Hakone / Fuji Five Lakes

[tequilatamm]

Hi everyone.

Traveling to Japan next May (well, in December too, but that's another story) with a friend for my 40th birthday, and we are planning to spend some time in Hakone and the Five Lakes area.

We were going to just make an overnight trip and a day trip to each separately from Tokyo, but it occurred to me it might make sense to forward our luggage from Kyoto to Tokyo and with just carry-ons/backpacks go from Kyoto to Hakone to Five Lakes to Tokyo over two nights.

Anyway, looking for any info anyone can provide on good ryokan in the region, the best freepasses to use, how much time we need to see these two places, etc. etc.

Basically looking for the experience of people who have been there!

[JonB]

For Hakone the Hakone Freepass is the best (only?) one. From memory it is ¥5,600 or there abouts. You take the Romance car from Shinjuku on the Odakyu line and it includes the romance car, the mountain railway, the funicular, the cable car (in Japan ropeway), pirate ship (kid you not) and bus back to the train.

You can pick up tickets at Shinjuku and it is best to book your outward in advance - you may have to pay a little extra for a reserved seat (sorry it's been 5 years!). It can all be done in a day or you could stay at a Ryokan on route. Plenty of hiking around if you are into that.

Stuff that - here's the link:
http://www.odakyu.jp/english/freepass/index.html

Valid for three days and a list of places giving you a discount

Enjoy - BTW if travelling in November it will be VERY crowded so book accomodation and travel well in advance! Sorry should have read properly - you are going in May but the warning is out there for others.

[tequilatamm]

Thanks Jonb. I already have that information actually.

Today I noticed that the Fuji Hakone Freepass is actually a 3 day pass with ONE WAY between Hakone or Kawaguchiko and Shinjuku, and included transport between Funi and Hakone as well, which is perfect, since we'll be arriving from Kyoto, not from Tokyo.

No need to worry about November being crowded. My husband and I will be in Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo in December/Jan over the holidays when it is ridiculously quiet, even on the trains. We love that season there.

And the trip to Hakone/Fuji is in May, I believe just AFTER Golden Week for the latter half of May, in a pit between big local holiday times. Unfortunately there won't be cherry blossoms or autumn leaves in that little pit either, but beggars can't be choosers!