Located in the Fuji Hakone Izu National Park about 80km west of Tokyo, Hakone attracts more than about 19 million tourists a year.
How to Get to Hakone
From Tokyo Station
Tokyo Station - [JR Tokaido Shinkansen] or [JR Tokaido Railway] - Odawara Station - [Hakone Tozan Railway] - Hakone Yumoto Station
From Shinjuku Station
Shinjuku Station - [Odakyu Line] - Odawara Station - [Hakone Tozan Railway] - Hakone Yumoto Station
From Osaka/Kyoto/Nagoya
Osaka/Kyoto/Nagoya - [JR Tokaido Shinkansen] or [JR Tokaido Railway] - Odawara Station - [Hakone Tozan Railway] - Hakone Yumoto Station
Owakudani
Journey to Owakudani Valley can be a very interesting trip. From Odawara or Hakone-Yumoto station to Gora, you can enjoy your ride with tozan train. Different from other train, tozan train is moving up the valley and going zigzag, forward and backward, up to the mountain.
From Gora, you can go to Sounzan Station by Hakone Tozan Cable-car and experience the ropeway from souzan to Owakudani. You can experience the ride with marvelous mountain-view and the forest along the ride. The height of the ropeway can make you feel like flying in the sky.
Owakudani Volcano Valley is famous with Black Pearl Egg. Black pearl egg is a chicken egg, boiled in geysers of Owakudani Mountain. It is believed that one egg can add seven years of your life. Souvenirs are also available in this area.
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(From left to Right) Black Pearl Egg, Pirate Ship and Yunessun
Lake Ashi
Lake Ashi, 20km in circumference, is a slender lake formed in the Hakone caldera some 400 thousand years ago. The inverted reflection of Mt. Fuji viewed through the pine avenue in the southern shore is picturesque scenery.Near Lake Ashi, the foot of Mt. Futago, and Lake Shojin stand many great stone images of Buddha and stone castles. These include a huge stone of 3m in height, 26 stone images of Buddha, also called Nijugo Bosatsu, Gorinto Castle said to be the grave for the Soga brothers, Hokyo Into Castle said to be the grave of Manju Tadano, and other various stone images of Buddha, all being designated as Important Cultural Properties.
From Owakudani, You can reach Lake Ashi by taking ropeway from Sounzan to Togendai Station. From Togendai, enjoy your trip by taking a Pirate Ship and you can try pirate costumes if you want to. The boat sails from Togendai and reach Hakone Machi in about 30 minutes. Along the journey, you can see the beauty view of lake Ashi.
Yunessun / Mio Mall
Some people have different image if they hear the word "SPA". But in Yunessun, a different atmosphere is offered. You can enjoy bathing in with swimsuit on and relax in many kind of bath.
1. Sunshine Yutopia
Sunshine Yutopia Offers 20 kinds of outdoor bath along the valley.
2. Dead Sea Bath
This bath is using imported salt from the Dead Sea. You can experience water with density that enables you to float on your back without effort.
3. The God's Sea
This is the biggest spa in Yunessun. A variety of massage techniques is offered and the water screen along the spa create a different atmosphere here.
4. Ancient Roman Bath
Designed just like ancient Roman style, this bath has two different temperatures to promote good health.
5. Turkish Hamam
Imitating Ottoman Turkish palace, this place is designed with turkish decoration and to create a spectacular view, the whole place is illuminated with imaginative lights.
6. BOXAPPY'S Jungle Gym
A children attraction with variety tricks
7. Rodeo Mountain
Includes an adventurous water slide ¡ÈRodeo Mountain¡É and the unique cave spa.
Near to Yunessan Spa, there is also Mio Mall souvenir shop and European grocery shop. You can buy Yunessun original character, Spakoneko, and many other souvenirs, gifts, and goods. There are also Japanese and Italian restaurants in Mio Mall.
Gotemba Premium Outlets
Not only nature, Hakone also offers shopping place. Not less than 200 outlets are standing along the road selling branded shoes, clothes, bags, perfumes and other interesting stuff.
But not like mall or another market, Gotemba Premium Outlets is a convenient place to enjoy your time. The road along Gotemba Premium Outlets is decorated with flower so you can always feel fresh. You can have you meal in the food bazaar or take your children to Gotemba Outlet Park.
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Gotemba Premium Outlets (up), Hakone Glass Forest (down)
Hakone Glass Forest
Forty minutes traveling by bus from Odawara Station, you can find works of glass art being displayed here. The antique and unique glass art which was manufactured in the 15th century through the 18th century, to the modern ones manufactured since the latter half of the 19th century can be found Hakone Glass Forest. You are also welcomed o make accessories from glasses.
Eventhough Hakone Glass forest is a museum, this building is designed by venecia architectural which will give you a different atmosphere of hakone. You can enjoy the beautiful park view arround the museum while having your meal in Caffe Terraza. Ocassionally italian singer will entertain you so you can enjoy more of your time in Hakone Glass Forest.
Hakone Glass Forest also provides a museum shop. This artistic shop offers colourful glass art with design collected from around the world, such as glass, vase and many other decoration.
Fuji-Q High Land
Fuji-Q (read: Fujikyu) stands in 124 acre land and has 33 rides, 9restaurants, 12 snack bar, 17 tennis courts and 20 bowling alleys. from shinjuku, it will take aproximitely 100 minutes if you taking Chuo Express Bus.
In 1997, One of the ride in Fuji-Q High Land, Fujiyama, has been recognized by Guiness Book World of Record as the tallest traditional complete-circuit roller coaster. It is 79 meter tall with lift height of 71,5 meter, vertical drop of 70 meter and a design speed of 130 km/h.
Another thrilling ride, Dodonpa, could be a very interesting place to to try your courage. This ride can bring you to 172 km/h just in 1.8 seconds. Moving down at this speed you can experience zero gravitation before it turns in a giant banks. Then, the track will bring the car upward 90 degrees and give you about half second to breath before it brings you downward 90 degrees.
Not only that, you can also try the spinning ride Panic Clock. In this ride, you will try the ride that will spin you 360 degree forward, hold you in the air in the opposite direction, then it will spin you backward.
Not thrilling enough? try Red Tower. This ride will bring you up slowly for 52 meters (let you see the beautiful view of Mountain Fuji and hear a relaxing music) before it drops you down with speed of 65km/h. You can experience the -1 gravitation when it moves down, and 4 gravitation when the Red Tower bouncing up again.
But Fuji-Q High Land can be enjoyable for child also, some ride like Mad House is available for child 4 years with height 110cm and above. It also provides a park with great view of Mountain Fuji where you can take pictures. If you want to know more about Fuji-Q High Land, you can find more by browsing to Fuji-Q High Land Official Homepage at www.fuji-q.com.
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Related Page
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Kanagawa, Japan Tourist Guide
Yunessun
Gontemba Premium Outlets
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