Onsen, fog and Mt. Fuji (maybe)
The Romancecar from Shinjuku takes about 85 minutes and has seats at the very front with a driver's-eye view. Book those a few days ahead.
The loop
Hakone works as a loop: mountain train, cable car, ropeway over the volcanic valley at Owakudani (where you eat black eggs boiled in the sulphur springs), then a slightly ridiculous pirate ship across Lake Ashi. One pass covers all of it.
Fuji appeared for eleven minutes on day two. Everyone on the boat stopped talking.
The ryokan
We splurged on one night in a traditional inn: tatami room, yukata robes, a kaiseki dinner of about twelve small courses, and a private outdoor bath fed by a hot spring. Breakfast was grilled fish, rice, miso and pickles, served at a time you choose the night before.
If you go
- Weekdays are much quieter than weekends.
- Send big luggage from Tokyo to the hotel with a delivery service.
- Check the Fuji forecast — there are websites just for its visibility.