Travel Log | Yokohama Ramen and Mt Fuji in Hakone with RusstyArt

Like so many travel tales, this one begins with a major airline fiasco. I had big plans for Yokohama, but that was taken from me by a controversial airline decision to ground my flight. So controversial, that I had to find another carrier to ensure the entire trip to Japan wasn't lost.

Your loss Yokohama!
(who am I kidding)

When we finally did arrive at the InterContinental Yokohama Grand (trust me - not how I normally roll), we were not entirely surprised to discover that we'd lost money for the nights we didn't show for. The hotel were quite within their rights, but despite that, they were nice enough to comp us with drink and breakfast vouchers.

The Rail Pass Incident

With my time in Yokohama now cut short, most of my to do list had to go. In fact, there was only time enough left for a visit to the Ramen Museum. I don't even like ramen. But my travelling companion had other ideas.

Turns out though, that Yokohama wasn't quite finished messing with me. As we headed out that day for our "Ramen Ride", I became acutely aware that my rail pass was missing, I didn't even need it in Yokohama, so why was I even carrying it??

For those of you schooled in the way of rail passes, you'll know that not only are they expensive, they are often not replaceable. In many cases, like this one, they cannot be purchased within the country of use.

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And so began a misguided chase around Yokohama to retrace our steps, and drain even more time from our precious schedule.

Our search turned up nothing, so we headed to the train station to seek out the "lost and found" department. This proved quite challenging from a language perspective, but it didn't stop people going out of their way to assist us.

Suffice to say that my rail pass was never found, but I do have this humble keepsake provided by the Yokohama police.

Ramen Hakubutsukan

Back on track. To say the Ramen Museum or Hakubutsukan was not what I was expecting, would be an understatement. It is, well, a museum of sorts. It is an eclectic combination of 1950s Japanese streetscapes, which are lined with shops, bars and restaurants selling and serving everything from sweets to saki, and of course ramen.

There is a central atrium area where talks and demonstrations are held, as a well as classes on how to make ramen, by appointment.

I didn't understand everything that was going on, but I enjoyed the experience, and the saki. But not the ramen.

Hakone

The Hakone region, nestled within Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, is a popular destination comprising several villages, within easy reach of both Yokohama and Tokyo. It offers a blend of natural beauty, rich history, and charm. Oh, and a pirate ship.

Our journey began with a fast train, or Shinkansen, to Odawara, where we picked up the Hakone Tozan Train. For classic train lovers, a ride on Japan's oldest mountain railway is a must. All up, it takes about 40 minutes to wind its way through steep thickly wooded mountainous terrain, navigate three switch backs and deep ravines, to arrive at Gora station.

The next leg involves taking a cable car followed by a "ropeway". This confused me a little, because the "ropeway" is actually a cable car, and the cable car is more of a funicular.

The Hakone Tozan Cable car takes you from Gora Station to Sounzan Station in around 10 minutes, and then change to the Hakone Ropeway for the final leg to Togendai Station on the shores of Lake Ashinoko, in about 30 minutes.

So why would you put yourself through this ordeal? For the pirate ship of course! And possibly for the views of Mt Fuji.

The pirate ship, or Hakone Sightseeing Cruise traverses Lake Ashinoko in about 40 minutes, taking you from Togendai to Hakone-machi and Moto-Hakone. It's a pleasant enough journey, although it didn't quite deliver on the Fuji views I was expecting. We did however, manage to glimpse a slightly better view from around Moto-Hakone.

Before heading back to Odawara on the Hakone Tozan Bus, we took a quick look at the Hakone Checkpoint. The Sekisho or check point was believed to have been established in 1619 during the Edo period, to control the trafficking of weapons and women. True story. Today, it houses a small museum, and is recognised as a National Historic Site.

There's a lot more to explore in this area than we had time for, and if I had my time over, I'd stay overnight possibly in a romantic ryokan…. with the right travelling companion, of course.