If you have visited all of Hakone’s main tourist spots and want to take a break from crowded trains, or maybe just seek a good way to burn calories, the Yusakamichi Hiking Course should cover you. This 9.5km trail takes you from the Yumoto area to Motohakone on Lake Ashi. Depending on your pace and rest stops, the entire trip will take about four to five hours.
Out of Yumoto Station, follow the main road (Route 1) heading toward Miyanoshita. About five minutes out of the station you’ll cross a bridge. Around 50m past the bridge the trail climbs up from the road on the left. You’ll have to hug the shoulder of the road for a short stretch here. The steepest part of the trail is the beginning. It ascends through deciduous forest and cedar eventually becoming a wide path climbing to the top of Mt. Sengen. After the first thirty minutes, the trail is less challenging. You’ll likely run into fit, elderly hiking groups out for a stroll. For a time the path meanders beneath Japanese maples, especially nice in late autumn. The summit area of Mt. Sengen offers ample open space for picnicking. If you feel you’ve had enough hiking for the day, you can walk to Miyanoshita or Kowakidani Stations in just under an hour.
To continue to Lake Ashi, follow signs that take you over Mt. Takanosu toward Ashinoyu. For the second half of the hike you’ll follow along a main road for a portion of the trip. The path will then lead you to some old Buddhist monuments, rock carvings and a stone Buddha housed near Shojin Pond. From there the trail leads you through a final stretch of woodlands and then down to the lake.
For some of the best views of the surrounding area and Mt. Fuji, take the time to wander around the meticulously sculpted gardens of Onshi Hakone Park. The grounds used to serve as the Imperial Family’s summer retreat, but are now open to the public. From the lakeside Motohakone Information Center you can board a Hakone Tozan bus back to Gora, Yumoto or Odawara. Be sure to check the bus schedule as the last bus to Gora leaves before 6pm.
(Note that there are a number of other hiking courses to choose from. If you opt to hike around the volcanic area of Owakudani, check for trail closings due to high levels of sulphurous gas.)
