I don’t remember if I have visited Hakone in the past with my family, but the scenery looked so nostalgic but new at the same time when I visited with my friends this winter break.

We visited Hakone from Gotenba. We bought a 3-day tourist pass that covers most of the transportation fees like buses, cable cars, and even the ferry. Unfortunately, some of the city trains were under maintenance so we couldn’t experience that. But that’s OK.

The main iconic attraction is the lake where the ferry runs on, Lake Ashi. It brings us close to the red torii gate where you can take pictures if you’re lucky enough. Most of the time, the ferry is always full of passengers and it’s hard to take a good shot. I was unlucky since it was also extra windy that I couldn’t even hold my camera properly without shaking.

Once we landed at the Moto-Hakone pier, we immediately searched for lunch. Mind you that most of the restaurants there have their prices jacked up since it’s a tourist site. The cheapest meal we could get cost us $10 per serving. Mmmm.

From there, we decided to take a walk up to the shrine. It takes 15 minutes by foot from the pier, so it’s not a bad exercise after a meal. However, I underestimated the path there since it’s uphill and there’s a set of stairs you need to climb to get up there. I decided to go up just for the sake of going up since I’m already there. I wouldn’t go up for the second time, though. Lol.

From the shrine, we went down the same staircases, this time all the way down to where the famous torii is located. If you want to take a picture, you would have to line up for hours and our group decided it’s not worth the wait so we just took a random picture from afar.

Mishima Skywalk was our next destination. It takes around half an hour to get there by bus (also covered by the pass). It’s your typical suspension bridge, just longer. They also have zip lines and other entertainments. I’m scared of heights and I hate going fast sooo … no.

The view from the bridge, though, is majestic. My camera and skills can’t do justice. It’s really worth going there once in your lifetime. People who get dizzy and nauseated easily like me should be careful, though, since the bridge is really wobbly with all the people going through. But I would say it’s worth the experience!