An adventure on a pirate ship
At Lake Ashi, Hakone Sightseeing Cruises operates ships that connect the three ports on the lake. Enjoy a leisurely tour of the lake on these vessels which link Togendai Port, Moto-Hakone Port and Hakone-machi Port. At Hakone-machi and Moto-Hakone, there is the restored Hakone Checkpoint which was originally built in the Edo Era where you can encounter some history of the area. 10 minutes away from those two ports, there is Onshi Hakone Park from where you can view the superb scenery of Lake Ashi and Mt. Fuji. Also, at about the same distance away from Moto-Hakone Port, there is Hakone Shrine which is famous as a power spot. Along the shore of that port, the red torii of the shrine and Mt. Fuji can be seen, and on good days, a reverse image of the mountain is reflected on the lake surface, so it is a popular spot with tourists. At Togendai Port, there are restaurants where you can enjoy meals while viewing the lake, onsen for day visits and a small road where you can walk along the shore. Also, you can hop on the Hakone Ropeway and head to Owakudani, a zone where fumes can be seen coming from the Hakone Volcano. Even now, there is fume activity in that area and you can get a taste of the spectacle of an active volcano. There is a delicacy in Owakudani, pitch-black eggs; if you eat one, it’s said that you can extend your life by 7 years.
Use the economical Hakone Freepass
If touring around Hakone, the Hakone Freepass is recommended. The Hakone Freepass is a round-trip ticket on the JR Odakyu Line from JR Shinjuku to Odawara Stations. It is also an all-you-can-use ticket which includes rides on the Hakone Tozan Railway connecting Odawara Station and Hakone Yumoto Station, the Hakone Ropeway, and Hakone Sightseeing Cruises as mentioned above. Plus, it is a ticket that provides discounts for more than 50 facilities in Hakone including art galleries, museums and onsen. For adults, it costs 5140 yen and for children, it is 1500 yen. It can be purchased at automatic ticket machines for every station on the Odakyu Line and major stations on the Hakone Tozan Railway, but it can also be purchased at travel agencies such as JTB and Nippon Travel Agency.