In the Kanagawa Prefecture lies the tiny town of Hakone at the eastern end of the Hakone Pass in the Ashigarashimo District in Japan. A greater part of the town is located within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park based around Lake Ashi. Apart from the active Mount Fuji, which is considered a sacred volcano, Hakone is well known for its Onsen Hot Springs resorts. Tourists arrive here from all parts of the world including local travelers from Japan. Due to its close proximity to Tokyo, Hakone is a much targeted tourist spot.
When in Hakone, not visiting Mount Fuji is out of the question. This is one amazing trip that you just cannot give a miss. Mount Fuji, which sits at an altitude of 12,388 feet is the highest mountain in Japan and one of the most sought after day tour trips where you can enjoy the scenic beauty of the towering volcano, take a boat trip on Lake Ashi and look down on the well known Hakone National Park when you ride the cable car at Mount Komagatake. You can get breathtakingly spectacular views of the surrounding areas from atop Mount Komogatake.
The beautiful peak of Mount Fuji is visible from Tokyo and Yokohama provided the weather conditions allow it, as the weather is reputed to be quite erratic here. During winter the visibility is clearer and early mornings and late evenings are the best time to sight the exotic splendor of this picturesque mountain. You can choose to visit the Fuji visitor center that displays the cultural art dedicated to Fujisan. The center remains closed on Mondays and so if you happen to be there on a Monday, you can visit the Peace Pogoda instead.
If you plan to have lunch here, you can choose apart from the Japanese restaurant, a few other varieties of restaurants such as those serving Western, Chinese and Italian food. If traveling down from Tokyo, you can also opt to take the famous Shinkansen bullet train to get back to Tokyo after your day’s sightseeing. Coming back to Hakone, there are some interesting tourist attractions that one can visit here. The Hakone Gongen, an ancient Shinto Shrine and the Owakudani Geysers along the shores of Lake Ashi are some targeted tourist spots.
Also the Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands, the Hakone Museum and the Hakone Sengokubara Shissei Kaen are other places of tourist interest. The Hakone Tozan Railway connects to the different resort towns in Hakone, while one can also take the cable car or the ropeway. The Odakyu Odawara Line gets you to Hakone from other cities. The weather in Hakone is a lot more cooler than it is in Tokyo. The best time to visit Hakone is in the months of April and November.
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Photo by mandegan provided courtesy of Panoramio.com
Photo by fumie provided courtesy of Panoramio.com