My first look at Hakone

Hakone has been on my list of places to see for some time now. I've been hearing about how beautiful it is and about the great onsens. There's a touristy pirate ship that you can take across the lake and a ropeway up to a volcanic crater where you can eat an egg that's supposed to add six years to your life. 

Outside the Hakone-Yumoto train station

Although I think it will require an overnight trip eventually, last weekend I made a day trip with a friend to Hakone shrine to get a first look at the area. Two different weather sources told me that it would be in the mid- to high-60s and partly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of rain. That sounded like pretty good odds, so off we went.  

First, we took a train to Hakone-Yumoto. There was a light rain when we got there, but it was quite lovely nestled in a valley.  

Then we took a bus up the mountain to Moto-Hakone, where the shrine is located. When we arrived, both weather apps told me that it was 70 degrees and partly cloudy. And I looked out at the lake only about 30 yards away… and couldn't see any of it for the fog. With the wind as strong as it was, it most certainly wasn't 70 degrees. And then there was the constant changing between mist, light rain, heavier rain and back again. Of course, having grown up in western Washington state, a little fog/mist/rain wasn't going to stop me from enjoying my trip! But I apologize if any of the pictures are a little blurry. I didn't want to get my nice camera wet, so all the pictures were taken with my phone while juggling an umbrella.

We stopped at a restaurant for some tonkatsu and then walked along the lake to the entrance to the shrine. While the fog totally disrupted our view of the lake, Mt. Fuji or any of the surrounding countryside, it did make everything look sort of mystical and lovely. According to the tour guide I had read online, the shrine is particularly beautiful in the mist. The fog gave us a chance to confirm that!

After walking around the shrine, we walked down to one of the torii that leads to the shrine - the Peace Torii - which is actually situated in the lake.

Then we walked back along the lake, appreciating how some colors - like the orangey-red of the shrine or the blue of my umbrella - pops out in the fog. 

We finished the day by looking at a few shops and then took a bus back to a train station. All in all, it was a very nice day. I will certainly need to go back for an overnight trip so that I can appreciate the onsens. Maybe I'll even see the lake next time!