Another work trip to Japan, one of my favourite countries in the world! Once the work was over and done, my fiancée flew in to meet me at Narita airport. We had arranged a couple of nights in the Mt. Fuji area; neither of us had seen Fuji-san in all its glory before, so this was a bit exciting!
A bit of research in the months leading up to the trip and we had found out about the Odakyu Fuji Hakone Pass. Valid for 3 days, the pass will give you unlimited access to local transport in the two main areas of the Fuji Highlands: Fujikawaguchiko and Hakone. If purchased all together, as we did, it will also include the return transport from the area. Definitely worth the money if you plan on travelling around a lot. We visited the Odakyu counter which is just inside the West Exit of Shinjuku Railway Station. The multilingual staff there were very helpful and explained a lot about the transport and attractions. We had also pre-booked our seats on the bus which leaves from Shinjuku, bound for Fujikawaguchiko - seats fill up quickly, so if you want to leave early in the morning to make the most of your pass, I strongly recommend you do the same! We were even a little bit late and couldn't get on a bus until 09:45, so plan ahead!
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| Lunch in Shinjuku after arriving at the train station. |
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| Our room at APA Shinjuku Kabukicho Tower. |
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| Cheers! |
The next morning, we arrived to the fourth floor of Shinjuku bus terminal (across the road from the South Exit of the train station) and waited for our bus. Boarding right on time (because Japan is never late), we set off for the 2-hour ride to Fujikawaguchiko. About 30 minutes from the last stop, we caught a glimpse of Mt. Fuji, standing majestically beyond the other mountains in the area. I found it odd that it was the only one with any snow on it. But then, I suppose it is significantly taller than any surrounding peaks.
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| On the bus from Shinjuku Station. |
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| Our first glimpse of Fujisan from the bus. |
After a few stops on the route around Mt. Fuji Station, we arrived at Fujikawaguchiko Station and de-bussed. Our lodgings for the evening were at Sawa Hotel, about 10-15 minutes' walk from the station (a little bit longer if you turn down the wrong street, first... sorry, babe!). Sawa Hotel is a fairly basic-looking hotel, but all the necessities were there. The staff at the desk had a good comprehension of English, which was good, because my high-school Japanese is pretty rusty. Check-in only starts at 3pm, so we dropped our bags and planned our afternoon. Heading back to the train station, we got on the Red Line bus which goes up and around Lake Kawaguchiko in an anti-clockwise direction. The sightseeing buses here are all included on the Fuji Hakone Pass for unlimited hop on/off travel and they pass each stop around 3-4 times per hour.
We first disembarked at stop 11, from which you can get on the Ropeway up the hill for views of Mt. Fuji. However, by the time we arrived there, it had disappeared behind heavy clouds. Hoping that it might pop out again a bit later, we found a spot for lunch instead, opting for udon at 山彦, although it's listed on Google as a sushi restaurant. Friendly service (though little-to-no-English, but you can point at the menu) and delicious noodles!
With the weather yet to clear, we jumped back on the bus and proceeded further around the lake, getting off at stop 18. We took a relaxing and pleasant stroll along the lake's edge, adorned with the last remaining cherry blossoms that were clinging to the end of the season. One day, I hope to come to Japan at the height of the Sakura period, which only lasts about 2-3 weeks in late March to early April. It would be amazing to see the trees in full bloom! Also around this stop is a small cafe or two and a monkey show; neither of those interested us too much, so we just enjoyed the scenery before taking the bus to the end of the line at the top of the lake. Here, there's a souvenir shop with a wide range of Fujisan-themed bits and pieces - a lot of cookies and cakes, as well as some key rings and small toys. I picked up a bottle of Sake; I am not a huge fan of the stuff, but it was made with Mt. Fuji spring water and the bottle was in a contoured shape like the mountain, so I thought it made a very cool addition to my spirits collection!
Taking the bus back around the lake, we got off once more to check another area, but there wasn't much around. A light rain started to roll over and so we caught the next bus back to the station and to our hotel. Later, when the rain had eased off, we walked south from the hotel to find some dinner. Avy wanted to see this reportedly famous restaurant called Fudō, mainly due to its interesting architecture. It looked very much closed when we got there, but we marvelled at the odd building, nevertheless!
Backtracking the way we came, we stopped in for some sushi at すし兵衛. While technically a sushi-train style restaurant, it was still early during our visit; the lack of patrons made running the train a bit pointless. So, I tested out my Japanese and ordered several items off the menu. Don't be concerned, though, if you can't speak Japanese: like most sushi restaurants, the menu is full of pictures, so you can simply point at what you want!
