Hakone

Hakone is also fun to visit because you can do a loop of the sights on different modes of transport—train, bus, pirate boat (yes, really!), and cable car.

In Hakone don’t miss:

Buying a Hakone Free Pass so you can hop on and off all the transport options on the Hakone Loop.
Seeing Mount Fuji from the lake or cable car.
Eating a black egg cooked in the hot sulphur springs at volcanic Owakudani (not really, we skipped this, but the Japanese love them).
Soaking in an onsen.
Staying in a tatami room in a ryokan (traditional inn) and enjoying an elaborate dinner.
Wandering the outdoor sculpture gallery at Hakone Open Air Museum.
How Long to Spend: You could visit on a day trip from Tokyo but I recommend 1-2 nights to experience a ryokan and onsen. We had one night and did part of the loop in the afternoon we arrived and the rest in the morning. While it was just enough for the main sights, we wished we’d had longer to enjoy our ryokan.