日本之旅第五天：6月6日2013年, 星期四 - 箱根
Japan Trip Day 5: 6 June 2013, Thursday - Hakone
日本の旅行第五日：６月６日２０１３年（木曜日） - 箱根
We woke up quite late in the morning. Breakfast was soba at the soba restaurant, Yudetaro, in the same building as our hotel. It was really good, despite a very cheap price tag of 290 yen a bowl.
This soba was really good. Even comes with an egg in a separate bowl.
Yudetaro is the name.
Right after breakfast, we left the hotel and we saw some students with their teachers right across the road. They seem to be on an excursion. Probably to visit the park or the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
Teachers bringing students around for some excursion.
The first destination on the fifth day of our trip began with what we
ended with on the fourth day. We went to the observation deck of the
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building again, but this time during broad
daylight. Everything looked different during the day compared to
nighttime. You can clearly see every single building and road. And if
you're lucky, you could actually see Mount Fuji in the distance.
The North and South Towers.
Nothing but concrete jungle that stretches for miles.
Some of the tallest buildings are found in the central Tokyo business district.
That's the other tower.
These boards tell you the names of the more prominent buildings in the area.
There were gift shops at the observation deck, and also medallion machines! We got ourselves some medallions, which complement what we got at Tokyo DisneySea.
Gift shops at the observation deck.
After spending about an hour at the observation deck, we headed back to our hotel to check out. We then made our way to Shinjuku Station via the underground passageway and got ourselves the 5,000 yen Hakone Freepass tickets. Holding such a ticket allows the user to take a train from Shinjuku all the way to Odawara, as well as take the various transportation facilities in Hakone.
We could have opted for the Limited Express "Romancecar" train, which you can reserve comfortable seats for a surcharge. However we did not want to spend unnecessarily, so we decided to just grab a Rapid Express train, which skips several stations at no extra charge. All we needed was the Hakone Freepass.
The tickets we used to travel to and around Hakone.
Ikimashou! (Let's go!)
Kinda empty as it was on a weekday afternoon.
The train we took on the Odakyu Odawara Line.
The gantries to the deck.
It was local time 2pm. Alighting at Odawara Station, we made our way to the carpark right outside, where we made arrangements for Hakone Hotel to pick us up at 2pm to drive us all the way to the hotel. We had to look out for a statue. And it wasn't very difficult to spot. The statue was perched high up a pedestal right in the middle of the carpark. We grabbed some food from the convenience store at the station and then pushed our luggage to the carpark, where we boarded the minibus specially catered to fetch hotel guests from the station to the hotel and vice versa.
Another statue of a samurai on his horse.
The 40-minute bus ride brought us to the doorstep of Hakone Hotel. We checked into our rooms and what awaited us made us go "WAHHH!". The view from our room was jaw-dropping. The wide windows ensured guests could have a clear view of what Hakone has to offer. The view of Lake Ashi and the mountains around the region, created a beautiful image right before our eyes. We could wait no more to explore the nature and beauty of Hakone.
Lobby of Hakone Hotel.
Schedules of the ships for the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise.
Nut loves to sleep on a sofa bed.
Very spacious bathroom.
The view from our room is simply gorgeous.
I think we can sit in our room the whole day gazing from our windows.
We hurriedly walked over to the nearby Hakonemachi-ko Port to catch the next ship for a sightseeing trip on Lake Ashi. Before long, a huge ship named "Victory" docked at the port, waiting for us to board. All ships on this Hakone Sightseeing Cruise were designed after huge warships, as one can tell from every ship's exquisite designs. They even come with cannons, observation decks, and even contain treasure chests, maps and also some trick art pieces.
The tranquil waters and serene mountains surrounding the area.
The port is right next to our hotel.
Red carpet for the VIPs?
Students once again on an excursion.
Our pirate ship has arrived!
Look at how grand it is!
As soon as we boarded the ship, we went around exploring the whole ship. There's even a snack bar if you're feeling hungry. Once the ship started sailing, we enjoyed the cool breeze brushing against our faces and the wonderful view in front of us. It was really an exciting and enjoyable experience.
The snack bar inside the ship.
Too bad we are not allowed to climb onto the observation deck.
Cannons to destroy all other ships!
If only I could grab one or two of these treasures home...
When the ship soon docked at the next port, Motohakone-ko, we alighted, not knowing it was not our end destination. We should have continued sailing to the next port. So we instead explored around the town area and found a huge torii gate. Nut also saw some buns sold nearby and couldn't resist getting one to try. We then hung around until the next ship arrived and we boarded it to reach the next and last port of the cruise.
Next stop - Motohakone-ko
A large torii gate right outside the port.
Nut buys a small bun to try.
That's really small. Does it taste good?
Seems like a small quiet town to live in.
We boarded two out of three of the ships operating on the sightseeing cruise. The second was "Royal II". Every ship is very different from the others. Royal II even has "crew" and a "captain" on board it.