The next morning, a quick check out the window revealed that the clouds were on the move. We took this opportunity - as early as it was - to quickly dress and go for a walk, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the majestic mountain. And we were in luck! Our timing was almost perfect, too, as within 10 minutes of taking a couple of photos, she had once again disappeared behind some more clouds. A bit shy, this almighty Fujisan!
After checking out from our hotel, we caught the bus bound for the Gotemba Premium Outlet: home to many ridiculously priced brand names at what brand names consider to be "discount" prices! Shopping is a big part of Asian holiday culture: millions come from China, Taiwan, Philippines and so on buy up on quality goods in Japan, most of which is taken home and sold for two or three times the original price. On top of that, I'm told the Japanese themselves have a bit of a devil-may-care attitude towards high-end brands; some say it stems from the huge amount of natural disasters that plague the country. When you might die tomorrow, why not live it up today? To hell with your credit card debt! Personally, I don't live quite like this (but maybe I should be a little less frugal!). Nevertheless, it was a cool place to visit. Avy bought one or two small items; I considered some Rayban sunglasses, but did not purchase. Other than that, we had a little bit of lunch and shared a fancy Häagen Dazs before continuing the bus journey down to the Hakone region.
Transferring buses in Sengoku, we arrived to our accommodation for the evening at Palace Hotel Hakone. After checking in a relaxing for a bit, we caught the bus back to Sengoku to hunt down some dinner. There were a few places around with some different options, but Avy had spied a ramen and dumpling place before we got off the bus and we ended up back here. While it was a bit odd to be in Japan and eating at a place called "China House", technically, ramen is Chinese-style noodles, so it made sense! And who doesn't love a hot bowl of ramen?? We each chose a bowl of noodles and a flavour of dumplings ("gyoza", if we're being accurate), and boy, was it ever a good feast!
Back at the hotel, we couldn't resist trying out the hot spring for a relaxing evening. If you're not familiar with a Japanese Onsen, you start with a shower to clean yourself from head to toe. Then, you step into the hot communal bath and drift away into a state of semi-consciousness. Traditionally, the water is heated naturally by being close to a volcano; I'm not sure if that's the case with Palace Hotel's onsen, but in any case, it was plenty hot and relaxing! I could actually only stay in the water for about 15 minutes, as I was starting to sweat and get a bit light-headed. But it's an incredible way to relax at the end of the day and is definitely a must-do when you visit Japan!
The next morning, it was back on the bus, heading south for Togendai. Sitting at the top of Lake Ashi, Togendai gives you access to two main transportation options for the Hakone area: the ropeway up and over the mountain towards Gora; and the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise to the south end of the lake. Due to recent volcanic activity, the ropeway was closed in the middle section during our visit, substituted by a bus through to Gora. We opted instead to take the cruise across the lake, which, while pleasant, was a little lacking on the sightseeing due to poor weather. There are announcements advising of things to see during the cruise, but they are hard to hear - and in any case, I'd be surprised if the sights are anything amazing anyway. First and foremost, it's a convenient way to get across the lake!
We disembarked at Hakone-machi Port and then caught the local bus up to Moto-Hakone Port; normally you can catch the cruise to either, but the timetable was adjusted on this day due to poor visibility on the lake. From Moto-Hakone, we walked for about 10 minutes around the lake's edge to visit Hakone Shrine, a picturesque setting within the thick woods along the lake that makes you forget you are right near a major town.
From the shrine, we took a little time wandering around the town of Moto-Hakone before deciding the weather was really dampening our chances of doing much else there, catching the bus instead up to Gora. A winding route through the mountains, the visibility was barely 20 metres - I'm glad I wasn't the one driving! Getting off at the Gora train station area, we explored the small array of shops and restaurants before deciding to have a bit of ramen for lunch. Refueled, we tackled the steep but short hill up to Gora Park. Filled with various trees and flowering plants, it's a delightful place for a relaxing stroll. The centre piece is a majestic fountain that invites you to sit and daydream for a while.
From the western exit at the top of the park, we walked towards the cable car and stopped in at カフェレストラン旬幸 to share a serve of mochi balls: gelatinous balls of tasty goo that you dip into some sauce and sesame powder before sending them down the hatch! We walked back down to Gora station and took the cable car up to Sounzan terminal; here, you can meet the ropeway that will head across and down to Togendai, but as I mentioned, this was not operational when we visited. We didn't fancy the bus ride, as we still had to leave time to get back to Tokyo in the evening. So, we took in the view across the Gora valley before taking the cable car back down and jumping on a train for Shinjuku.
