It’s still the rainy season in Japan and going anywhere near Mt. Fuji is pointless because it will be forever hidden in the clouds. Hakone is one of those places that’s a thousand times better if you can see Mt. Fuji. In case you’re not familiar with Hakone, it’s the hotspring resort town at the end of the Odakyu line. You can get there in less than 2 hours via the Romance car from Shinjuku. There’s some very nice hotsprings and restaurants in the area which is perfect for a weekend date. Hakone is also one of the best places to drive fast and tight winding roads through the mountains. I wanted to get away this weekend and decided late friday night to head out there just to drive some of those curves. Luckily it only rained at night and during the day the roads were mostly dry and I could put the top down.

(1) This is one of the pirate ships you can ride across Lake Ashinoko. Usually you can see a magnificent view of Mt. Fuji across the lake to the left. There were busloads of bored European tourists waiting to get on the next boat. I felt sorry for them because they came all the way from the other side of the earth to see Mt. Fuji, but all they could experience was this plain looking lake and a tacky boat. Oh well, it is a lot better when Mt. Fuji is visible, really! (2) Stuck in traffic on the road leading up to Hakone Shrine. Certain parts of Hakone are gridlock on the weekend. Even if you don’t drive you’ll still get stuck in the jams riding the bus. Better to be in your own car listening to your tunes.

On the way to Hakone saturday morning I saw this Yakult tanker truck on the Tomei Expressway. Can you imagine how many bottles of Yakult it must be carrying?!

(1) The entrance to the famous Hakone Turnpike, now renamed the Toyo Tyres Turnpike. It costs ¥700 to drive the road which I found rather boring (2) At the end of the turnpike there was an observation area which is supposed to have a fantastic view of Hakone and Mt. Fuji. Well, it was soo foggy I could hardly see my hand in front of my face.

(1) Here you can see how narrow the roads are and how heavy the traffic can be (2) I managed to butt into a parade of Fairlady Zs out on tour.

(1) The Fujiya Hotel is the most famous hotel in Hakone. It’s a beautiful Japanese-Western style hotel that I have always wanted to visit. I didn’t stop to take any photos of the hotel but got a snap of a sign. A must see spot if you like classic hotels (2) Here’s a shot of the Hakone Yumoto onsen which is also one of the oldest and famous hot springs in the area. Looks kind of like an old apartment to me. We visited a newer onsen nearby called Tenzan which was also very nice. If you are looking for a modern, elegant onsen experience, I recommend it.

In one of the souvenir shops at MotoHakone they had a rather large selection of cheesy Japanese souvenirs aimed at foreign tourists. You can only find these kinds of items at places where foreigners will visit (Narita Airport, Asakusa) so I was surprised to see them in Hakone. I guess it’s a popular destination. The quality of the souvenirs here seemed better than the stuff you can find elsewhere although most of the things had “Made in China” on them.

Some more stuff.

Omiyage (souvenirs) aimed at Japanese tourists are usually edibles that can be broken down into 2 types. The first type are usually things like dried fish or produce or other kinds of Japanese style food items made by local people. The second type are usually a variety of cookies or biscuits which comes in a box with a photo of whatever is famous in that particular area. In this case, it would be Mt. Fuji. After years of visiting many places across Japan and examining all the different kinds of omiyage available, I’ve come to the realization that the second type of omiyage are all the same and must be made by the same company. They simply change the name and packaging, but the actual cookie or biscuit itself is the same, perhaps with a different flavour. When buying omiyage, make sure you are buying the first type.

I decided to drive back home via the local roads, from Hakone to Gotemba, Yamanaka lake, Fuji Yoshida, Otsuki and along route 20 (Koshukaido) which takes me directly home. A 4 hour drive. We took a break at Fuji Yoshida and saw a crowd of people collecting water from a wall. Apparently fresh spring water from Mt. Fuji. As you can see, some people brought huge containers to stock up. I stood in the “500 ml or less” line and filled up my pet bottle.

I’ll have to make another trip out to Hakone when the weather is nice and I can take better photos.