In search of Mt. Fuji: Hakone

 

One for the tourist snaps

The next stage in our pursuit of Mount Fuji 富士山 began on Valentine's Day. And what better way to celebrate an occasion set aside for love and romance than by enjoying a hotel buffet breakfast at the Rembrandt Hotel Tokyo Machida in, um, Machida 町田, a city known for...pretty much nothing, as far I can determine. The view from our room as we awoke that Wednesday morning:

Even though the relevance completely eluded me at the time, we did depart Machida for Hakone-Yumoto Station 箱根湯本駅 on the appropriately dubbed "Romance Car" ロマンスカー limited express train. The view as we left the burbs behind:

Soon into our ride on the rails, Fujisan began to peek out from behind the foothills. It would be yet another clear day for summit spying:

The Romance Car after arriving at Hakone-Yumoto:

While waiting to change trains at the station, our daughter had a look at some of the Gachapon ガチャポン machines. One had some tempting Denny's-related merch inside, though in the end Amber didn't bite:

The Hakone Tozan Line 箱根登山線 switchback train pulling into the station:

We rode the train all the way to Gōra 強羅駅, the terminus station. This was my second time to have ridden the line, the first happening so long ago, I can't recall the exact time (circa 1989-1990). I do remember at that time getting off to visit the Hakone Open-Air Museum 箱根彫刻の森美術館, which my wife suggested we could do the following day as we had the Hakone Free Pass* 箱根フリーパス, which was valid for two days. In the end, Shu-E would change her mind, something she is wont to do. But before then, we searched for a place to have lunch in the area around Gora Station, which would prove to be an unexpected challenge, as we learned many eateries are actually closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays! In the end we did find a soba 蕎麦 restaurant that was open for business. The friendly owner was more than willing to suggest things to do while we were in the area:

Atop the hill in the background can be seen the character "dai" 大, meaning "big" or "large". It's set alight each August during the Hakone Daimonji-yaki 箱根大文字焼 festival. There is a similar (and more famous) festival in Kyōto 京都 that takes around the same time, during Obon お盆, and involves the setting alight of logs in the shapes five characters (including 大) on hillsides around the city. I saw this on my first trip to the city back in the summer of 1989:

For dessert, my wife suggested getting some sweetened tofu 豆腐 from a nearby shop:

Part of the fun of traveling in the Hakone region is using the different modes of transport to get around, which is made much easier if the traveler avails themselves of the free pass (which saves having to buy individual tickets for each leg of the journey). After lunch we hopped on the cable car 箱根登山ケーブルカー, riding it to the terminus at Sōunzan Station 早雲山駅:

 

The view on the way up:

At Sounzan we switched to the ropeway 箱根ロープウェイ:

Fujisan soon came into view, the first time we had seen her seen the brief glimpses from the Romance Car that morning:

Arriving at Ōwakudani 大涌谷, elevation 1044 meters/3425 feet. I seem to recall when I visited the area 30+ years prior that we were able to walk around the steaming, sulphuric-smelling fumaroles, and purchase eggs steamed in the boiling water. But my aging hippocampus may be confusing this with similar volcanic areas in Japan and Taiwan. In any event, Owakudani is closed off to visitors for now:

The next stage of the aerial lift was closed for maintenance, but buses were available for the last leg of the journey to Tōgendai 桃源台駅 and Lake Ashi 芦ノ湖. Mount Fuji in all her glory as we waited to board the bus:

In addition to seeking out local beers when I travel, I'm also a fan of regional soft drinks, like this bottle of Mount Fuji Cola 富士山コーラ, which I purchased from the gift shop at the port terminal in Togendai:

With plenty of time remaining before dinner at that evening's accommodations, we joined the throng in boarding the goofy-looking pirate boats that ply the waters of Ashinoko. From Togendai, the boat stopped first at Hakone-machi 箱根町港, before moving on to Motohakone 元箱根港, where we got off to have a quick look around. Boat rides are also included in the free pass:

The large torii 鳥居 gate on the approach to Hakone-jinja 箱根神社. Channeling our inner MacArthurs, we would return the following morning:

Getting ready to get back on the boat, on what would be the last scheduled voyage of the day:

