Ireland day 1331. Wednesday 21 May 2025- Hakone 1

Today’s summary	Spectacular views of Fuji from our ryokan first thing. Then relaxed in onsen and had Japanese breakfast before walking down to Lake Ashi mid morning and going to the visitor centre. Got details of a walk up to the crater rim and back along the shores of Lake Ashi. Followed the suggested route which was very enjoyable but no views because of bamboo and fog which rolled in. Went to the Togendai cable car station and walked back up the hill to the ryokan. A quick onsen dip then massive Japanese dinner and an early night.
Today’s weather	Clear dry and sunny first thing but fog by about 11am. Moderate south westerly wind. Appx 18c

Today’s overview location (The blue mark shows the location of our route)		Close-up location (The blue line shows where we walked) (Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected): Hakone Hills and Lake Ashi

Commentary

We woke up early this morning – about 5am – to an amazing sight. Mt Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain at 3776m / 12389ft was hanging above the trees, capped in snow, right over our balcony. That view alone made the arduous journey to get here yesterday totally worthwhile.

As it was so early, we had time for a quick dip in our on-balcony onsen before making our way to the restaurant for an 8am breakfast. Then we took our time and admired the view as we enjoyed once again a Japanese breakfast.

Before we came to Japan, we didn’t have any specific ideas of what we wanted to do in Hakone other than to spend time looking at the mountain scenery. But today my Strava heat map once again came to the rescue, suggesting that a hike from the lake shore, which is just over a km down the hill from here, up to the crater rim above us, might be possible.

So we packed our bags equipped for a warm sunny hike, and set out. On the off-chance, when we arrived at the lake we thought we would drop into the visitor centre to see what was on offer. It was very interesting – especially the geological sections – though most of the information was in Japanese. Thank goodness for Google Translate (by camera).

The visitor centre confirmed that there was indeed a hiking trail up to the crater rim, but also suggested that it could be extended and turned into a circular route by walking a short way along the rim before descending to Lake Ashi and returning along the shore.

So we left the visitor centre with this plan in mind, somewhat taken aback to discover that in the few short minutes we had spent in the visitor centre, the weather had overturned itself and gone from warm and sunny to thick mist with a hint of drizzle. Anyway, we set off undeterred, grateful for once that we had packed waterproofs just in case the worst happened.

The climb up to the top of the crater was quite steep but not difficult and the path was well maintained. Strangely, we met several solo female walkers along the way, which is something you wouldn’t often see in Europe.

We eventually made it to the top, and extended the walk a short way to what we thought would be a view point at the summit of a nearby hill. But there was nothing to be seen, on account of the thick mist and the dense growth of bamboo lining the way.

We pressed on as per the visitor centre guidelines, and soon came to the steep but once again well maintained trail back down to the lake shore. We followed it as it descended, to emerge by the Fukura water gate – a tunnel built as long ago as 1666 to take water from lake Ashi through the mountain range to Gotenba on the other side of the hill. The project was hugely successful and still supplies water for agriculture, drinking and fire protection to this day.

Once at the shore, we followed the clear path (which goes all the way round the lake), back to the start near the visitor centre. We continued a little further in a clockwise direction round the shore, to take a look at the Togendai lower cable car station. The cable car route runs up the hill, practically over the top of our ryokan, then up to the Owakudani summit and on to connect up with a mountain railway back to Odawara.

We briefly contemplated taking the ride one stage to the Ubako station, then walking back down the hill to our ryokan. However, after moment’s deliberation, we decided against it and hiked back up again instead. But it only took about 20 minutes, so it was no real hardship.

Once back at our ryokan, we of course made a bee-line for the on-balcony onsen for a good soak, eased further by a cup of tea and a rather nice cold beer that we found in the fridge.

Now it’s time for dinner again, which once again is of the traditional Japanese variety (and huge). We will be finished by about 8 o’clock, but given the peculiar way our days seem to have pivoted since we arrived in Japan, by then it will probably be nearly bed-time. We will have just a few minutes to look back on another surprising and rewarding day, and to start planning for the next, before before fatigue and alcohol takes over and sleep descends to speed us on an early journey to tomorrow.

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)


Breakfast. And this was just the starter!	Interesting if incomprehensible display on the geology of the Hakone area at the Visitor Centre

At the trailhead for the route leading to the crater rim. Note the warning about bears (again)	*A real curiosity – this is what looks like one of the “Voodoo Lilies” I grew many years ago. Actually, I think it’s a member of the genus Arisaema, but I don’t know which species.*

This is where the spectacular views over Fuji in one direction, and Lake Ashi in the other, should be. Sadly, bamboo and fog intervened	Heading up! The cable car leaving the Togendai base-station

Lake Ashi in the distance. It’s very much like the Lake District here, although it’s not completely natural as the water level in Ashi has been raised a meter or two by a dam.