Hakone Yumoto Onsen is considered the entrance to Hakone. It is easy to access the area from Tokyo by about 90 minute by Odakyu Romance Car ride from Shinjuku. It is a crowded spot with visitors even on weekdays. Ryokan and hotels are found all the small convenient area along the Sukumogawa and Hayakawa rivers. Along the Old Tokaido Road are “Hotel Nankaso” and “Hotel Okada.” There are also a few large day-trip hot spring that caters to the day trip visitor. Many people spend an entire day at these day-trip hot spring facilities, enjoying the water, food, and just relaxing. There are not many restaurants, but the lunch buffet at Yumoto Fujiya Hotel is popular and worth the money. Hakone Yumoto hot spring water is mainly a transparent simple hot spring, which is characterized by mild and smooth hot water. Enjoy day-trip bathing, local soba noodles, and walking along the Hayakawa river in front of the station.

Sengokuhara is located in the highlands of Hakone. This is one of the few spacious areas in the mountainous Hakone area. There are many types of accommodation, golf resorts, luxury hotels, and vacation homes here. Sengokuhara is popular in the Autumn season when the pampas grass turns a beautiful golden color swaying in the wind. In Hakone, there are considered to be 17 Hot Spring areas with different qualities of hot spring water. One characteristic of the Sengokuhara hot spring water is the high calcium content leaving your skin smooth, refreshed, and rejuvenated. The Sengokuhara hot spring water is a milky color unlike any other place in Hakone. The Hakone Tozan train doesn’t go all the way to Sengokuhara so your best option is to take a car or one of the convenient buses. You can also take the cable car and ropeway down from Gora to this beautiful area in Hakone.

Gora is a hot spring area in the mountains of Hakone. Gora is the final stop on the Hakone Tozan Railway and a transfer point for the cable car and buses of the area. Gora is a Mountainside resort area with steep slopes, famous museums, and hot springs. It’s very easy to spend one day here looking around. The Gora area has five different types of hot springs you can enjoy. One of the most popular is the milky white waters from Owakudani. On August 16th of every year is a popular Festival in which large Japanese kanji characters are lit on the side of the mountain to guide souls at the end of the Obon festivities. The lighting of the mountainside character is on the 924m high Myojougatake and there is also a fireworks display at the same time. Just below the Gora area is Miyagino, a place along the Hayakawa river where beautiful cherry blossoms are enjoyed in the spring.

Lake Ashinoko is a lake inside the caldera of Hakone located in Western Kanagawa. From Lake Ashi runs to the Hayakawa river which flows down to Odawara port along the Pacific Ocean.  The area is popular for fishing both in the lake, in the river, and at the port. There are many different kinds of fishing you can enjoy. Leisure boats Lake Ashi Yuransen and the Hakone Kaizokusen stop at ports along Lake. The popular ports include Kojiri, Hakone-en, Moto-Hakone, and Hakone Machi. Taking a boat is a great way to bypass all the traffic that clogs Hakone on the weekends. You can also see beautiful views of Mount Fuji while cruising the Lake. One of the most popular views is of the red tori shrine gates of the Hakone shrine. The beautiful contrast between the white clouds, blue lake, and green mountains is one of the most popular views in Japan. This is a place that can’t be missed. You can connect to different ropeways at the ports of Togendai and Hakone en for panoramic views of Mt. Fuji and the surrounding areas.

In the center of Hakone is the hot spring area of Miyanoshita. The area is centered around the historic Fujiya Hotel. It has it nostalgic and classical feel to it because of the many small antique and shops famous hotel. You can reach Miyanoshita by the Hakone Tozan Railway or bus. Get off at Miyanoshita station and when you walk out to the main street there are many shops lining the road. It is possible to visit some of the hot springs on just a day visit and is a popular area to walk around and enjoy. The Miyanoshita hot spring has a high mineral content that that differs it from other hot springs in the Hakone area. The high mineral content also leaves your skin smooth and even after you leave the hot springs you feel the warmth and softness of your skin.