Member-only story
Traveling to Hakone in 2023
Traveling the Entire Summer, A Mini-Series
After leaving Tokyo (also see my experience in Tokyo here), we took a 30-minute ride on the bullet train Shinkansen to reach Odawara, which sits between Tokyo and Osaka.
Hakone (箱根) is a beautiful area that offers numerous attractions and activities. A single route runs through the region, and you can use trains, cable cars, and buses to get around.
During our trip, we stayed at Odawara (小田原) as our base and explored various places such as Hakone Yumoto (箱根湯本), Gora (強羅), and Owakudani (大涌谷). We had a great time and made many great memories.
To give you a better idea of the area, here is a map of Hakone that shows the route.
Tenzan Onsen (天山湯治郷) at Hakone Yumoto (箱根湯本)
Hakone Yumoto is a town famous for its hot springs. Of course, we came here for an onsen experience at Tenzan Onsen.
The women’s onsen had 5 or 6 outdoor baths (rotemburom, 露天風呂) situated on the hill of the mountain. It was lightly raining, and the raindrops falling on our faces while the rest of our bodies were warm felt refreshing and natural. The water in the baths comes from a spring in the mountain and is still hot when it hits the tub.
