After a fun and jam-packed few days in Tokyo we were ready to get out into the countryside, breathe some fresh air, and see some mountain vistas. Hakone is well known for its thermal hot springs and luxurious ryokan. What better way to mark the occasion of my 40th birthday than splashing some cash on a once in a lifetime experience!

Getting to the train station with all our luggage … and the toddler … was a bit of an ordeal and even though we were sure we had left ourselves plenty of time we still rushed around looking for our platform like mad things. We thought we had done so well when we found, what we thought, was the right platform and were happily waiting while Layla played train spotting. But after a while we start to feel a little uneasy. Where were all the other travellers? Surely there would be other tourists getting the train to Hakone we thought. Long story short, after a few sweat and stress inducing minutes running from one end of the station to the other with all our luggage, we finally found where we were supposed to be! A platform full of other travellers with shinkansen flying past at lighting speed. We made it, in the nick of time! From here the journey to Hakone was easy. The area is well set up for tourists with a great information office, plenty of helpful English speaking staff and easy to understand ticket options for however long you are planning to stay in the area (the Hakone Free Pass).

Part of the fun of exploring Hakone are the wonderful transport options including the cute, bright red trains on the picturesque Hakone Tonzan Railway, the boat trip on Lake Ashinoko and the ropeway to Owakudai. There are so many things to see and do in the area, and of course one of the greatest joys is giving in to the bliss of hiding away in a luxurious ryokan and spending hours eating incredibly beautiful food, relaxing and soaking in the thermal waters. Here are the things we spent our two nights/two days in Hakone doing.

HAKONE OPEN AIR MUSEUM
We absolutely loved this place! Despite the chilly, foggy weather it was a fun and culture filled place to spend an afternoon. And it is perfect if you are travelling with little ones. There is plenty of space for them to stretch their legs plus quite a few of the outdoor artworks are places where climbing and playing is encouraged and there is an exploratory art exhibition inside as well. Don’t miss a wander through the stylish cafe and make sure you have time to soak your feet in the hot thermal foot bath. Heavenly on a chilly day and a great way to get you in the mood for your ryokan stay that night.

HOT SPRINGS AND RYOKAN
Hakone is an area that is renowned for its hot springs and ryokan. Visitors from all over Japan, and the world, flock to the area to indulge in some luxury food, accommodation and bathing. To be honest, a lot of the ryokan are very expensive (I mean very expensive!), and it can be hard, when comparing by western accommodation standards, to see what you are paying for. My husband and I spent countless nights researching websites and books to find the right place to stay. But if your budget can stretch to it I highly recommend booking at least one night. It is a unique experience that you will never forget. The culture, food, experience and attention to detail are second to none. We stayed two different nights at two different ryokan, given the eye watering price of our preferred hotel to spend my birthday.

KINOKUNIYA RYOKAN
The first night we stayed at Kinokuniya Ryokan which was a lovely choice. It was an affordable price with dinner and breakfast included and we enjoyed the communal ryokan the evening we arrived and a private bath for the three of us on the morning of our birthday. The private bath was in a separate little house a short walk away and it felt quite adventurous walking through the streets in the early morning dressed in our yukata. Speaking of which, the whole culture and etiquette can be a little daunting to work out when you first arrive. The hotel supplied details instructions on wearing your yukuta and bathing but we still had some trepidation in not wanting to do the wrong thing! The first night for dinner we wore our yukuta over our clothes as it felt a bit odd going into a public space with nothing but a robe and underwear on and had to laugh when we realised that is exactly what the Japanese guests had done. Luckily there was another western couple who were just as silly as us.

As in the rest of Japan we found the staff to be really lovely and accommodating with Layla. She was made a thorough fuss over and always bought her own cutlery and cup of water and often given a little gift as well.

MIKAWAYA RYOKAN
As an extra special treat on the night of my birthday we stayed at the beautiful Mikawaya Ryokan, in a room with our own private onsen. It was such a luxury to be able to jump into the warm waters whenever we felt like it and perfect that Layla could join us too (although having a toddler jump in and out of the water constantly probably made the experience a little less luxurious!). Often dinner and breakfast are served in your own private room when staying in a ryokan but this seemed not to be the case when you had your own bath as well. We didn’t mind, the dining room was beautifully set out with little booths for each party to enjoy their own space. The food was really exceptional, and although it is a little bit difficult being vegetarian, and explaining that this also means no fish in my husband’s case, the hotel did its very best to accommodate. There were loads of tiny little dishes of stunningly presented food, the attention to detail was out of this world, and I can say for sure I have never had such a beautiful breakfast in my life. Whilst you are away from your room eating dinner the bedding set up so that the room is all ready for sleeping when you arrive back from your meal. I had read a lot of reviews, all very mixed, about sleeping on the floor, and apart from the fact that Layla kept rolling off onto the floor every now and then it was very comfortable. My only complaint about the stay was that it was nowhere near long enough to include as much lolling about as I would have liked.

MT FUJI & LAKE ASHINOKO
On the day of my birthday and after our cosy and relaxing early morning bath in our own private onsen and a pretty, delicate Japanese breakfast we were set for exploring. Although not a perfectly clear, blue skied day, I was very happy to see a glimpse of the top of Mt Fuji above the clouds. We began our day wandering the shores of Lake Ashinoko stopping off at Bakery and Table for a delicious Mt Fuji cake. Filled with red bean paste it was just the right side of sweet and the perfect birthday cake! I can highly recommend paying a visit to this little bakery/restaurant if you are in need of some crusty bread or sweet baked goods. It has an incredible view over the lake and you can even soak your feet in a thermal foot bath with a plush blanket around your shoulders whilst you indulge. Their coffee was great too!

HAKONE SHRINE
If you continue to wander along the shores of the Lake Ashinoko you will find yourself at a lovely red tori gate in the lake marking the entrance to Hakone Shrine. Climb the stairs into the forest and you will find the main temple buildings. It is a very pretty shrine set amongst tall trees and forested paths and worth the wander around the lake’s edge.

OWAKUDANI & HAKONE ROPEWAY
One of the highlights of a visit to Hakone is taking a ride on the heritage boat across Lake Ashinoko and then the ropeway (cable car) to Owakudani. This is the area around a crater that was created when Mount Hakone last erupted around 3000 years ago. The area is an active volcanic zone and you can see sulphurous smoke and smell the familiar fumes wafting across the mountainside. There are hot springs and hot rivers in the area that you can experience. Sadly when we visited the hiking trails were closed due to the volcanic activity but we were still able to enjoy a beautiful view of the top of Mt Fuji peaking above the clouds. It is also a very popular spot for tasting black eggs which are cooked in the hot springs, their shells turned black by the sulphur. Eating one is said to add seven years to your life!

Hakone is a fabulous trip from Tokyo. Easy to get to, full of activities, with a gorgeous range of traditional ryokan to stay in.

Next up we head to the Japanese Alps.