We caught the train from Tokyo station around 9.30am. We purchased the Hakone free pass and did the loop in one day - so train, funicular, cable car, boat and bus. There was plenty of time to do the loop, but the loop and the transport options in themselves are not that much fun, and so in a day you are just going from one form of transport to the other without that much enjoyment. I think the much nicer thing to do in Hakone is to stop in different places to explore, which you need an overnight for. The train and the funicular were very busy so we couldn't see out the windows really. I would have liked to get out at different stops at this point to explore but as this was the start of our day we were worried about not having enough time. From the cable car station the views of Fuji were incredible! But it is not a very nice place really, just a functional cable car station. We stopped to have lunch there in a pretty miserable buffet restaurant. Then the cable car brought us down to the lake. Again the scenery is really lovely but there is also nothing there except the station, and we had to wait a bit for the next boat. The pirate boat is weird, I don't know why it is pirate themed. We took the boat to the 2nd stop and did the cedar walk. I really enjoyed this - there is a lovely temple in the woods and it is quite atmospheric. You can also walk down to the torii gate in the water. The little village here is also quite sweet so you could stop for a drink, though by this stage it was getting late for us and we just decided to get the bus back to catch the train to Tokyo.

If you have the time and money (of course), spend the night in the area – I wish I could, for the things I had to miss due to the time constraint. A day trip wasn’t enough to fully experience the beauty of the area. And the area is huge. My daughter and I took the fast mode of transport from Shinjuku, the Odakyu Romance train and return by bus. We purchased the Hakone freepass and were able to hop on and off busses (cruise ship and tram too) to check out places of interest that could fit into our day. 3 sites declared to be able to give you a view of Mount Fuji; from a spot during a cruise on Lake Ashi, somewhere along the Hakone ropeway, and from an area between the 2 piers south of Lake Ashi. It was cloudy during our cruise, the ropeway was closed to activities and then we were awed by the uninterrupted scenic view (from tourists – there were many on the ship) of Mount Fuji across Lake Ashi as we walked along the cedar trees – between the 2 piers. That made my day. It was a bit cloudy in the late afternoon so we were fortunate to spot the majestic mountain. The wooded area had a serene atmosphere though I was a bit apprehensive considering that we were the only people in that woods – until some groups of school children passed us. Restrooms are in certain areas only so pay a visit while you can. And remember to have lunch during the “lunch time” since most restaurants closed after! We had a good lunch of udon and tempura near the Gora station, just made it before it closed for customers.