After two transfers and two hours on the train, we arrived back to the metropolis of Tokyo, checking back into APA Shinjuku-Kabukicho Tower (where we had stayed the night before setting out on this journey). We wandered the streets of the local area (which happens to be somewhat of a red-light district: not prostitutes, but plenty of strip clubs!), stopping in for a piping hot bowl of udon (one of my favourites!) before calling it a night on yet another awesome time in Japan.
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| Everything Fuji-themed! |
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| Lake Kawaguchi. |
We first disembarked at stop 11, from which you can get on the Ropeway up the hill for views of Mt. Fuji. However, by the time we arrived there, it had disappeared behind heavy clouds. Hoping that it might pop out again a bit later, we found a spot for lunch instead, opting for udon at 山彦, although it's listed on Google as a sushi restaurant. Friendly service (though little-to-no-English, but you can point at the menu) and delicious noodles!
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| Udon for lunch by the lake. |
With the weather yet to clear, we jumped back on the bus and proceeded further around the lake, getting off at stop 18. We took a relaxing and pleasant stroll along the lake's edge, adorned with the last remaining cherry blossoms that were clinging to the end of the season. One day, I hope to come to Japan at the height of the Sakura period, which only lasts about 2-3 weeks in late March to early April. It would be amazing to see the trees in full bloom! Also around this stop is a small cafe or two and a monkey show; neither of those interested us too much, so we just enjoyed the scenery before taking the bus to the end of the line at the top of the lake. Here, there's a souvenir shop with a wide range of Fujisan-themed bits and pieces - a lot of cookies and cakes, as well as some key rings and small toys. I picked up a bottle of Sake; I am not a huge fan of the stuff, but it was made with Mt. Fuji spring water and the bottle was in a contoured shape like the mountain, so I thought it made a very cool addition to my spirits collection!
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| Enjoying the end of the cherry blossom season along the lake. |
Taking the bus back around the lake, we got off once more to check another area, but there wasn't much around. A light rain started to roll over and so we caught the next bus back to the station and to our hotel. Later, when the rain had eased off, we walked south from the hotel to find some dinner. Avy wanted to see this reportedly famous restaurant called Fudō, mainly due to its interesting architecture. It looked very much closed when we got there, but we marvelled at the odd building, nevertheless!
Backtracking the way we came, we stopped in for some sushi at すし兵衛. While technically a sushi-train style restaurant, it was still early during our visit; the lack of patrons made running the train a bit pointless. So, I tested out my Japanese and ordered several items off the menu. Don't be concerned, though, if you can't speak Japanese: like most sushi restaurants, the menu is full of pictures, so you can simply point at what you want!
The next morning, a quick check out the window revealed that the clouds were on the move. We took this opportunity - as early as it was - to quickly dress and go for a walk, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the majestic mountain. And we were in luck! Our timing was almost perfect, too, as within 10 minutes of taking a couple of photos, she had once again disappeared behind some more clouds. A bit shy, this almighty Fujisan!
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| Early morning walk with a brief view of Fujisan. |
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| Fujikawaguchiko Station. |
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| Impromptu lunch after a plan to switch buses backfired. |
After checking out from our hotel, we caught the bus bound for the Gotemba Premium Outlet: home to many ridiculously priced brand names at what brand names consider to be "discount" prices! Shopping is a big part of Asian holiday culture: millions come from China, Taiwan, Philippines and so on buy up on quality goods in Japan, most of which is taken home and sold for two or three times the original price. On top of that, I'm told the Japanese themselves have a bit of a devil-may-care attitude towards high-end brands; some say it stems from the huge amount of natural disasters that plague the country. When you might die tomorrow, why not live it up today? To hell with your credit card debt! Personally, I don't live quite like this (but maybe I should be a little less frugal!). Nevertheless, it was a cool place to visit. Avy bought one or two small items; I considered some Rayban sunglasses, but did not purchase. Other than that, we had a little bit of lunch and shared a fancy Häagen Dazs before continuing the bus journey down to the Hakone region.
