Hakone Things to Do

Hakone Palace Hotel's Spa-area is situated on the first floor and separated for men and women.
Your Yakuta (bathrobe) and slippers are already prepared in your hotel-room.
On the first floor you have to take care to find the right gender-specific entrance. You enter a room, where you should undress (totally), and deposit your Yakuta , underwear and watch, glasses etc in a basket , that can be closed away in a box.
Just armed with a towel you will now enter the anteroom of the "grand" hot spring bath (an inside hot pool). You should now use one of the many wash-basins, situated near the floor and soapen,shrub,wash and rinse your body before entering the hot spring bath, where you will find a quiet place to lay down and stay for about half an hour (be careful, your circulation may not approve of too much heat!)
There is also an open air bath with hot springs for men and women, accessible from the inside pools, hidden between high green hedges. A very special experience, when it's raining !!

A deep blue lake formed by an ancient volcano 400 thousand years ago. Nowadays, it offers boating and fishing for the many Japanese that flock here on weekends.

If you travel with the Hakone Freepass, there are cruise ships built like pirate ships that ply between the villages along the 20 km shoreline.

On a good day, the lake offers breathtaking views of Mount Fuji.

From Odawara Station their is Odakyu Travel Services sales office you can buy "Hakone Free Pass" a roundtrip pass and you have the flexibility of six types of transportation in the area and offers unlimited boarding pass, you saved money, line up and hassle. And they give you brouchure and map.
.
I recommend to start early in the morning because the area is very huge to visit for one day.
.
When I was there the weather does not cooperate a little bit of rain and foggy. When I left Yokohama is not raining and I did not see that much of Hakone, because I did not bring my umbrella.
.

1 more image

This is a scenic lake in the area of Hakone.
It is a crater lake and it is very popular for its view of Mt. Fuji, but I was not so luky to get such a view as I met a cloudy day.
If you are interested in the various views that the lake can offer, you can take one of the many boat tours around the lake, we did not have time to do that, but could notice that many tourists enjoy.

1 more image

When my friend told me that we were coming here to enjoy hot spring, I did not even know what hot spring is, and now I know it's a sort of thermal baths.
This kind of resort in Japan are near volcanos as those waters have told to be healthy for the body.
I enjoyed hot spring baths in Tokyu harvest club where we slept but almos any hotel in Hakone has its own hot spring where you can relax.

This active crater is worth the trouble of multiple transport links to get there. A great, steaming mountain shrouded in sulfurous mist. Be sure to buy some eggs boiled black in the hellish waters. They add 7 years to your life. Really.

1 more image

Forget the trains and buses and taxis. Get off your ass and go for a walk! Get a feel for rural Japan. You'll bump into plenty of other trekkers. This a place of tremendous natural beauty. The rolling hills and gentle creeks are the reason to be in Hakone, so go see them.

3 more images

We picked up a brochure for this place from the station (Hakone-Yumoto). We were drawn to it because of the beautiful photo's of owls (at rest and in flight) and flowers on the front page. The brochure was written in Kanji. We assumed it was a garden/bird sanctuary and decided that if we had time we would fit it in. We did find the time but didn't find the birds! Mostly because there aren't any! I still don't understand why the pictures on the pamphlet? We tried to ask, but everyone played dumb, and my japanese just wasn't up to it. Regardless, it made for a pleasant stop on a cold day! It is beautifully warm inside! There is a cafeteria, and a craft shop upstairs that sells dried flower type souveneirs and other artworks. It is a very cheery place to be when its freezing outside, but unless you're a mad gardener, (or desperately in need of warming up), don't go out of your way.