate of Hakone Shrine appears to float just offshore in the lake, a favoured spot for both prayer and photographs. Owakudani, a volcanic valley of active sulphur vents reached by ropeway, sells kuro-tamago — eggs boiled in the valley's hot springs until their shells turn black, said to add seven years to your life. The Hakone Open-Air Museum combines sculpture gardens with a dedicated Picasso pavilion, an unusual but beloved pairing against a mountain backdrop. Ryokan stays here are part of the experience as much as the sights — traditional inns built around private or shared onsen baths, tatami-floored rooms, and multi-course kaiseki dinners served in-room, making Hakone one of the most complete introductions to traditional Japanese hospitality within easy reach of Tokyo.

Trip Snapshot

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