Tokyo Day Trip #1: Odawara and Hakone
- Ondrey
- Sep 28, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 24, 2022
There are plenty of Day Trip locations to see if you are staying in the Tokyo area and want to explore a little bit more. This three-part series will cover 4 locations for day trip areas that sure will be able to help you experience more of Japan and the culture outside the compact skyscrapers and vibrant streets of Tokyo without having to go too far or needing a JR Pass.
Odawara
If you jump on the Odakyu line out of Shinjuku and take it to it is the very last stop, you'll have arrived in Odawara. (I'd suggest jumping on the Rapid Express or Romancer Car to make the trip faster). The most notable destination is the Odawara Castle which is only a 10 min walk from the station. The castle is filled with museum artifacts such as armor and weapons and does an excellent job explaining the history of the Hojo family that resided there. You are even able to try of samurai armor or kimonos to take souvenir pictures with the castle in the background.
Odawara's local specialty food is known as Kamaboko or "fish cakes" which is made of ground up fish, then steamed. You can pick up roll at any of the local shops. Since Odawara is off the Sagami Bay the sushi is something you do not want to pass up. There are many restaurant options for sushi however my recommendation is Daruma, they are recognized as a "tangible cultural property of Japan" and have been around since 1893.
Hakone
From Odawara you can jump onto the Hakone Yumoto train line. Though you can see Hakone and Odawara in one day, I do suggest that you make it a weekend trip to give yourself more time to see the sights in Hakone and enjoy a hot spring. For the day trip however, the best route is a loop, getting off the train at stop OH 51 and jumping on the Hakone Tozan bus route K "Hakone Kyukaido Line", which will take you straight to Motohakone-Ko. You'll be dropped off into the center of a busy little town lined with shops and giant tori gates. The Hakone Jinja Shrine is about a half hour leisurely stroll. It is said that the Shinto Priest Mangan tamed the nine-headed dragon that lived in Lake Ashi. The shrine was founded in 757 ad and its famous Tori gate is at the shoreline of Lake Ashi.
Once you are back at Motohakone-Ko you can hop on a Pirate like cruise ship to go across Lake Ashi to Togendai-Ko. On your way across the beautiful Lake, you can see the Tori gate of the Hakone Jinja Shrine (above bottom right picture) and a view of Mt. Fuji off to the left of your boat. Once your ship ride is over the Hakone Ropeway/Gondola will take you up to Owakudani known as the Valley of Hell. You will have another great view of Mt. Fuji on your way up. Owakudani was created by the eruption of Mt. Kami around 3,000 years ago. To this day small quakes can be felt, the last large one was in 2015 changing the landscape and making it not always accessible to tourist. However, you can still see the sulfur steam emitting from the vents and try a local cuisine; the Black eggs, which are said to add seven years to your life upon eating one!
After you have gained your seven years of life, you can hop back onto the ropeway and take it till its end where you will transfer onto a cable car. It will make several stops down a steep hill, but if you take it to Gora Station, you will find many things to do and see. The Hakone Gora Park is one of the first French style gardens in Japan, but the grounds also have a restaurant, cafe and tearoom. If your feeling crafty the Crafthouse which features DIY pottery, glassblowing, glass bending and sandblasting to create a one-of-a-kind keepsake. One of Hakone's specialties is yosegi zaiku (wood mosaic). These beautifully handcrafted woodworks can be seen at Omiyage Kobayashi located next to Gora Station.
As I mentioned above, I believe Hakone should be a weekend endeavor, that way you can experience the hot springs and Ryokans in the area which is what truly made Hakone famous. Unfortunately, since I did the quick day trip I will not speak about the hot springs, though many of them offer day passes while you are there.
Commentaires