Though the boat passage is included in the Hakone Free Pass, there is an upgrade option. For ¥700 (pass holders get a ¥100 discount off the ¥800 price) you can travel "first-class". In practice, this means fewer passengers (and thus more room to move around), and access to more decks. This is how we traveled on the ride back to Togendai, and the reward would be further views of Mount Fuji, the last we would have on this journey:

We would get much closer to this torii the next day (see below):

Back at Togendai:

We weren't exactly sure what we were supposed to be on the lookout for, but in the end we didn't see any critters resembling the one in the sign:

Getting ready to check in at the Hakone Lake Hotel 小田急箱根レイクホテル. Thanks to the baggage forwarding service provided at Hakone-Yumoto Station, our luggage was waiting for us at the front desk. Amber and I used such a service last summer when we traveled the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route 立山黒部アルペンルート. It saved having to lug our bags with us on every leg of the jaunt, which some people appeared to be doing in Hakone!:

Another fine meal:

Sampling both sake 日本酒 and craft beer 地ビール:

Hotel lounge:

Relaxing in the room before bath time:

In addition to a large-sized yukata 浴衣, I also donned the traditional split-toed socks known as tabi 足袋:

Following breakfast the next morning the girls get ready to check out. Sort of:

The view from in front of the hotel:

Arrgh matey, we board the first pirate ship of the day at 1000 hours:

My morning pick-me-up:

The first of the two large torii gates lining the route to Hakone-jinja:

The second torii:

Taking the path away from the road to the shrine:

The main shrine building:

Komainu 狛犬:

What appears to be a giant rice scoop:

For the first time on this trip the weather began to deteriorate:

Enjoying a cup of amazake 甘酒 in the morning chill:

Notice my glasses fogging up:

The Heiwa no Torii 平和の鳥居, erected in 1952 to commemorate the Treaty of San Francisco, which ended the occupation of Japan. Thanks to Japan's recent popularity among travelers (I'm looking at you, Instagram!), we had to line up with all the other tourists in order to take some photos. A marriage proposal took place under the beams while we were queuing up, though the moment was diminished to some extent when the couple ended up restaging the event, presumably because the first photos or videos taken weren't acceptable:

Lunch at a restaurant called Hiroshiya ひろしや. My fragile ego received a boost when one of the servers asked me if I lived in Japan, presumably because I was the only foreign customer (among many present) who ordered their meal in Japanese rather than English:

Taken in front of the local police box 元箱根交番, a cute way of telling visitors the way to Hakone Shrine lay in that direction:

The weather at its worst. It would start to improve after this point:

Lining up to get on a bus. The girls braved the elements while your humble scribe, wearing only a hoodie and a sweater, stayed inside the boat terminal in an attempt to stay dry and warm:

Back on the platform at Hakone-Yumoto Station:

The Odakyū Line 小田急線 express train to take us to Shinjuku 新宿 pulls into Odawara Station 小田原駅:

The primary aim of this visit (at least in Shu-E's eyes) was to see Mount Fuji, and putting all modesty aside, BAM! I delivered everything that she could have hoped for in that department. The weather was close to perfect the three days we were in Lake Kawaguchi 河口湖, Fujiyoshida 富士吉田 and Hakone (except for this final day, but by then the wife was satisfied), and the views we had as a result were of the kind seen in coffee table books and brochures, and on travel and influencer websites. I was also happy that my daughter, too, could get to see the mountain, as our attempt to take the train last summer on a day trip from Tōkyō 東京 to Fujiyoshida had been thwarted by a lack of seats. All things considered, it was mission accomplished for one and all on this visit!

Well, almost. I didn't really get any opportunities to pack on additional weight at a Mister Donut ミスタードーナツ during this trip. And I've still yet to see the Hanshin Tigers 阪神タイガース play at Kōshien Stadium 阪急甲子園球場 (the 2024 season doesn't kick off until March 29, with the first home game at Koshien scheduled for April 9). But even I was largely satisfied with the way things turned out on this trip. And, of course, I'm already working on future excursions. But in the meantime stay tuned here as we wrap things up in Tokyo in the next installment. 

*The name is a bit of a misnomer, as the pass costs ¥6100 if purchased in Shinjuku, or ¥5820 if bought in Machida, as we did on Tuesday evening. Welcome to Japan...