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| Katsudon Curry at Gotemba Premium Outlet. |
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| A quick break from shopping with some fancy icecream. |
Transferring buses in Sengoku, we arrived to our accommodation for the evening at Palace Hotel Hakone. After checking in a relaxing for a bit, we caught the bus back to Sengoku to hunt down some dinner. There were a few places around with some different options, but Avy had spied a ramen and dumpling place before we got off the bus and we ended up back here. While it was a bit odd to be in Japan and eating at a place called "China House", technically, ramen is Chinese-style noodles, so it made sense! And who doesn't love a hot bowl of ramen?? We each chose a bowl of noodles and a flavour of dumplings ("gyoza", if we're being accurate), and boy, was it ever a good feast!
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| Palace Hotel Hakone. |
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| Our room in Palace Hotel Hakone. |
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| A feast of a dinner at China House, Sengoku. |
Back at the hotel, we couldn't resist trying out the hot spring for a relaxing evening. If you're not familiar with a Japanese Onsen, you start with a shower to clean yourself from head to toe. Then, you step into the hot communal bath and drift away into a state of semi-consciousness. Traditionally, the water is heated naturally by being close to a volcano; I'm not sure if that's the case with Palace Hotel's onsen, but in any case, it was plenty hot and relaxing! I could actually only stay in the water for about 15 minutes, as I was starting to sweat and get a bit light-headed. But it's an incredible way to relax at the end of the day and is definitely a must-do when you visit Japan!
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| Togendai station - off the bus and onto the boat or ropeway. |
The next morning, it was back on the bus, heading south for Togendai. Sitting at the top of Lake Ashi, Togendai gives you access to two main transportation options for the Hakone area: the ropeway up and over the mountain towards Gora; and the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise to the south end of the lake. Due to recent volcanic activity, the ropeway was closed in the middle section during our visit, substituted by a bus through to Gora. We opted instead to take the cruise across the lake, which, while pleasant, was a little lacking on the sightseeing due to poor weather. There are announcements advising of things to see during the cruise, but they are hard to hear - and in any case, I'd be surprised if the sights are anything amazing anyway. First and foremost, it's a convenient way to get across the lake!
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| Ahoy, matey! |
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| Our ride across the Lake. |
We disembarked at Hakone-machi Port and then caught the local bus up to Moto-Hakone Port; normally you can catch the cruise to either, but the timetable was adjusted on this day due to poor visibility on the lake. From Moto-Hakone, we walked for about 10 minutes around the lake's edge to visit Hakone Shrine, a picturesque setting within the thick woods along the lake that makes you forget you are right near a major town.
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| Hakone Shrine. |
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| Washing hands before entering the shrine. |
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| Hakone Shrine. |
From the shrine, we took a little time wandering around the town of Moto-Hakone before deciding the weather was really dampening our chances of doing much else there, catching the bus instead up to Gora. A winding route through the mountains, the visibility was barely 20 metres - I'm glad I wasn't the one driving! Getting off at the Gora train station area, we explored the small array of shops and restaurants before deciding to have a bit of ramen for lunch. Refueled, we tackled the steep but short hill up to Gora Park. Filled with various trees and flowering plants, it's a delightful place for a relaxing stroll. The centre piece is a majestic fountain that invites you to sit and daydream for a while.
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| Taking the bus into the great unknown! |
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| Ramen for lunch at Gora. |
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| Exploring Gora Park. |
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| Exploring Gora Park. |
From the western exit at the top of the park, we walked towards the cable car and stopped in at カフェレストラン旬幸 to share a serve of mochi balls: gelatinous balls of tasty goo that you dip into some sauce and sesame powder before sending them down the hatch! We walked back down to Gora station and took the cable car up to Sounzan terminal; here, you can meet the ropeway that will head across and down to Togendai, but as I mentioned, this was not operational when we visited. We didn't fancy the bus ride, as we still had to leave time to get back to Tokyo in the evening. So, we took in the view across the Gora valley before taking the cable car back down and jumping on a train for Shinjuku.
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| Mochi for afternoon tea. |
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| Tramway from Gora up the mountain. |
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| On the tram. |
After two transfers and two hours on the train, we arrived back to the metropolis of Tokyo, checking back into APA Shinjuku-Kabukicho Tower (where we had stayed the night before setting out on this journey). We wandered the streets of the local area (which happens to be somewhat of a red-light district: not prostitutes, but plenty of strip clubs!), stopping in for a piping hot bowl of udon (one of my favourites!) before calling it a night on yet another awesome time in Japan.
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| Dinner back in Shinjuku: sukiyaki udon. |
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| APA Shinjuku Kabukicho Tower. |
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| A light breakfast at Doutor before heading to the airport. |
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