Japan - Onsen time in Hakone

We decided to do a little loop whilst our China VISAs were being sorted, to check out some onsens, Mt Fuji and the Mountains. Our first stop our mini tour was Hakone - famous for onsens and views of Mt Fuji.

Mt Fuji

Hakone is a short train journey out from Tokyo to the South. We caught the train from Shinjuku and soon arrived into the village. Our accommodation - a hostel called K's House - was a shortish walk up a hill front the station. 

The hostel was fantastic. It was new and the beds were in capsules - they even had a double bed! There was a nice little kitchen, eating area and a large chill out space which overlooked the valley. But the best bit was that there was an onsite onsen - great for a late night dip!

Chill out room

What a view

After settling in and doing some research into our next week, we decided to find one of the famous onsens. Luckily there was a very good one just up the valley from us, which Julia had found, so we set off up the road to find it.

Women only

Onsen are everywhere in Japan and one of the oldest traditions - even the monkeys join in! The are essentially natural hot baths that are formed by water being heated underground and the Japanese bathe in them to relax... naked. Split for Women only and Men Only, these baths become quite the social space with women gossiping and the men even discussing business! Most have a range of hot pools to choose from at varying temperatures, some with minerals, some bubbling, some even have electric currents running through them. 

Hot milky pool

There is however an etiquette to bathing in an Onsen which we googled before heading there just to make sure we didn't stand out...well any more than a naked westerner would! The idea is that you move from one bath to another and sometimes go for hot, then cold, then hot again.

The Onsen we went to was very helpful in directing us to the right changing areas (signs were all in Japanese!) and with lockers in the changing rooms it was time to bare all. 

Before you enter the baths there is a small washing area with stools, sinks and a small shower head. This is where you wash yourself down before heading into the baths. You can rent a small flannel sized towel to use in the baths, but the younger women tended to have brought large towels with them to wrap around themselves and just slip them off before dropping into the water. The older women were happy to bare it all and just sat in the water with their tiny towels on their heads (not sure why!) and the men made the most of these small towels to cover their manhood in between the baths. 

Onsen at night 

It is very relaxing, and an experience that we had to try out, but you can't take a book so after an hour of soaking in the buff slowly overheating from the hot steamy waters we realised why the Japanese didn't spend very long there...it's not quite the same as a spa day. 

The hostel was a little way out of the village, but there were a few mini marts nearby, so we thought we would cook in. But after having a quick look and feeling rather uninspired, we decided to find a restaurant. After a couple of false starts and some confusing menus, we stumbled across a locally run restaurant and bar. 

With Grandma in the kitchen, Mum taking the orders, Daughter running the bar next door and Dad sitting in the corner drinking a lot of bottles of Sake, we were given a warm welcome despite there being no English communication. We couldn't resist trying a few of the home-cooked dishes out and ended up with some Chicken Skewers, the most delicious cheesy eggplant dish and a plate of yaki udon noodles. It was a great end to our relaxing afternoon in the Japanese version of a tub! 

What a view

We got up early the following day to head over to Hakone lake to take in the view of Mt Fuji. There was a pass we could have bought for the whole area which included a ride on a pirate boat, gondala, train and buses. But it was quite expensive and we were not sure we would get full use out of it, so just got a local pass which just included the bus and train and jumped on the bus. 

The Hakone area is actually a huge caldera, so the bus had to climb up over the crest before heading down to the lake. After about 45 minutes we arrived at the lake to spectacular views.

Iconic Japan

We decided to get off at the end of the route and then walk back along the edge of the lake, taking in the wonderful views of the lake, forests, mountains and Mt Fuji in the distance.  It was then we saw the boat - a fairy tail pirate ship, and in hind sight we maybe should have got the all area 'free' pass (not that it was free) as it did look good fun. 

The pirate ship

The walk along the lake side was really nice, with trees framing the view. We were blessed with clear skies, so the reflections of Mr Fuji on the water was beautiful.

A walk in the woods

After a few hours walking around, we figured out that we had the time to go back via a different bus to the town and then travel on the train back up the valley to arrive back in time for sun-set. So off we went.

The bus has great views as the route twisted and turned up and then down the mountain. We got back just in time for the train, which then traveled up the valley slowly switching back and forth and over bridges.

The sunset was beautiful and as the wind dropped, the water was like glass. The small torii gate of the shrine was lit red and made for a spectacular image of the gate and Mt Fuji in the back. 

Stunning sunset

The journey around the area had been a nice loop, but THAT view was one that we would remember as one of our favourite moments in Japan.