The place of relaxation, known for their Onsen (hot springs) and Ryokan (Japanese inns). Also, on a nice day, you can see Mt. Fuji so time it right to make it that much more exceptional. Travelling from Tokyo with the JR pass, you can go to Odawara station taking only 35 minutes from Tokyo station. You can also make your way from Kyoto to Odawara taking roughly 2 hours. From there, buy a Hakone Freepass as it will save you a lot of money. It gives you unlimited transport within Hakone as well as discounts at multiple places for 2-3 days depending on how long you want to stay there for. Depending on where you buy the pass, the price varies between ¥4,600 - ¥6,100. Try one of the Japanese inns if you can as they are very cosy and most have their own hot spring in the basement so you can rest after a long day or when you get up and it feels like all the tension leaves your body.
When you are there, you can follow the specific path that they will give you on the map that will take you all the way round Hakone going through different transports such as cable cars, pirate ships and more. The view is very scenic and stunning.
When it comes to food, there is a limited choice of restaurants around however the quality of the ones there are top-notch. There were 2 restaurants that stood out for me and also the only ones I have tried so take this with a grain of salt.
The first restaurant is a gourmet French style of food, so you can expect small portions of different flavours with a very professional and polite staff. The service is fast, and they are there to help you. However, you pay the price for it, it is definitely not budget friendly more like a splurge for a good meal. If you are not a fan of this, then make your way to the second restaurant.
Italian style food where presentation does not matter but they make up for it with the deliciousness of the food. There are some unique dishes within the menu, find them and try them to be pleasantly surprised.
French restaurant located inside a hotel with other restaurants next door. This is the sort of food you can expect if you are going for the 6-course menu. Feel free to try other dishes if you feel like it, the quality will most likely be the same and having a go at trying.
Expect a variety of different flavours, be open to the experience of trying all of them. Is it worth the splurge? Maybe, if you want to take a break from Japanese food then go for it, if you want bigger portions then this might not be the place for you.
Bear in mind that this place closes early.
Hours:
Monday – Sunday: 11:30AM – 2PM, 6PM – 8:30PM
Personal Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Average Cost: ¥4,000– ¥11,000 (£30 – £83) per person (depending on what you choose)
Delicious Italian food with some quirky dishes you may never have tried. I believe the menu must change constantly with new dishes all the time depending on what is good. This tends to be exceedingly popular amongst tourists and can get packed very often so be weary of this. You can find the menu and drinks on their website where everything is mostly in English. Here is the type of food you can expect.
Hours:
Monday – Sunday: 9AM – 9PM
Personal Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Average Cost: ¥4,000– ¥6,000 (£30 – £45) per person
If you love sport cars, love anime especially Initial D then this might be your dream place to be. Try the cars they actually used on the anime/manga for yourself, I mean how amazing is that? If you decide you want to do this, be prepared to have these things: International driving license, home driving license and passport. You can find all the information on their website. The experience itself is amazing to be able to drive in one of those cars, I was fortunate enough to be in the passenger seat, so I do not quite know what it is like to drive it. However, even being in that seat, I could feel the thrill and the speed. This does require a big budget if you want to do some of the guided tours around some of the famous touges and mountains.
Expected price for this is somewhere between ¥40,000 - ¥140,000 (£300 - £1050)
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