A snow capped Mount Fuji stands tall behind beautiful Lake Ashi

Oooo look-y look-y what we have here! An actual blog post about my adventures in Japan! How utterly unexpected of me!

Since Monday was a national holiday (勤労感謝の日, Kinro Kansha no Hi, Labor Day) a few of my good friends and I decided to celebrate the long weekend with a girl's getaway to Hakone! We really wanted to escape the city for a few days, and let me tell you now, Hakone is a beautiful place to escape to! It was my first time being surrounded by such breathtaking scenery. Everywhere you look in Hakone there are mountains and autumn leaves and glistening lakes. The air was also so clean and fresh on the mountains and it made me feel like I was home in the countryside of Canada again (so long as I avoided catching a whiff of sulfur air...P.U.!)..

In case some of you are considering Hakone as your go-to travel destination while in Japan, I'm going to list what I got up to on my vacation, where I stayed, and what my recommendations are so you can make the best out of your time and money!

Hakone FreePass

I can't say enough good things about the Hakone FreePass! It was around 5.000 Yen (50$ Canadian dollars) for one of these passes, but it was transportation and entertainment all in one! By using this pass, we were able to leave from Shinjuku station and get all the way down to Hakone-Yumoto in about an hour and a half without forking over thousands of yen. The only confusing part about this pass was trying to navigate through Shinjuku station in order to find the ticket counter and then find the corresponding train platform. It can't really be helped though. Shinjuku station is a well known garish nightmare. Even the most seasoned transit takers get lost in the poorly designed abyss that is Shinjuku station... 

Once we were in Hakone, I was so surprised by how fun taking public transportation was! The trains were more tourist friendly with tables and comfy chairs and all of the tracks weaved intricately around the mountains so you could catch a glimpse of some really beautiful scenery. Another thing that makes the freepass an amazing travel must-have is the fact that you can ride the cable cars and the tourist pirate ship cruises around Hakone and its all included! All you have to do is flash your pass all Men-In-Black badass style and you can hop from a train to a ship seamlessly.  

One of the cable car routes was unavailable due to volcanic activity.... Made for a cool smokey picture though!

Cable car station up on the mountain top

Riding up the mountainside in these nifty cable cars was definitely one of my favourite adventures in Hakone. From the car you can see a lot more of the mountains and the forests. Luckily, we were in Hakone at the perfect time and we could enjoy a sea of red, orange, and yellow leaves. These cable cars also had these hilarious selfie props that we made quick use of being the selfie obsessed twenty-somethings that we are.

Pirate ship ahoy!!

The pirate tourist cruise is also a must-do on any Hokane travel bucket list. With the freepass, we could explore all four levels of the ship, but we couldn't go into the first class area which was at the very front of the ship. Other than not being able to reenact the classic scene from Titanic, we weren't bothered too much by that. This ship is a great way to see all of Lake Ashi, and as a lake formed in a caldera around 3000 years ago, it's quite a sight to see. Unfortunately, seeing Mount Fuji from this cruise is not as easy as they make it sound. Any small amount of clouds or fog will completely wipe poor Mt. Fuji out of view.

Gora Park

We emerge from Gora Station ready to face the mountains!

On our way to our ryokan, we stopped in Gora to visit one of its famous parks. This park is such a hidden gem. From Gora station, you have to trek uphill for a few blocks until you happen upon a large Parisian garden with fountains, rose gardens, cafes, and greenhouses. I got a chance to see the last of the roses and for some bizarre reason, there was a steel drum performance at the fountain when I was there so that was an added bonus. Another really amazing part of this park is that there is a quiet, old school Japanese tea house nestled in with the trees. I didn't get a chance to try it out, but the sign said only 500 Yen (5$ Canadian Dollars) to have traditional tea and snacks and the atmosphere was so serene there that I can only imagine it would be well worth your time to check it out.

Beginning the hike up to Gora Park!

There is a small cafe on the left, steel drummers in the middle, and a beautiful mountain scenery in the back. What more could you ask for?!

I'm obsessed with roses. I'm so glad these blooms held out for my visit!!

The main path in the rose garden.

With our freepass, entrance to Gora Park was free, but without the pass I think the cost is around 500 Yen (5$ Canadian Dollars). Depending on what season you go (spring would probably be the best with its cherry blossoms and azaleas) I think the park is well worth the price you pay.

Ryokans and Hot Springs

Without a doubt, onsen visits are a must when you travel outside of the city limits. A lot of travelers are uneasy about going to hot springs in Japan, but it's really not all that embarrassing. Once you get over the fact that you are naked with a bunch of random Japanese people, there really isn't anything left to worry about. After that you can finally enjoy the relaxing and healing hot spring waters of Japan!

In Hakone, there are many well known onsens to choose from. You also have the option to just do a sort of "day visit", or you can stay at that onsen overnight and enjoy the traditions that go along with spending the night at a ryokan.

Our ryokan was called Hotel Musashiya and I would definitely give it 9 anime thumbs up out of 10. The place itself isn't in tip-top condition as it is a bit older, but what it lacks in novelty, it makes up for in hospitality. I can boldly say that I've never stayed at a more welcoming and friendly place.

The onsens in this ryokan weren't very large and they are definitely geared more towards a family audience. However, their baths look straight out onto the lake and you can soak outside whilst gazing out into the reflection of the moon over the mountains. It's beyond picturesque!

Hanging out in our room in Yukatas, drinking tea and getting ready for the onsen!

One of my favourite moments from our overnight stay was when all three of us girls completely gaijin-failed at putting our yukatas on. We fumbled with the obis for a while and even tried to follow a youtube video, but in the end we decided just to throw our senses of pride out the door and phone down to the front desk. Within minutes of explaining to the lady at the front desk that we didn't know how to properly wear our yukatas, she was at our door ready to dress us like the little children that we were. It seemed like the staff was always at our beck and call as they called us out for our meals, served our tea, and put out our futons, It was definitely a royal treatment!

This is our lovely lake view room

This is the view from our ryokan. The lake was stunning in the morning

No matter what country you're in, a girl's night will always be a good time guaranteed!

Sengokuhara Grass

If you enjoy hiking, nature, and feeling as if you were smack dab in the middle of a Studio Ghibli film, then this is the place for you! In autumn, the once green hill of grass changes into a sea of gold. It was honestly one of the most therapeutic hikes I've ever trekked. This area was rated as one of the fifty best sights to see in the Kanagawa prefecture and I definitely have to agree! A word to the wise, the trails are very rocky and a bit uneven at times so be sure to go prepared with proper footwear.

Grass, mountains, forests, oh my!

The start of our hike into the field of silver grass!

Hakone Shrine

This was the first time for me to see a torii gate in water. During the day time, it reflects so beautifully off of the lake, and at night, spotlights light up the torii so it can be seen from almost anywhere along the waters edge. I wasn't able to learn a lot about the history of this shrine while I was in Hakone (the whole lost in translation dealio...), but when I got home I did some digging and I found out some pretty cool information about it! Apparently, this shrine was once at the summit of a neighboring mountain, but was moved down to lake Ashi in order to pacify the nine-headed dragon living in the belly of the lake. Now, I didn't see any nine-headed dragon while I was there, but I think the story is fascinating just the same. 

Looks like a portal into another world!

Is this the nine-headed dragon they were talking about!?!

The main road leading up to the shirne

Alas! This concludes my little exposé on Hakone. As a quick last mention, I also recommend that you visit the Open Air Museum and eat lots and lots of onsen-manju when you go. I hope that when you get the chance to explore this area of Japan, you will have just as much fun as I did scaling mountains and sailing through lakes! 

Bye bye for now~!