Hakone and Fuji-san

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The Hakone area which is about an hour by train from Tokyo (depending on which part of the area you're heading for) is one of the places where you may get to see Fuji-san in its grandeur. It all depends weather the clouds are hiding the mountain - and more often than not they are. Chances are before 9 a.m. you're more likely to have some view of the mountain. And if you expect to see Fuji-san with its snow-capped peak you can forget it at this time of the year as it has been summer and the autumn has been warm and there doesn't seem to be any snow as yet.

And if you're wondering why I've referred to Mount Fuji as "Fuji-san" (no it's not Mr/Miss/Mrs/Ms Fuji), it's because that is the correct way that Mount Fuji is referred to in Japanese. All those who call it "Fujiyama" are ignoramous plebs - that's what my Japanese sensei (teacher) says.

Half the fun of travelling to the area is the various forms of transport that you get to use - ideal for school outings. Firstly, you travel by narrow gauge railway from Odawara to Gora. Then you take funicular railway (which the Japanese call "cable car") from Gora to Sounzan. Then you get on a cable car (which the Japanese call "ropeway") to Togendai on the shores of (lake) Ashino-ko. And finally you travel on a galleon across the lake to Hakone-machi. You can travel by buses as well which will enable you to make a round trip back to Odawara from Hakone-machi.

On the cable car from Sounzan to Togendai you'll be travelling above a place where they mine for sulphur; indeed you can smell the stench of sulphur as you float above the mines. The cable car stops at Owakudani where you may climb up slopes to get close to the fissues from where hot gases seep out of the ground and you will find hot natural pools where people dip eggs in them to boil them. I gave that a miss. This ought to remind you that is a volcanic region after all and if Fuji-san should erupt ...

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Photos

Fuji-san
Mount Fuji with clouds covering its summit as seen from Gora.

Fuji-san 2
As seen from Gora without clouds covering its summit.

Fuji-san 3
As seen from Sounzan

Fuji-san 4
As seen from cable car above Owakudani - notice the hot gases coming out of the ground.

Map of the Hakone area
From http://www.odakyu.jp/english/freepass/hakone_01.html

Owakudani 1
Mining for sulphur.

Owakudani 2
Close up of mining for sulphur.

Owakudani 3
Hot gases.

Owakudani 5
You can just about see how small the people are.