Getting to Hakone involved a train journey, followed by a long and winding bus ride up into the mountains. It's located in a National Park, so the plan was for Hakone to be a relaxing break after we had been traveling for more than a week and also a chance to see Mount Fuji, which we hadn't seen previously. The hotel promised us a view of Mount Fuji from our bedroom window.

Unfortunately, we had heavy cloud the whole time we were there and heavy rain for much of the time. Hakone is famous for hot springs, natural beauty and the view across Lake Ashinoko of nearby Mount Fuji, Hakone is one of the most popular destinations among Japanese and international tourists looking for a break from Tokyo. Sadly, we didn't get to enjoy any of these things. We did get to watch the pirate ship sailing across the lake, but given the poor weather, we didn't see the point of going for a wet, cold boat ride.

So together with a rather poor and expensive meal in the french restaurant at the hotel, our time in Hakone, was a little disappointing.