Exploring Hakone: What a Day Trip to Hakone is Really Like

Exploring Hakone: What a Day Trip to Hakone is Really Like

Hey everyone and welcome back to the vlog. Today we’ll be heading out on a day trip to Hakon, one of the most popular spots near Tokyo. It’s part of the Fuji Hakon IU National Park. There are a few ways to get to Hakone. One of the popular ways is to take the Romance Car from Shinjuku. It is a limited express train with all reserved seats. But for us, we went through Odawara first and then caught a bus towards Kakidani. Normally the buses from Odawara go all the way to Oakuani. But during our visit, those weren’t running. It took almost 3 hours in total with some delays here and there. So without further ado, let’s go. [Music] M days of romantic crows and life like wine. [Music] Lights out under the sky watching stars alive [Music] making sweet honey. The bus will also pass through Hakon Yumoto and I would recommend if you have a lots of time. There are many souvenir shops, snack shops, places to eat. But we decided to go on ahead all the way to Kakidani cuz as you can see there are lots of people here, lots of tourists and also because we don’t have much time. Once we got done from the bus at Kakidani, we took the train from Kakidani station to Chokunomi station. [Music] [Music] Our first stop was the Hakon Open Air Museum. [Music] [Music] The entry is 2,000 yen. A bit pricey for my taste, but considering the size of the place, it kind of makes sense. We got to make our 2,000 yen worth. I guess we need to go. It opened back in 1969 and was the first outdoor museum in Japan. [Music] You’ll find huge sculptures spread out in massive green spaces, plus the Picasso pavilion, which has over 300 works, including ceramics. [Music] Personally, if you’re into modern art, you really like this place. And if you’re not, it’s a nice place to relax and enjoy the mountain air. Oh, is [Music] something [Music] breakfast. [Music] Wow. Very [Music] very far. Come on. Come on. [Music] Okay, get married. It’s like [Music] [Music] you Can you see my hand? Okay, it’s too easy. [Laughter] Let’s go to the next one. Next, since it was lunch time, we headed off to lunch. Rehydrate. [Music] We took the train to Gora station. We just grabbed lunch at a place called Marmy Kitchen. Nothing too fancy, just something to cure the hunger. [Applause] After lunch, we headed to Szan Station from Gora station using the Hakon Tozang cable car. [Music] I can see the train, guys. The train’s coming down. Next, we’re going to Son H. Let’s go. [Music] [Music] Wow. From Sozong Station, you need to buy another ticket for the Hakon roadway, which will bring you to Aakuani station. ship. We explored around the station and later on switched to the roadway towards Oakuani [Music] just [Music] Thank you for attending the [Music] [Music] Audani is famous for its volcano. ic activity. You can see steam rising everywhere and the sulfur smell is pretty strong. It’s one of the famous viewpoints in Hakon where you can observe volcanic activity from up close. It’s said that this place came to be due to an eruption and a pyrolastic flow that occurred almost 3,000 years ago. [Music] [Music] The local specialty here is the black eggs which get their color from the volcanic gases. Apparently they say that eating one adds 7 years to your life. So I guess if you want to be immortal, you know where to go. Hey, black curry, black egg. [Music] So how to do this? [Music] Okay, never mind. I just eat like [Music] normal egg. [Music] Next, from Aakuani, we plan to go to Lake Ashi. And here is where we ran into some trouble. Guys, we are currently surrendered. This might be my last vlog. So, please watch till the end. If no, I mean finds this vlog. Please tell my parents I love them. There’s the bus. No. Oh, another way. Wrong bus. Wrong bus. All right, let me explain. Apparently, there are normal bus services from Owakuani station. So, we had two choices. One to go back where we came from, which is the roadway, or there was a bus station not far away where the bus will stop. It’s a 15-minute walk. So, we were told. And well, what did we choose to walk? Guys, we are stranded. Guys, we are on We on the way to a another station. Looks like the bus doesn’t go up all the way. So, we have to walk like 15 minutes down. Look at that. It was a bit sketchy with no sidewalks, but luckily it was all downhill. Somehow we managed to reach the bus station, but there was no sign of the bus and we waited. So yeah, we kind of thought we were stranded, but in the end the bus did come a little late, but still cor. Well, onwards to our next location, Lake Ashi. We turn many times more, you know. That’s the By the time we reached Lake Ashi, it was already getting dark. Around 5:30 p.m. in the mountains, plus the cloudy weather, it felt like the light was slowly fading away. [Music] Still, the lake had its own atmosphere. It’s quite nice, and I really enjoyed it. [Music] Wow. [Music] [Music] One of the attractions here is the Hwa Notori or Peace Story. We kind of thought that there would be less people, but boy, we were wrong. There was still so many people lining up to take picture of the to gate. Hakon shrine was nearby too. The shrine buildings are hidden in the dense forest and are well advertised by its huge story gates. One standing prominently in the lake, the one that we just visited, and two others over the main street of Moto Hakon. The place is quite majestic in the day. At night, it has this slightly eerie atmosphere with just the lanterns lighting the path. As it was getting really dark and we wanted to head back home, we caught a bus back to Odawara and finally made our way back home. Overall, Hakon is beautiful, but for a day trip, it can feel a bit rushed. Transportation delays and schedule changes can really eat up time. So, I say plan carefully. That said, I’d recommend it at least once, especially Oakuani, Lake Ashi, the shrine, and the open air museum if you like modern art. With better weather, you might even catch Mount Fuji. Personally, I think autumn would be the best season to visit with cooler air and clear skies. So, thanks for watching. I hope this was helpful. Don’t forget to like and subscribe for more Japan content. Stay safe and I’ll see you in the next one.

Hakone is one of Japan’s popular getaways.
We’ll took trains, buses, and cable cars as the locals do.
It wasn’t the smoothest trip with delays and cloudy weather, but it was still a fun escape from the city.

If you’re planning your own Hakone trip, this vlog gives you a look at the journey, food, sights, and a few travel hiccups you might want to prepare for.

⏱️ Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
0:08 – Odawara to kowakidani
1:36 – Passing Hakone Yuumoto
2:11 – Kowakidani to Chokokunomori
2:36 – Hakone Open Air Museum 🎨
7:00 – Lunch at Marmie Kitchen 🍴
7:25 –Sounzan Station
8:31 – Owakudani 🌋
10:49 – Trouble Getting to Lake Ashi 😅
12:11 – Lake Ashi at Night 🌊
13:10 – Peace Torii (Heiwa no Torii) ⛩️
13:26 – Hakone Shrine
13:55 – Outro

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