[You can read also Ep1: Yokohama,  Ep2: Miura and Ep3: Kamakura &Fujisawa]

This post is on How to Get to Hakone! Did you know? (although i have already told you) Hakone is part of Kanagawa Prefecture, and is its best-known tourist destination.

#ButFirstLetMeTakeASelfie

Today’s coordinate. Accessories changed as it get a little colder, much colder, super freaking cold, etc.

 

This guide would be useful even for myself as i have never gone to Hakone by train before. The danna usually rents a car and he would drive up to the shrine, make our prayers and come back down. We stayed over in a ryokan once and lately i requested to go to Owakudani (the place with black egg!!), and it has never occurred me that there are so many other places to visit in Hakone.

So to get to Hakone, you can travel on Odakyu Railway, either depart from Shinjuku or Odawara/Gotemba.

And it’s recommended you get a Hakone Freepass!

A Hakone Freepass allows you to travel unlimited times on all these transportation:

1. Hakone Tozan Line (the picture below)

2. Hakone Tozan Cable Car

3. Hakone Ropeway

4. Hakone Sightseeing Cruise (The Pirate Cruise)

5. Hakone Tozan bus

6.Odakyu Highway Bus

We took a train from Fujisawa to Odawara, and started with the Hakone Tozan Line.

 

Hakone Freepass

You can get this value-priced excursion ticket al all Odakyu Line stations.

From Shinjuku, it costs 5,140 yen for a 2 Day Pass and 5,640 yen for a 3 Day Pass. From Odawara/Gotemba, it costs 4,000 yen for a 2 Day Pass and 4,500 Yen for a 3 Day Pass.

It may look rather pricey at first glance, but it actually saves you quite a bit compared to paying for each mode of transport separately (usually cost more than 6,500 yen).

First you go a ticket machine and press “Free Pass”. (This time all in English :D) Then select “Hakone”.

Next you can choose to purchase a 2 Day Pass or 3 Day Pass.

And then you select “Limited Express” to purchase it by cash.

Done!!! Mine is a 2 Day Pass, although it was a day trip for me T___T.

I strongly recommend every one to spend a night in Hakone. It somehow just seem not right to go to Hakone and not stay over in a ryokan. Hakone = Ryokan = Unlimited Onsen = Relax = Happy. That’s my Hakone equation hahaha.

Anyway next week i’ll be going to Hakone again with the danna and Junya, AND staying over! 😀 😀 😀 😀

This is the Hakone Tozan train.

If you come from Shinjuku, Tokyo, you actually have the option to travel on Romancar (for 890 yen extra), a limited express connecting Shinjukyu and Hakone directly.It’s a very comfortable express train where you can buy lunch boxes and souvenir. It takes only about 85 mins. Whereas the normal Odakyu Line + Hakone Tozan Line from Shijuku takes about 115 minutes.

The Hakone Tozan Line will bring you to Hakone Yumoto, and from here, you can either choose to take the Hakone Tozan Bus, or change train.

Spotted a poster for Ofuro (Japanese Bath) with a Japanese pun lolol. It says “Thank-Yu”. Yu means bath in Japanese. They have a Sake Bath, Wine Bath, Tea Bath and… wait what?!

Yakult Bath emp2emp2emp2

 

So our first stop is the Chokoku No Mori Hakone Open-Air Museum. You stop at Chokoku-no-Mori Station and take a 2-minute walk.

The museum is the first outdoor art museum that gives visitors the opportunity to encounter great sculptures in a natural setting. It has 120 masterpieces as permanent display  by famous modern and contemporary sculptors.

The first thing that greeted us was a mini rock fountain with flowing hot spring water. Just perfect to warm our hands on a super cold and windy day!

Other than admiring art sculptures, it was also a very good chace to take a leisurely stroll and just bask in the soul-nurturing nature.

Such a beautiful, sunny day!

Some of its popular art displays.

We also came across a couple of museum staff carefully wiping and polishing this man all over as if giving it a loving bath lolol.

Put your butt on a sunny-side-up, anyone?

The Woods of Net. An art display + playground for children.

One of the highlights of the museum is the Picasso Pavilion, with its rotational displays from the more than 300 Picasso pieces in this world-class collection.

No photos are allowed in the Museum, so here’s how it looks from the outside.

Spotted a persimmon tree!

There are soooooooo many of them in such mini sizes!

 

The Symphonic Sculpture.

 

We walked back to the train station, and got on the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.

Splashes of autumn hue all over, it may have been one of the most scenic train rides i’ve ever taken!

 

We got down at Sounzan Station, and moved forward to Owakudani with the Hakone Ropeway. Remember to keep the Hakone Freepass with you! You will need to show it anytime at the station checkpoint.

It was starting to get colder as we went higher.

Inside cable car.

Can’t believe there are houses buried deep in the mountains!

And…. guess what we saw next???

Mt Fuji!! So so up close (although doesn’t really show in the picture), I have never seen it so perfectly white before!

Just a selfie with Mt Fuji.

And more. ♡

 

It’s getting nearer to the destination, and you can see the onsen steam bforming clouds on the ground.

Lunch at the canteen. Pretty romantic like this! 😀

Our curry rice!

With the real onsen tamago!!!!!

That’s the only picture i had at Owakudani. It was way too cold and windy to explore any further and since i’ve already been there once, i just braced myself against the chill and dashed over to the souvenir shop and bought my black eggs.

At my most unglam self a reader still manage to recognized me. Thank you Yumi (i hope i remember correctly!)

And that’s all!

Soon after we took the ropeway back down, then the cable car, and train back to Yokohama.

I really wished we had stay the night, but we had to rush back to meet my flight at night. Maybe next time!

 

 

Also, if you are interested, you can also read my previous posts on Hakone:

April 2014 (Owakudani)

December 2013 (Gotemba & Hakone)

December 2013 (Tokyo & Hakone)

March 2013 (Fukuoka & Hakone)

 

 

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