Hakone Ropeway: Gondola-riding Over Owakudani

If you wanna feel what it is like to be in a country side of Japan, you must consider adding Owakudani and Hakone Ropeway of Hakone, Kanagawa in your itinerary. Hakone is not necessarily an action-filled place, but rather a location people go to rest and find some inner peace close to bustling Tokyo. It is one way to enjoy nature and even catch a glimpse of majestic Mount Fuji, nearby lakes and mountains.

Hakone Ropeway is a popular mean to explore the small town. This aerial lift became funitel in 2002, the second of its kind in the nation, after Hashikurasan Ropeway. It makes a part of the sightseeing route in some tourist spots in Hakone, Kanagawa. The company belongs to the Odakyu Group so quality is guaranteed on service and technology.

I learned that Hakone Ropeway is sometimes used as a mode of transportation of Japanese. It has eight stops from Togendai to Odawara. But since it has a scenic route, it also passed as an observation platform for tourists. Wow! For us, Filipinos, riding a cable car is a luxury. I’ve only ridden once in Singapore 15 years ago. In the Philippines, we only have a few cable car railway, which are merely for tourism.

I’m also surprised that a single gondola can accomodate 13 people, wherein each can still sit comfortably. I’m just happy that everyone in our group are together in one car. Speaking of size, Hakone Ropeway is one of the world’s longest ropeways used for tourism. I’m amazed at how smooth the ride is. Passengers wouldn’t feel any reason to be scared as we didn’t feel any turbulence while being propelled by small cables.

The experience wasn’t just a simple hop-on-the-gondola moment. We reached Togendai station by sailing across Lake Ashinoko through a cruise designed like a pirate ship. It’s also one of the activities Hakone is proud to have. I truly recommend taking the ship or, at least, having a stroll in parks near Lake Ashinoko as the scenery is one of the best Japan has to offer. It’s where I achieved a relaxing ambience surrounded by calm water and the lush array of cedar trees.

From Togendai, we only traversed the railway up to Owakudani, the third station and Hakone’s most famous tourist spot. Leaving Togendai, we had the bird’s eye view of the Lake Ashinoko and Mount Fuji at our back. Along the way, we perceived the bottom part of the Owakudani valley below our cable car. There was a lot to see! The sight was overwhelming yet rewarding. I wish I had more eyes to look at everything at once.

Somewhere near here is Mount Hakone and the valley of Owakudani. I’m really not sure which is which because the mountains here all look alike. But I found out that Owakudani is created as a result of Mount Hakone’s explosion 3000 years ago. Nevertheless, I truly appreciate the beauty of these ridges at snow time. I’m happy that the place is developed yet the evolvement didn’t cause much damage on nature.

Additionally, the 30-minute ride showed us that the town is a hot springs district. With the icy climate and a tranquilizing view of nature, it’s tempting to take a dip in hot springs, or onsen in Japanese term. If you wish to stay for a night, there are also a number of hotels and villas that have onsen. That’s gonna be a pleasant staycation, for sure. That’s one of my goals when I get back to Japan.

As I said, the tour guide dropped us at Owakudani station. It was a good idea because we got a closer view of this famous volcano. We could even smell the sulphur. A short walking trail leads from the this ropeway station to the volcanic zone and to a number of steam vents and bubbling pools. But we are already satisfied staying in this view deck while enjoying the striking scenery.

It has been a long journey from the bus to the cruise to the gondola and I’m happy that finally, there are shops and restaurants in this terminal where we can dine and chill. Owakudani-eki Shokudo is a restaurant on the second floor of Owakudani Station, visible when you get off the ropeway. The restaurant boasts a spectacular view of the Owakudani’s smoky scenery through its windows. We tried Owakudani-kare and katsu-kare.

We had the opportunity to experience this natural grandeur through Klook’s package tour. It already consists Fujiyama Snow Resort Yeti, Lake Ashi, Hakone Ropeway and Gotemba Outlet. It was worth it, to be honest, because we were able to visit a lot for only one day and yet we had enough time to enjoy each destinations. 

The package also includes bento for lunch. It is the best packed lunch that I’ve ever eaten. I realized that Japanese cuisine are so great that even simple packed meals are provided with quality dishes. 

Oishi-san, the one in the photo, served as our tour guide for the day. His speech in English may be slurred, but his humor and hospitality is indeed commendable. He was always rushing around though but it was to make sure that everything went smoothly for us and everyone got back in time. After all, it’s not easy to manage a big group.