Ooh, Hakone Is A Place On Earth – Pt.3

After the museum, I headed to the train station to ascend to the next, and last, station called Gora. This should’ve been straight-forward but for each train that came past, the old man working at the station told me it was going to the wrong way. After trains had passed both ways, I decided to walk it. Never trust an old man halfway up a mountain concerning trains, I say. However, he pointed me in the right direction on foot, so obviously he thought I needed the exercise. The walk took five minutes, so it was fine.

The next transport on my journey was a funicular cable-car up a very steep hill. Every stop it made, the carriage would break, slip back a few metres and then stop. Not the most reassuring system when you’re halfway up a mountain.


At the top waiting for me was the Hakone Ropeway. This was very cool as I had a pod to myself. However, it was too cloudy to see Fuji-San, but at the same time it was boiling. I was in a t-shirt for most of the day whereas all of the Japanese were in coats; they feel cold wherever!



The ropeway climbed up towards a hill where it peaked. I sensed something was coming but had no idea what. Actually, I smelt something coming. And it smelt baaad. I was pretty surprised when I saw what lay ahead; something out of ‘From Dusk Til Dawn’. Barren land that had gas steaming from it.



I left the Ropeway at this halfway point. The place was called Owakudani, otherwise known as ‘Hell Valley’. The stench was unbearable. A volcanic explosion left the area full of boiling mud pools and vents of sulphurous steam.


Oh how reassuring one little word in orange in the bottom right corner of a sign can be! Also nice to know that if it’s not completely fatal, at least I could leave with a nice bout of conjunctivitis or a fit of coughing. It was actually very cool, on top of the fact that it smelt and I could die.




I had a Kuro Tamago; a black egg naturally boiled by the volcanic gases. It tasted just like any boiled egg. Dan, you would’ve been in your element!



Actually, I had two and my stomach let me know that sulphur dioxide, boiled eggs and hangover don’t mix. I look dumb in this photo but let this be a warning of eating eggs; you think that’s sulphur dioxide!


I took the second half of the Ropeway down to Lake Ashi, where randomly a Spanish Galleon was waiting for me.


I climbed on board and sailed towards the town of Hakone. I wanted to be Cap’n Jack Sparrow so bad!



It was so cold and windy on the boat. Yo ho ho, a pirate’s life most definitely not for me. But the view was amazing:



At the other side (I survived the cold) I went to the Hakone Checkpoint. In the days of the shoguns, all travellers on the main road between Edo (old Tokyo) and Kyoto had to stop at this police checkpoint, where they were thoroughly searched. And I mean thoroughly. Anyone caught trying to sneak through were gauged to death on huge death spikes and their severed heads put on display to ward off other miscreants.

The checkpoint itself wasn’t that fascinating, but it allowed for some good views of the lake. This one makes me think of The Lion King.



Passing through the Ancient Cedar Avenue, planted for travellers to have a break from the sun, I walked through the strangely deserted town of Hakone. I started to feel as if I was the only tourist left that day. I arrived at the Hakone Shrine. There was not one single other person there, how very strange. Was I the only person left in Japan? Did someone forget to tell me something? Was the big earthquake that everyone’s been threatening about finally coming?



Down towards the lake was a large red gate, almost floating in the water. It was so beautiful.


The sun had started to set, and I headed to the bus stop, suddenly realising I had no idea what time the last bus was, if there were still any running. Luckily, I caught the last bus, otherwise I would’ve been stranded. The only sucky thing about the day was that since I’d done a big trek across the area, I was on the other side so it took an hour back to Odawara station and then another hour to get back to Yokohama from there. Still, I can’t complain because it was, after all, the greatest day ever.

I’d advise this day as one of the three top ‘must-do’ things if you come to Tokyo. I’m not sure what the other two are, but this definitely can’t go unmentioned.

Looking back, the Freepass allowed me on trains, funiculars, ropeways, a Spanish galleon and a bus. I only paid for the sculpture museum, some lunch, the eggs, and the checkpoint museum on top of that, so the £20 ticket was a serious bargain.

Did I mention how much I like Hakone?