As I have admitted in past blog posts, I pretty much did not do any planning for my Japan trip so it’s no surprise that I had literally never heard of Hakone until we got there. It is the smallest little town with some shops and hotels but it has the biggest claim to fame, a wonderful view of Mt. Fuji. We went full relax mode in Hakone and stayed in a ryokan with a traditional onsen and it was such a nice way to end the trip. You could definitely make this a day trip if you’re really trying to save on time but I loved having a bit of extra time to relax here. If you’re staying the night these are some important things to know!
If you’re taking the cable car to the Mt. Fuji viewpoint, go as early in the day as possible. The first day we arrived we got there in the afternoon and it was too windy for the cable car to be running so it was already shutdown for the day. The next morning we were there right after it opened and we had no problems but it shut down again that afternoon. A lot of people come to Hakone as a day trip from Tokyo so if you go early you’ll beat the rush of people just coming for a day trip.
Bring a warm layer. I had been wearing dresses with little jackets the entire trip and I was absolutely freezing in Hakone. We got up the mountain and it was so windy I wanted to buy a sweatshirt! Even if it’s a thin layer to put under you clothes, you’ll probably want something to warm you up from the wind.
Be prepared to eat convenient store dinner. We stayed at Hakone Tent and there was only one restaurant open for dinner in the area so you have very limited dinner options. There were multiple places open for lunch but everything seemed to close around 5pm. We headed to Lawson and everyone was their stockpiling stuff to eat for dinner so we definitely weren’t alone.
I don’t usually subscribe to where you stay matters but in my opinion, where you stay in Hakone really matters! Because everything closes on the early side, you want to make sure you enjoy your accommodation. My friend who planned the whole trip booked a ryokan with a private onsen and there was even a cute little bar in the lobby. It was so lovely to be able to relax in the evening without having to leave the hotel.
You aren’t in a big city anymore, be patient with the public transit. We took the cable car up the mountain and down the other side and did a boat ride on Lake Ashi. After having some food and exploring the shops we were ready to head back to our hotel. Because the boat had stopped running, our only option was to take the bus back to our hotel. We waited at least 30 minutes for a bus with empty seats to come get us. That bus only brought us half way back and we decided to walk the rest of the way instead of waiting for another bus. Between the buses, trains and cable cars, you can definitely get everywhere; it might just be a bit slower!