Hakone

Kaylee Clark 🌺
Jul 22, 2017 · 5 min read

I had decided to go to Hakone the night before. This is important to know as it would make sense for a tired Kaylee to be okay with 2–3 hours of public transportation to get to Hakone from Kashiwa. Without too much thought I woke up early and hopped on the train. I had about 2 connecting trains before reaching a local train called Hakone Tozan Train. I stayed within the RED route, which you can see zig zags. I didn’t think much of it until I was on the train and we were doing switch backs up the mountain on the train. Honestly, riding the train in self was an adventure. You were in the mountains under the trees. It was so beautiful and green here.

I rode the local train about 30 minutes before reaching my first stop around lunch time. I then stopped into a little cafe and ate. I got a set with entree + drink & desert. I had fried curry with banana cake and a coke. Such a cute little place and so so kind.

After eating I walked to the Open Air Art Museum. Entry was ¥1200 and that was the best ¥1200 I’ve ever spent. The museum was all about combining art & nature. There were so many cool pieces and interactive exhibits for kids… all within the mountains.

After the museum things got interesting because I would take my first bus here. When I checked my phone, I was going the opposite direction. I got off, and hopped on a bus going to the Hakone-Jinka Shrine. This would be another hour up the mountain. The road was so narrow, it reminded me of the Road to Hana, except the road didn’t drop off straight to the ocean.

Finally, I made it to the Shrine. It was amazing! I got to walk through the small town, around the lake and under the trees to get to the Shrine.

After the shrine, I caught an express train back to Tokyo, saving me over an hour of time. I got back to Kashiwa, got a 7/11 dinner of soba & salad, and went to bed.

Hakone is my favorite place I have been to here in Japan. Being in the mountains with so much to see, I was so happy.

Kaylee Clark 🌺

Written by

my travel journal • currently in Honolulu

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