The Minami Ashigaran

Hakone, Kanagawa

Into the mountains at Hakone

BY KATHLEEN LYNN

An hour from Tokyo, this wooded mountain resort area is dotted with small towns and offers stunning views of Mount Fuji. We saw it by taking a tourist circuit that starts with a three-car electric streetcar line (dating to 1919) that chugs into the mountains, till you change to a funicular, which in turn brings you to the ropeway with gondola cars that cross a mountaintop and valley. Finally, you take a tour boat (some are replicas of pirate ships) across Lake Ashi. Buses then return tourists to the rail station for the trip back to Tokyo or to hotels – in our case, the historic Fujiya Hotel, an ornate, 133-year-old beauty perched on the side of a mountain.

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Hakone & Odawara Attractions

Forest Adventure
Scale the canopy heights on rope ladders, leap from tree to tree with a Tarzan swing, then zip back to terra firma at Forest Adventure. Offering two locations, this symbiotic natural adventure park is committed to taking the greatest care of its local environment. Guests can feel in harmony with nature, enjoying the forest under the watchful eyes of the animals and birds. It’s a wholesome experience for kids and adults that encourages individuality and a purely natural adrenaline boost. Forest Adventure is open all year round, with each season providing a different forest perspective.

Odawara Just ten minutes from Odawara station by car or public bus is this immense forest of 300-year-old trees that overlook a beautiful stream. Experience the rush of zip sliding over the 106m valley from a tree over 15m tall. The courses are open to anyone aged 6 or older, or over 110cm tall. Odawara & Hakone Attractions