The next ship, Royal II, has arrived.
Three decks with different viewing angles of scenery in Lake Ashi.
They look more like pirates to me!
A captain is seen at the back of the ship as well.
Along the route from Motohakone-ko to Togendai-ko, we finally saw Mount Fuji perched between the surrounding mountains. It was another rare sight from Lake Ashi as Mount Fuji can only be seen if there were very clear skies. We also sailed past the famous torii gate at the edge of the water.
Mount Fuji can be seen right in the middle of Lake Ashi.
The famous torii gate of Lake Ashi.
The VIP area of the ship.
Many trick art pieces can be found inside the ship.
"Vasa" is the name of this ship.
Amazingly crafted figurehead of the Vasa, featuring a lion with wings.
Someone's actually fishing sitting on those rocks.
Our last port of the sightseeing cruise - Togendai-ko
We reached our final destination, Togendai-ko, where we saw the last ship, "Vasa", docked right next to "Royal II". It was truly awesome that we could actually see all three of the ships used for the cruise. Not something we planned initially.
Here you can see two of the ships used for the cruise.
We could probably spend some time trying out those swan-boats.
Next was to get onto the Hakone Ropeway! The cabins were huge and spacious. They seemed sturdier and safer compared to the cable-cars in Singapore! There wasn't a huge crowd so we boarded easily. Within moments, we found ourselves suspended in the air and ascending through the mountainous regions.
Time to take the Hakone Ropeway!
Before that, a picture with the "Bell of Happiness".
We are supposed to take a picture with this AFTER we have taken the ropeway.
The cabin looks big and sturdy.
Dear used to be so afraid to take cable-cars.
On our way up.
Once we reached a certain height, we could see Mount Fuji way in the distance. Another spectacular view of the icon of Japan. Our third time seeing Mount Fuji on different modes of transport. A plane, a ship, and an aerial lift. We then alighted for a brief moment at the Owakudani Station, just to take a look at the sulfurous vents and smell the sulfuric air. The staff hurried us to quickly vacate the area as the ropeway was about to end its operation for the day. We wouldn't want to get stranded at Owakudani and be choked to death by the sulfuric air lol.
There! Mount Fuji in the distance.
Looks like Mount Fuji is suspended in mid-air underneath those clouds.
Owakudani - Great Boiling Valley at 1,044m.
Smell of sulfur all over the place, which came from these sulphur vents.
Another view of Mount Fuji with the sulphur vents of Owakudani in the foreground.
Owakudani was the highest point of the whole trip. We then descended down the other side of the mountainous region to the last station, Sounzan. There, we transferred to the Hakone Tozan Cable Car. It is a funicular railway sloping at 20 degrees. Even the station itself was slopping and therefore we had to be very careful of each and every step.
Dear seems a little afraid to make the descent.
Last stop of the Hakone Ropeway - Sounzan
Now for the Hakone Tozan Cable Car.
View from the top of the cable car towards the bottom.
The journey from Sounzan Station to Gora Station of the cable car takes about 9 minutes. At Gora Station, we changed to another mode of transport, the Hakone Tozan Train. This train, also called the Hydrangea Train, moves along a route full of Hydrangeas, hence its nickname. There was a point along the route whereby the train had to do a reverse direction, and then yet another reverse in direction at a later point. More like a 3-point turn. We thoroughly enjoyed the ride, while admiring the flowers as well as the beautiful scenery.
Gora Station, where we transfer to the Hakone Tozan Train.
Inside the Hakone Tozan Train, also known as the Hydrangea Train.
The Hydrangea flowers on closer view.
We alighted at the Hakone-Yumoto Station, where we took a bus back to our hotel, also using the Hakone Freepass. I felt nauseous during the bus ride as it made very roller-coaster ascents and descents along the way. Luckily I didn't puke lol. The bus ride was kinda long as it was a long way from Hakone-Yumoto Station to Hakone Hotel. There were plenty of stops along the route. The sky was getting dark as well. By the time we reached the hotel, it was almost 9pm. As there were no other restaurants opened nearby, we settled dinner at the restaurant in the hotel with some beef curry. What an indulgence to enjoy steaming hot curry on a cold night.
Hakone-Yumoto Station.
The other end of the station.
Beef curry for the cold night.
Famished Dear and Nut couldn't wait to finish their curry.
And that's the scenic journey of Hakone. We didn't plan for any hot springs visit or wanted to visit any other attractions. The journey along the Hakone via the various modes of transport using the Hakone Freepass was enough to make a lasting impression on us. We would definitely visit the other attractions in Hakone, or probably stay in an onsen hotel in our next trip to Japan.
For a list of the hotels/resorts available for booking in Hakone via Agoda.com, click here.
To make a hotel booking at Hakone Hotel, click here.
Links to my Japan Trip 2013
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