Lake Ashi (Ashinoko) Hakone

Hakone, part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, is a popular onsen (hot spring) resort with easy access from Tokyo and given the right season or some luck spectacular views of Mount Fuji. We didn't get our hopes up too high given that we were in the middle of the rainy season with few clear days but given the natural beauty of the Hakone area …

We woke up very early due to jet lag and the fact that we actually needed to be up early to meet our tour bus. The drive over to Mt. Fuji area took about an hour and a half. The highways are flanked by opaque fences so that the views from the bus were quite limited on the drive over. The guide was useless today and barely told us anything. At least …

... time I reach my ryokan I had taken about 8 different trains, trams, ropeways, trolleys, gondolas, etc... Hakone is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Japan, for the Japanese, and it offers hundreds of museums, hotels, spas, golf courses, hikes ...

... base of the snow surrounding the summit being visible so I continued on the tourist trail to a waiting ship to carry you across Lake Ashi. Of course an ordinary ship would just be too normal for Japan so instead a replica pirate ship sat waiting which ...

... it did make it easier to catch up with him. It was as if we were above the clouds, surrounded by mist. Below us, however was Lake Ashi and small towns hidden away. We had a look around, got some hot chocolate (it was freezing now) and took photos. Steve ...

... area were another train and a bus, which were scenic, but nothing overwhelming.  This brought us to the shores of Lake Ashi, a volcanic lake formed by the last eruption of the volcano, about 3000 years ago.  There's a shrine on the side ...

... loop. We will write more about this tomorrow after we travel on the mountain cable car, the ropeways and the boats on Lake Ashi with views of Mount Fuji (weather pending of course). Our room is the traditional Japanese room with tatami straw mats on the ...

... to your life – we decided to take our chances. This ropeway took us up over the peak and then back down to Lake Ashi; a volcanic lake over 700m above sea level. We jumped on a sightseeing cruise across the lake and back aboard a mock 18th century ...

... saying. So we rode the ropeway up over the lip of the volcano, and into the crater, which now contains a large lake, Lake Ashi. Even through the fog, we could see enough to see that it was spectacularly beautiful. On a clear day, ...

... she wont eat eggs now unless they come in black shells. So we got back onto the ropeway, and went down the hill to Lake Ashi, which is far more beatiful when you can actually see it. By this time the fog had completely cleared, with the ...

... magical powers (err not), but they were nice.      We then continued our journey around the park by sailing across lake Ashi on a pirate boat, on a clear day you can get good views of Mt. Fuji, but it was too cloudy and we could not ...

... up close. Unfortunately, and not for the first time, the weather was against me and there was no visibility. I decided then to head to Lake Ashi, but when i got there it started snowing heavily, i got cold and wet so just had a coffee and back to ...