Well-rested, I make my way to the Tokyo JR station in order to activate my JR pass and reserve a seat on the train to Odawara - my first shinkansen journey. The Kodama 569 pulls into the station, waits for a couple of minutes then leaves at precisely 11:00am, as scheduled. Twenty-eight minutes later we’re in Odawara and the shinkansen has proved to be as clean, smooth and efficient as advertised. At Odawara, I pick up my Hakone Free Pass which will cover all my travel needs for Hakone - an area renowned for its hot springs, walks and views of tautological ‘Mount Fuji’. A train, cable car, funicular, boat and bus join routes to create the Hakone loop which takes in the major sights of the area, providing three established Fuji viewpoints that - weather permitting - give you an opportunity to gaze at Japan’s famous mountain.
For the first time since I arrived in Japan, it’s damp and overcast, so I set off with little hope of seeing the mountain, save for a chance break in the cloud cover. Without the views of Fuji-san (or of anything at all in the case of the cable car), the Hakone loop isn’t much more than a series of well-connected gift shops, but when the cable car descends from the mist into the “hell valley” of Owakundai, I am impressed by the inhospitable, volcanic landscape that seems to match my mood so perfectly, following the disappointment of a hidden Fuji.
I board the cable car again and the heady combination of sulphur dioxide and altitude helps me pass through the next Fuji viewpoint fully embracing the Japanese concept of kore wa, kore wa. I can't offer a reliable translation, but I imagine it means something akin to que sera, sera. Resolved that whatever will be, will be, I board a boat for the trip across Lake Ashi, which offers the last chance to see Fuji.
It’s still not clear enough to see much, but when our boat docks at Hakone Machi, I can just make out a small, grey cone. A few people are pointing at it, so I attempt to comfort myself with the knowledge that I’ve now seen Fuji, even if it’s not quite the majestic spectacle that I’d hoped for. With that, I move onto the second reason for visiting Hakone: the Tokaido road.
The Tokaido road was a major route into the city of Edo and at Hakone Machi, stands the Hakone Barrier, a checkpoint that allowed the shogun to have travellers searched. After passing the checkpoint, users of the road were treated to a cedar-lined avenue, providing shade from the sun (or shelter from snow) and 2km of this ancient cedar avenue remains today.
From Moto Hakone, the road continues for another 11km to Hakone Yumoto, the traditional start and end point of the Hakone Loop and where I'll be staying the night at a traditional Japanese inn (ryokan) complete with hot springs (onsen). I decide to follow the road for a while, as I can always switch to the bus later and I’m intrigued by the prospect of stopping at the Amazakejaya teahouse, where for hundreds of years, travellers have rested and enjoyed a cup of amazake - a milky, sweet, alcoholic rice drink.
For the first time since I arrived in Japan, it’s damp and overcast, so I set off with little hope of seeing the mountain, save for a chance break in the cloud cover. Without the views of Fuji-san (or of anything at all in the case of the cable car), the Hakone loop isn’t much more than a series of well-connected gift shops, but when the cable car descends from the mist into the “hell valley” of Owakundai, I am impressed by the inhospitable, volcanic landscape that seems to match my mood so perfectly, following the disappointment of a hidden Fuji.
I board the cable car again and the heady combination of sulphur dioxide and altitude helps me pass through the next Fuji viewpoint fully embracing the Japanese concept of kore wa, kore wa. I can't offer a reliable translation, but I imagine it means something akin to que sera, sera. Resolved that whatever will be, will be, I board a boat for the trip across Lake Ashi, which offers the last chance to see Fuji.It’s still not clear enough to see much, but when our boat docks at Hakone Machi, I can just make out a small, grey cone. A few people are pointing at it, so I attempt to comfort myself with the knowledge that I’ve now seen Fuji, even if it’s not quite the majestic spectacle that I’d hoped for. With that, I move onto the second reason for visiting Hakone: the Tokaido road.
The Tokaido road was a major route into the city of Edo and at Hakone Machi, stands the Hakone Barrier, a checkpoint that allowed the shogun to have travellers searched. After passing the checkpoint, users of the road were treated to a cedar-lined avenue, providing shade from the sun (or shelter from snow) and 2km of this ancient cedar avenue remains today.
From Moto Hakone, the road continues for another 11km to Hakone Yumoto, the traditional start and end point of the Hakone Loop and where I'll be staying the night at a traditional Japanese inn (ryokan) complete with hot springs (onsen). I decide to follow the road for a while, as I can always switch to the bus later and I’m intrigued by the prospect of stopping at the Amazakejaya teahouse, where for hundreds of years, travellers have rested and enjoyed a cup of amazake - a milky, sweet, alcoholic rice drink.
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