Hakone

I get to the ryokan and my traditional tatami room is ideal. I sink into a chair, pour some tea and struggle with the idea of getting up again and going out for some dinner. I ask at the desk if there’s a restaurant nearby and am pointed in the direction of a local ramen place. Unfortunately it’s closed, so I stop at a convenience store and get snacks. Cheese sticks, nori crisps and jerky - not exactly what I had in mind, but I’m so hungry now it seems like a delicious feast. I pick up a six pack of Japanese beer as well. On the way back to my room, I’m forced to explain my questionable dinner to the lady at the front desk. She’s sorry that the ramen place was closed, but I smile and say it
doesn’t matter. A short time later, she brings a bowl of instant ramen to my room and I’m overwhelmed by this simple act of kindness. It’s been a pretty mixed day, but after a bit to eat and a dip in the onsen I’m feeling a lot better about Hakone.

I wake up early. The sky is bright blue this morning, a far cry from the grey of yesterday. I’m supposed to leave for Kyoto now, but I start to think about having another shot at seeing Fuji-san. I’m looking at two fifty minute bus journeys then a hurried check out and race to the train station, but I believe I can make it. I hurry to the bus stop and wait impatiently for the bus. I see the first hint of cloud gathering and start to wonder if this is such a good idea. The bus arrives and I get on. The next fifty minutes are quite stressful as I try to work out which direction the rapidly multiplying, though wispy, clouds are travelling in. Then, as the bus pulls into Moto Hakone, I'm stunned by the sight of a huge, symmetrical volcano that was definitely not there yesterday. It's so completely unexpected that in the time it takes me to realise that this is the view of Fuji that I had hoped for, the bus pulls off and continues on to Hakone Machi.

My eyes are locked on the mountain and when we arrive in Hakone Machi five minutes later, Fuji is still visible, but the covering of cloud known as Fuji’s Jacket is climbing higher. I get off the bus and take a good look. I was indeed looking at a little piece of Fuji yesterday, but - although this is the Free Pass recommended Fuji viewpoint - I am convinced that the better view was back at Moto Hakone, so I decide to head there before catching the return bus. I’m now racing against Fuji’s rising jacket, so jog through the Hakone Barrier, then run down the ancient cedar avenue.

I emerge from the trees at Moto Hakone and Fuji is almost wearing his full cirrus jacket now, but it’s still a fantastic sight, with the red of the Hakone Shrine bright against the trees and its reflection vivid in the lake. This was why I came to Hakone and I can forgive Fuji-san for his earlier modesty as – having had to work a little harder for it – seeing him now seems to be much more of an accomplishment. With my quest completed, I’m smiling from ear-to-ear for the entire bus ride back to Hakone Yumoto, and then the train to Odawara and the shinkansen to Kyoto.

The Search for Fuji-san

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.