Tough night, but we still managed to wake up early because we were heading to Hakone for a day trip! We didn't have to purchase our train tickets to get from Tokyo to Hakone because it was covered under the Hakone 2-Day Free Pass that we purchased from Changi Recommends before our trip. I did the calculations on transport costs and concluded that getting the free pass was still worth it even though we were only going for a day trip.
The Hakone Free Pass comes in an option of with a 2-Day or 3-Day pass, and will terminate once the return trip to Shinjuku has been completed. The free pass included a round trip from Shinjuku (Odakyu Line) and covered the usage of mainly the Hakone Ropeway, Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, Hakone Tozan Train / Bus / Cable Car.
The train ride from Shinjuku Station via the Odakyu Line brought us to Odawara Station, where we had to change to the Hakone Tozan Line in order to get to Hakone-Yumoto Station, where we board the Hakone Tozan Bus that brings us to Lake Ashi. The entire trip took us about 2 hours, and by the time we reach our destination, it started to rain and my stomach started to act up again.
So, when we arrived at our stop, we headed to the Lawson nearby to get an umbrella and boyfriend brought us to this Izakaya restaurant around the corner called Hakone Yashima (箱根屋島) for lunch, which is truly a gem.
It was a small cozy restuarant, and when we entered, we were greeted by a friendly waitress who seated us in the tatami room and before handing us a copy of the menu in English.
Since I was feeling too nauseated to have any cravings, boyfriend ordered the food. Although I was feeling so sick in my stomach, when the food came, it brought some of my appetite back. Especially the Oden Claypot Soup; it was light but packed full of flavours! It was definitely the best Oden I've ever had!
I was feeling better after having some hot piping food in my stomach, so after resting a little while longer (because I hit my head hard against the table and it hurts so bad) we made a move and continued on our journey.
First stop was the Hakone Shrine (箱根神社), which was 8 minutes walk from Hakone Yashima. Hakone Shrine is located along the shore of Lake Ashi, and since it was drizzling, the wind made it colder as we were making our way to the Shrine.
We took a break at the foot of Mount Hakone because my stomach was hurting quite badly again and I did not have the energy to climb up the stairs that leads to Hakone Shrine. I had to sit down. So, when boyfriend spotted an eatery around the corner, he sat me down outside (because the smell of food inside the eatery made me even more nauseated), got tempted by their ice-cream, gave in to his temptation, and went to get himself a cone. Hahaha!
I took a few bites of his ice-cream (yes, I know I shouldn't) and oh my gosh. It was so good.
Once boyfriend was done with his ice-cream, we made our way up the stairs, where tall and majestic cedar trees are lined alongside the path. It is definitely a great scenery to soak in. Hakone Shrine is also the most famous Shrine in Hakone, where people come to pay their respect and pray for safe trips and for luck. Bless me with some luck too, please.
Heading down from Hakone Shrine, past our earlier pit-stop, stands the super famous Heiwa-no-Torii (平和の鳥居), which is also known as the Red Gate of Peace or The Water Gate. It is a great photo spot with Lake Ashi in the background, and despite the rain and cloudy dark sky, there was still a waiting line for those who want to take a photo with the gate. Needless to say, we joined the queue as well. A photo is not to be missed!
After we were done, we made our way to take the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise (箱根海賊船), which we thought that the Lake Ashi Cruise Pier was the place where to board the Sightseeing Cruise, but nooo. We were in the wrong place. For the Hakone Sightseeing Cruise, the staff directed us to the pier further down. By that time, the rain was getting heavier and heavier. Since we were at the pier, that would also mean we were by the lakeside, so undoubtfully, the wind was blowing at us very strongly. We only had one umbrella so both of us were half drenched each.
The rain got so heavy until we had to take shelter in a bakery along the way and in order to do so, we bought a bread each to munch on, and boyfriend also got me a cup of hot milk to warm me up. Once the rain toned down, we made a quick run for the pier because our Sightseeing Cruise has arrived and if we missed it, we have to wait an hour for the next cruise to arrive.
It's a very bad choice to take a cruise on a rainy day when one is feeling sick in the stomach; the rocking of the ship just made it worse. I couldn't enjoy the scenery because I had to close my eyes and rest until we arrive at our destination. Sigh, so sad.
When we arrived at the Tōgendai Port (桃源台港), the rain was back to being a drizzle. It was past 4pm and the sun was starting to set. We didn't make it in time to dine at the Togendai View Restaurant (桃源台ビューレストラン) as last order was at 4pm, so we made our way straight for the Hakone Ropeway (箱根ロ－プウエイ) instead.
Here comes another disappointment... Owakudani Station is closed for sightseeing, which means we didn't get to explore the volcanic valley nor get to try the Kuro-Tamago (黒たまご), which is the Black Egg of Hakone's Hell Valley. We were pretty much looking forward to it actually. Okay, at least we get to see the volcanic basin from our cabin car as we ride over it towards the final station, Sōunzan Station.
When we arrive at Sōunzan Station, we had to change to Hakone Tozan Cable Car to get to Gora Station (強羅駅) where we boarded the Hakone Tozan Bus back to Hakone-Yumoto Station. We were the last few visitors to arrive at Gora Station and most of the shops have already closed for the day.
The day in Hakone seem to pass by really quickly and it felt like we did not explore the area as much as we planned to. Partly due to the weather and partly due to me being so unwell. To be honest, I was really disappointed about it but boyfriend managed to cheer me up a little with some Hakone Natural Hot Spring Bath Powder packs he got for me from Hakone and alot more when he managed to get the station conductor to let me keep our Hakone passes for keepsake.
So thankful for him. What a day trip it has been.
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