Traveling the Hakone Loop – Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Ok, it was more like buses, boats, ropeways, cable cars, and trains…but you get my movie reference. Hakone is a beautiful place to visit, and getting around is part of the fun. It takes a whole day to go around the "loop" (3-4 hours actual travel time, waiting for each mode of transportation, and sightseeing stops). For anyone traveling the loop, I highly recommend purchasing the Hakone Free Pass. It’s not actually free (~$60 USD), but gives you access to the various modes of transportation to/from and around Hakone operated by Odakyu. Plus, it’s valid for 2 days.

I traveled the loop clockwise since I was coming from Yugawara (after staying at Hakuunsou). First was the bus ride over a mountain and to Lake Ashi – very scenic 1 hour trip. Because of our early start, B and I had the whole bus to ourselves.

Everything was so lush and green.

Great view of Lake Ashi coming down the other side of the mountain.

Yes, folks – we rode a ‘pirate ship’ across Lake Ashi!

The 40 minute boat ride from Hakone-Machi to Togendai was great -- standing on the top deck and enjoying the spectacular scenery.

Next, riding up the ropeway towards Souzan. I recommend making a pit stop right before Souzan and getting off at Owakudani.

Owakudani, which means ‘great boiling valley,’ is the area around a crater formed by Mount Hakone's last eruption over 3000 years ago. It is still an active volcanic zone with sulfur fumes rising from the ground. I could smell the sulfur from the ropeway, but it’s nothing compared to the stench after walking on the trail up Mount Kamiyama (yes, people actually want to get closer to the sulfur vents!).

Along the “nature trail,” there’s a place that sells eggs cooked in the boiling sulfur water. The sulfur turns their shells black, and eating them is supposed to prolong your life. There were lots of Japanese people eating the eggs, but I decided to pass on this custom. I also didn’t hike the rest of the way up the trail – no need to see (or smell) more steam vents and bubbling pools of sulfur water.

After taking the cable car to Gora, the next mode of transportation was a train on the Hakone Tozan Railway. I HIGHLY recommend getting off at the first stop (Chokoku-no-Mori) to visit the Hakone Open-Air Museum – this was by far the best thing to see in Hakone. It’s one of my favorite museums in the world, and features artists such as Picasso, Willem de Kooning, Naum Gabo, and Henry Moore. [Note: There are 2 restaurants at the Open Air Museum. Since the Japanese buffet didn’t look very appetizing, we went to the Chinese restaurant. The dim sum items were pretty good.]

I loved the juxtaposition of modern art with nature as the back drop. The visual effect was stunning.

The Net Forest is made of over 500 interlocking logs of wood… and it's a play area for kids!! No one under 13 allowed inside - such lucky kids!

The Picasso Pavilion displayed over 300 works by Picasso, one of the largest collections in the world. Even the sign on the building was visually stunning, surrounded by the beautiful landscape.

Inside the Symphonic Sculpture, a spiral staircase enclosed by a tower of colorful stain glass. It was cool to be completely surrounded all these colorful pieces of light.

Who says art has to be serious?

Art was everywhere, even in the most unexpected places.

The Glass Web was another unique and interesting play area for kids -- no boring jungle gyms here!

It was surreal seeing all the giant sculptures among the mountains and open blue sky. The landscaping was amazing.

And finally, it was a 2 hour train ride back to Tokyo. What a fantastic trip!