Hakone Japan Great Loop | Day Trip Tokyo | Hyatt Regency Resort

Hakone Japan Great Loop | Day Trip Tokyo | Hyatt Regency Resort

[Music] Hokone, Japan is a lush mountain escape where hot springs bubble, ropeways climb through the clouds, and Mount Fuji occasionally peaks out to say hello. In this video, we’re taking the Hokonei Great Loop through some of Japan’s most dramatic scenery. And we’ll show you why it’s one of the best getaways from Tokyo. So, come along. We’re John and Beth, and we are the Retirement Travelers. If you’re just finding us, we are an American senior travel couple who are on the adventure of our lives. We’re traveling China, Japan, and South Korea on the leg. So, hit subscribe and follow along on our little travel log. We are a few weeks ahead of our videos. So, if you’re wondering where we are in the world, we keep our Instagram updated to our current location, so follow us there. If you tuned in last week, you know we rendevued with our fabulous fellow RORs David and Judith of Rush Roamings in Fukuoka and Hiroshima. Every time we meet up, the laughter flows, the therapy is free and unsolicited, and we part ways with our hearts just a little fuller. After hugs, goodbyes, and a promise to reunite in the fall, it was time to trade sushi for switchbacks and chase down a glimpse of the elusive Mount Fuji. This was our chance to step off the bullet train and into Japan’s postcard perfect countryside, where forested hills, quiet villages, and onson steam paint a picture of rural serenity. We’ve only barely seen it, and we’re hoping to get a closer look at it. The first leg of our bullet train bonanza to Mount Fuji landed us in Osaka. Then came transfer number two to Odawara, the gateway to Hakone’s natural wonders. And now a public service announcement. Odawara station is not your average rail stop. Sure, most trains dally slow to a halt, but the inner tracks, oh no, trains there scream past at full throttle. [Music] Did you feel the wind coming off of that thing? That was fast. This is like when you take your kids to the airport to watch the planes land. It is. You can bring them down here and watch these trains just on by. We need to come down here on a hot day and just have the wind. I thought you were going to say we need to come down here on a hot date. Oh, well, we that too, baby. That’s impressive. That was Everybody should stand by one of the You can really appreciate the speed when you get down here and you’re seeing it from the outside. Yeah. I mean, it’s gone. I mean, it’s going 200 miles an hour even here. That’s crazy. Boom. I love the trains. Why can’t we have fast trains in America? Why? We have them in Japan, South Korea, China, not United States. From Odawora, we swapped bullet trains for something much more storybook. The scenic Hakone Tosen Railway. Think river crossing, tree hugging, switchback riding charm with trains that perform a graceful mountain ballet as they share tracks with oncoming passengers. Ubers were available, but why would you when you can ride the rail equivalent of a Miyasaki movie? We reached Goris Station, a charming speck of a place with just enough shops and ticket booths to keep us happily oriented. Our hotel, the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa, was perched just uphill, nestled like a secret retreat in the mountainside. Birds chirped, the air felt lighter, and we instantly declared it was our favorite stop in Japan. [Music] We learned from the hotel staff that we needed a ticket for the loop. So in order to save time in the morning, we returned to Goa on the hotel shuttle to purchase a ticket. On our return, we hopped on the Hakonetoen cable car, aka finicular, a delightful diagonal train climbing 1,200 m up the hill. It’s short, sweet, and crucial to the loop. We came down to Gora station to buy our tickets and it is a pass that will take us on the buses, the cableways, the cable car, the boats, everything. So, tomorrow we are going to explore this place. When I think back about the places we’ve been, it’s always an afternoon walk like this out in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of nowhere. In the mountains of Japan. Yeah. It’s beautiful. Smells really good here, too. Yeah. Back at the resort, we roamed the grounds like curious squirrels, trying and failing to identify the mystery birds putting on a full-blown concert. We wandered, we whined, we dined, then exited out of the onson bathlike overcooked noodles. After that, we slept with the windows open and nature’s lullabi did the rest. The next morning, we were up with the sun and enjoyed a fabulous breakfast buffet. After approximately 17 helpings, give or take, we felt confident we could survive the morning or at least till lunchtime. Fueled and fearless, we hit the road. Starting with a little uphill walk, but that’s the way should be started. Not I looked at this hill this morning and I said, “John, why do we always have to start with a hill?” You missed that part, but that is what I said. I tell you what, around here by the Hyatt Hotel, there’s very little flat land. It’s either up or down here. We hoofed it over to the finicular, hitched a ride uphill, and then hopped aboard