Hakone
Hakone is a great day trip from Tokyo on the romance car. Try and get a reserved seat on the right side to see Fuji (or left side when going back to Tokyo). Also, the seats are assigned and don’t try and sit on the right side even if you have a left side ticket because an old Japanese grandmother will scold you very intensely, or so Taylor learned…
We did a loop tour of Hakone using the Hakone free pass, which was a great way to see it all. We took a bus to the pirate boat and then took the gondola up to the top, where we of course had sulfur eggs. From there we took a series of trains back down and around the the train station.
Two insider tips we got as a result of being with our Japanese friends that day:
Half way up the gondola we got off and walk to this Soba restaurant. There is absolutely no English, but the food and atmosphere were great!
On the way down we got off the train at Miyanoshita station and got a famous stew in a bread bowl from Watanbe Bakery. Its a pretty cool stop off the beaten path. We also saw Naraya Cafe where you can have a drink while soaking your feet in a hot bath, but we didn’t have time to stop.
Hakone Jinjya Heiwa-no-Torii is a partially submerged Tori and a great spot for a photo
