Hakone is located southwest of Kanagawa and is part of the famous Fuji Hakone Izu National Park in Japan. I adore this place for its natural beauty and the trace of time imprinted deeply in the town. Hence, when I visited Tokyo, I decided to come to Hakone and explore it for once.

The transportation I chose was the bullet train from Shinjuku Station, and it only took me almost 2 hours to get to the Yumoto stop in Hakone at 6 AM.

When I set foot at the station was get a hot soba bowl to fill my stomach before beginning an expedition to a new destination.

Breakfast finished was when my journey began.

Hop on a pirate ship and take in the view of Lake Ashi - Ashinoko

You definitely couldn't leave out the big Lake Ashinoko - an ideal spot to view Mount Fuji from afar. You could rent a vehicle, ride along the 9-km long riverbank, taking in the historic traits along the road such as Hakone Seshiko or take part in a Viking boat ride and enjoy the landscape as I did.

I bought the ticket for Izuhakone Sightseeing Boats for 970 円/pax. The trip only took 30 minutes, yet it left me with deep impressions of the giant and magnificent pirate ship's majestic nature and unforgettable memories.

It was so true that nothing can compare to the feeling of floating on the still lake with charming surroundings, feeling the cool breeze, and breathing in the fresh air of nature here.

Take "virtual life" photos at Hakone Jinza

Standing on the boat, the bright red Torii gate of Hakone Jinza stood out amongst the peaceful blue of the water. As I had come to Ashinoko, I would definitely not leaving this place out.

I met my relatives at the port, and from then on, I traveled in the family car. Opening the car window and feeling the cool winds from Lake Ashi, though it was a bit cold, I really liked such weather.

I had to line up for quite a while to be able to take a photo here. As it was a famous spot for checking-in in Hakone, Hakone Jinza always attracted an enormous crowd of fans.

It's such a shame when you had come to Hakone and hadn't had a picture standing and looking faraway in the middle of this majestic gate.

By then, the sun was at its peak, and the foggy scenery of Hakone was becoming more visible under the sun. I found a café near the lake and sat there to take some rest before continuing the journey to explore more of this stop from up on the valley.

Let's wait for my journey in the next part!