the Hakone ropeway. Suddenly, we were floating above the treetops like lazy balloons. We hope to see not Fuji from up here. I see lots of clouds, but maybe we’ll still be able to see it. Fingers crossed. No clouds. Look. Yay. And just as we were marveling at the lonely giant, we drifted over a wakadoni, a smoking, bubbling volcanic wonderland. The sulfur stung our noses before the view hit our eyes. But wow, the views were great. That’s why we’re smelling sulfur. Yeah, big time. I smelled it last night when we went to bed, but I thought that’s that’s just weird that we smell sulfur. This is like a different world up here. It’s beautiful. After exiting the ropeway, we stood in awe of Mount Fuji. Clear, crisp, and majestic. Not shrouded in clouds, not hiding behind mist, just there in all her glory. According to Shinto and Buddhist tradition, Fuji only reveals herself when she feels like it. So clearly, we were on her good side. Feeling lucky, we then headed inside to find some black eggs. Not just any eggs, these are jet black from being boiled in sulfurrich springs. And according to legend, each one adds seven years to your life. Okay, so what better place to eat our black eggs than in front of Mount Fuji in all of its glory today? It doesn’t get any better. We’re sharing our black eggs. Yes, we have seven years. Good luck. You have your own. Oh, that’s so kind of That’s delicious. It is cooked perfectly. I know. I can die now knowing that I’ve eaten a black egg by Mount Fuji in Japan. So, are we ready to move onward? I am ready. We’re going to get back on the cable car and go down toward Lake Ashi and hopefully have more great views of Mount Fuji along the way. Yay. We like this. We do. This is a beautiful day today. This is great. Oh, my knee was hurting when we stopped, but it stopped hurting and now we’re going upstairs. So, I think you’re getting some hill assist, so it should help. I am getting hill assist today. My hill assist motor is in full steam. He’s firing it away. People are going to not understand what hill assist is. I know. See him back there? He’s got his hand on my back. Just says every little fish says I love you, Bev. I love you. We boarded the ropeway again and descended down the hill. If seeing Mount Fuji from the ground wasn’t enough, our ropeway brought even better views of our snowcapped cone as we floated toward Lake Ashi. [Music] At the lakes’s edge, we boarded a pirate ship because obviously Hokone has pirate ships. The lake cruise gave us cinematic views of Fuji, the iconic red Hokone shrine gate in the water and lush forested shores. It was wonderfully quirky and totally serene. We’re here on our pirate boat. That’s right. We’re just cruising around Lake Ashie. Lake Ashley as in our granddaughter Ashton. We call her Ashley. Ashy. Got Ashley. This is for you. You have a lake named after you in Japan. We stayed on board until the final stop, wandered a bit, enjoyed some ice cream, then boarded a bus up to Kakadani station, back to the same scenic train we adored the first day. [Music] A few stops later, we arrived at the unexpectedly spectacular Hakonei Open Air Museum. Beautiful place so far. Yeah. And the setting, it’s just you’re up here in the mountains. It’s It’s beautiful. Quiet, cool air. It’s perfect. This place is part sculpture park, part hotring playground, and part modern art gallery. Opened in 1969, it was Japan’s first outdoor museum. And it’s packed with works from Picasso, Henry Moore, and a whimsical collection of art built to be enjoyed in nature. We wandered into a leafy nook and saw a sign that simply read, “Foot bath.” Like treasure hunters following a map, we found a beautifully designed pool of warm spring water where we promptly dsheed and wiggled our toes in bliss. Our little feet are toasty warm. This probably comes from the from the ground. This is probably a hot spring. Oh, yeah. You know, like an onen bath. Yeah, they’re all over here. This feels nice. I love this. John’s flirting with my feet. I know. My toes are touching her toes. Oh, I think I could stay here for a month. Yeah. This has been a nice This has been a nice day. Yeah. Back on the train, then the finicular, and finally, feet dragging, we reached the hotel. The great Hakonei loop was complete, and it was one of our best days in Japan, hands down. We capped it off with another meal at the hotel and reflected on the detour that turned into a highlight. Hakone, she’ll stay with us, just like those black eggs and that mountain that only shows up when she feels like it. We’ll see you next time. Be sure to hit subscribe and follow along on our retirement journey around the world.

Hakone, Japan was our next stop as we searched for the perfect view of Mt. Fuji and some quiet time in the mountains away from the crowds and other tourists. Staying at the Hyatt Hakone Resort and Spa was the perfect place and taking the Great Loop of Hakone was the perfect activity. Join us as we take funiculars, cable cars, pirate ships, buses and trains for a day of adventure in one of the most beautiful places we have been.

Thanks for following along with us and happy journeys,
John and Bev

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