Hakone - Day Three

One of the things I wanted to do in Japan was ride the famous shinkansen bullet train and Sophie wanted to check out the Hakone area. The solution was obvious: take the bullet train to Hakone. We were getting kind of a late start for Hakone after eating our big sushi brunch at Sushizanmai, so taking the bullet train was more than just a joy ride. We would get there in about 40 minutes instead of 90 minutes on a regular express train. The fare to Odawara (the closest station to Hakone) is about US$35 one way, more than double the regular fare. But worth it! The bullet train turned out to be quite a thrill ride. The ride itself is extremely smooth and the seats are very comfy, but the view out the window is quite impressive. The scenery near the tracks literally blurs past just like being on a 1000cc superbike, only a lot less windy. This was all on the slowest of bullet trains. The kodama only does 150 mph or so while the fastest nozomi trains cruise at 185 mph. Your eyes can focus on objects further away from the track and the scenery once outside the Tokyo area is quite different. Small farms, Japanese style houses, and mountains all make up a very pleasant backdrop.

The Hakone area is one of the most popular national parks in Japan. Amongst other things, it's known for really nice views of Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately, Mt. Fuji is known for hiding behind the clouds and did so the day we visited. Hakone is still an interesting area to visit and there's quite a bit of other things to see. Upon arriving in Odawara, we bought the "Hakone Free Pass" for Y3410 (US$31) per person (not quite free...). It's a 48 hour pass which allows you to ride pretty much any form of mass transit in the area. In our case that included trains to and from Hakone, narrow gauge train up the hill, funicular, cable cars, a pirate ship, and a bus. The area looks kind of like Lake Tahoe with tree covered mountains surrounding a lake. Even though we were there on a Monday, it was quite crowded. Basically every bus, train, etc. seemed to be full. The lines were generally short although I can't imagine how crowded it must be on a weekend during peak visiting times. The small villages looked very cute and very clean. Unfortunately, we were there only for an afternoon and did not have enough time to explore them in much depth. Next time, we will have to stay longer and check out the hot springs.


Riding the cable car up. The leaves were all turning colors.



On the cable car looking at the hot springs.



Closer to the hot springs. The sulfur whiff around here was a bit strong.



Lake Ashinoko. Check out the pirate ships.



Setting sail on a pirate ship.



Looking at the trees around the lake.



Lake Ashinoko.



Approaching Motohakone. Check out the Shinto shrine.



There's something kind of strange about a pirate ship and Mississippi river boat on an Alpine lake in Japan.



An alley in Motohakone.



Main street Motohakone. It's a really cute town and unfortunately we didn't have too much time to explore it since it was already getting kind of late.


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