Hakone (Mt Fuji) tailor-made holidays

Hakone is well loved for two attractions in particular – the iconic view of sacred, symmetrical Mount Fuji seen across Lake Ashi, and its high concentration of bubbling onsen (hot springs). Featuring Mount Fuji as its backdrop, only sparkling lakes interrupt dense evergreen forests speckled with Shinto shrines, hot springs and luxury ryokans.

Shy Mount Fuji is, simply put, Japan’s icon. But, as the country’s highest mountain, it’s no easy climb. However, sunrise lake views and its 1,000-year-old temples rival any summit panorama, and rail journeys provide a spectacular way to witness the cherry blossom-lined lake at the base of the mountain.

Hakone's charms truly lie in its hidden houses and forests, from the remote hiking trails of Tokkaido to Miyanoshita's secret private baths. Hakone is also known for its onsen bathing and the ritual is integral to Japanese society and a trip to one of the 3,000 or so baths across the country is almost akin to a religious act. Onsen also provide soothing relief after walks through the park's many peaks and valleys, or for those who choose to undertake the ultimate climb in Japan and trek to the top of Fuji-san.

Top itineraries in Hakone (Mt Fuji)

Essential Japan

11-day tailor-made journey from £2,585 pp incl. flights

Get a taste of all that this spectacular multi-faceted country has to offer, with private tours of Tokyo, traditional ryokan stays, trips on Japan's 200mph bullet train and visits to world famous temples.

Best of Japan

16-day tailor-made journey from £4,755 pp incl. flights

Experience the best Japan has to offer on this 16-day tour, meandering through the modern hi-tech, natural beauty, and the ancient and traditional. Start your tour off in one of the most modern, efficient and largest cities in the world - Tokyo.

Tokyo, Hakone and the Japanese Alps

17-day tailor-made journey from £5,195 pp incl. flights

Step out of Japan's capital and explore an alpine world of shrines and samurai frozen in time. Board the mighty bullet train, sleep in timber ryokan inns, stay in hot onsen springs and more on this tailor-made journey.

Japan Blossom Season

10-day tailor-made journey from £3,160 pp incl. flights

Japan's cherry blossom season typically hits its peak between the last week of March and first few weeks of April. The country comes alive with Hanami parties and groups of friends get together and sit under the trees to drink and eat together and admire the beautiful blossom at their finest.

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Top places to stay in Hakone (Mt Fuji)

Hakone Ginyu, Hakone

Accommodation

Spacious rooms with private baths and sweeping mountain views set the scene for this traditional Hakone ryokan

Gora Kadan, Hakone

Traditional hotel

As a former imperial retreat, this is Japan’s most luxurious ryokan complete with fine dining and volcanically heated baths.

Hyatt Regency, Hakone

Contemporary hotel

If you’re looking for a touch of the contemporary, this is the best hotel in Hakone. However, you’ll still find onsen soaks and Ryokan-inspired balconies that look out onto mountain views.

Yamanochaya, Hakone

Traditional hotel

Between kaiseki degustation meals, hot spring waters and rice paper walls, enjoy the best in authentic ryokan inn stays.

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Where to go in Hakone (Mt Fuji)

Lake Ashi

The bone-shaped, beautiful Lake Ashi never freezes over, due to the constant volcanic heat beneath its surface.

Mt Fuji

The views to be had from Hakone of Mt Fuji, Japan's most famous mountain, are staggering. Seen on a clear day from the banks of Lake Ashi, the snow-capped peak stands serene behind other lesser mountain tops - imperious, majestic, the single most iconic image of Japan.

Hakone

The Hakone outdoor art museum must have one of the most striking settings in the world - a mountainside above a line of valleys that leads down to the sea.