Hakone loop: ropeway, Owakudani and Lake Ashi

Hakone sits inside the caldera of an old volcano, and it is one of the few places near Tokyo where the ground is still visibly working. At Owakudani, sulphur vents hiss out of a bare, yellow-streaked slope, and eggs boiled in the hot pools come out with black shells. Below it lies Lake Ashi, a crater lake where a red torii stands in the water at Hakone Shrine, and on a clear morning Mount Fuji fills the gap between the ridges.

What sets the day apart is the chain of rides. The classic loop, 8 hours from Shinjuku or Odawara, links a mountain railway that climbs by switchbacks, a ropeway swinging over the Owakudani vents, and a ship across the lake to the shrine gate. Shorter versions keep to the lake and torii, or start from Odawara and finish in 5 hours. The 11-hour combo from Shinjuku adds Fuji 5th Station, while the 9-hour Free Pass day hands you the circuit to ride at your own pace.

Weather decides more here than on most trips. Strong wind can halt the ropeway, and raised volcanic gas levels occasionally close Owakudani, so the guide confirms the order of stops on the morning itself. Fuji hides behind cloud on many summer days and shows most reliably from late autumn into winter. Expect short walks between stations rather than hiking, a faint smell of sulphur on your jacket, and photos of the lakeside gate taken from water level.