Hakone or Fujigoko

Hi everyone,

i will be travelling to japan in Nov/Dec and will have 2 days to be able to travel and i am debating between Hakone or Mount Fuji.

what do people recommend more? looking at the japan guide, it seems that there are more things to do in hakone but i am not 100% sure.

my goals for the area are to do hiking as well as to have a hot spring experience.

any recommendations?

I recommend Fujigoko if the views of the mountain are important to you; Hakone otherwise. That is because the probability to see the mountain and the view of the mountain is better from Fujigoko. But Hakone has more interesting things to see and do.

hi,

views of mount fuji are certainly important to ask.

another deciding factor are the activities available in the area. we are hoping to do some day hiking. is the area in hakone or fujigoko more suitable/more options.

the more i read, the more confused i am getting.

I don't know about Hakone, but Fujikawaguchiko has a ropeway, lake cruise, onsen, museums, parks, caves, an amusement park, and tons of hiking. There is the Tokai nature trail, Koyo-dai, and Panorama-dai view trails, and hiking throughout the whole area, you can get maps at the information center outside Kawaguchiko Station that have all the trails and approx time from place to place. Even the Kachi kachi ropeway you can take the cable car up and then hike all the way back down the mountain. The retro bus is a good way to get around, but some of the hiking trails, like Koyodai, you have to take a local bus to Koyodai stop (the trail is across the street and to the left. There is a lookout with some gorgeous views of Fuji-san when you get to the top. The guy at the cafe up there charges like 150 yen I think to go up to his lookout on top of the shop. The Tokai nature path is easy to get to at the Lava Cave stop on the retrobus. Aokigahara Jukai is a quiet and beautiful forest, make sure you plan to get back in time to catch the last bus though, there are no buses after like 6 pm. Have fun whichever you decide!

http://www.fujisan.ne.jp/index_e.php

Oh yeah, forgot, I would definitely recommend Yurari for hot spring. They have tons of outdoor baths with views of Fuji-san and it is only like 1200 yen I think for all day. If you want to stick around the busier part of the city, there are onsen in town too. Check the Kawaguchiko city website I posted above. Yurari I think is at the Fujimidorinokyukamura stop on the local bus, it is way back behind the visitor center and parking lot to the right. If you can read hiragana, there are signs directing you to ゆらり。

http://www.fuji-yurari.jp/index.php

I find the Fujigoko area more attractive for hiking. All the hiking I have done in Hakone so far were not outstanding. Most trails lead through think forest with very limited views into the scenery.

The Fujigoko has several interesting hiking trails with views of Mount Fuji. And there are also some minor trails on Mount Fuji itself, such as Kofuji and Hoeizan, although these hiking trails start from the less easily accessible Subashiri and Fujinomiya 5th Stations:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6930.html
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6928.html

Thanks so much for all the information, it's really helpful!

I am very interested in yurari onsen and will look more into it, but the website is in japanese. any tips?

What more do you need to know about Yurari? Here are the basics in English:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6902.html