Hakone Reminisce #1 – Gora to Souzan to Owakudani

Hakone was great – one of the best in this trip in fact. Got the Hakone 2-day pass from Shinjuku station and enjoyed unlimited use of Odakyu-affiliated transport and discounted admission to some tourist attractions in the Hakone area. Worth it and more so because I need not worry about connecting tickets from Gora with its park to Moto-Hakone where the famous Hakone Shrine is. In fact, I planned my day trip around the transportation, making it easy and fuss-free.

A pity I did a day trip though. Should have planned a 2-day or 3-day trip because the Hakone area has so much to offer that I like! Definitely one of the areas I would revisit if I ever go Tokyo again. Enjoyed many nice moments and took many nice pictures. So I’m going to do a few presses to share them. Come reminisce Hakone with me. Here’s the first throwback from Gora to Owakudani!

: Entrance of Gora Park – free entry with the Hakone Free Pass.

: Found Gora to be a quaint town, I find. Walking around the quaint town of Gora.

: Taking the cable car to Souzan enroute to Owakudani.

: View from the top of Gora Park which seems to expand vertically. Anyone knows why? My guess is this is probably due to the natural contours of the mountainous area.

: View of Souzan from the cable car station. Was feeling cold in Gora but didn’t expect snow!

: The cable car that took me from Gora to Souzan.

: Braved the cold to take this shot of Souzan before boarding the bus to Owakudani. Who has a soft spot for snow like me?

: Voila! it was snowing at Owakudani! There is no four seasons in Singapore so seeing this rare scene is very special to us.

: Look at the snowy view over the sulphur fields and mountains.

: And that was happy me seeing snow again after almost 5 years!

: Tried the infamous egg boiled in waters rich in sulfur and iron – that’s why it’s black! Had to buy 5 (woes of a solo traveller) and I managed to eat only two. Gave three away to a Japanese family 🙂