Hakone

Both are possible, but stay at least one night if you can. As a day trip from Tokyo (roughly 85 minutes), you can see Lake Ashi, the cable car over Owakudani and the sculpture park in a long day: enjoyable, but you'll only experience the backdrop. Hakone's heart is the ryokan night: a twelve-course kaiseki dinner, an open-air bath (rotenburo) in the evening mist and an onsen before breakfast. That's why you come here. One night turns an outing into an experience; if you truly have only one day, do it, but know you're missing the best part.

Mount Fuji is shy. He often hides behind clouds, especially in summer. Your best chance comes early in the morning and during the colder, clearer months (roughly November to February), when the air is sharpest and the mountain snow-capped. Best viewpoints: Lake Ashi (especially at the shrine's torii gate and from the boat), the cable car and parts of Owakudani. Schedule your Fuji moments for the morning, and treat each clear glimpse as a gift, not a guarantee. If he doesn't cooperate, the hot springs, the forest and the art are still worth the trip.

A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, and in Hakone it's the main attraction. You sleep on a futon on tatami mats, wear a yukata (cotton kimono), and the price usually includes an elaborate kaiseki dinner and breakfast. Nearly every ryokan has an onsen (a bath fed by natural hot springs), sometimes shared (men and women separately), sometimes a private rotenburo on your own room or terrace. Etiquette: you wash and rinse thoroughly before entering the bath, and you go in naked (swimwear is not allowed). It's relaxation and culture in one, and the reason people come to Hakone for Hakone.

For most travellers: yes, absolutely. The Hakone Free Pass covers unlimited local transport across the region: the mountain train, cable car, ropeway, boats on the lake and buses, plus discounts at many attractions. Because the classic Hakone loop is made up of these transport methods strung together, you'll typically earn back the pass in a single day and don't need to buy individual tickets anywhere. You buy it for 2 or 3 days, with an optional round trip from Tokyo included (the Romancecar supplement is charged separately). For anyone staying overnight and doing the full circuit, it's by far the easiest and cheapest option.

Start gently. Two options work well for beginners: a ryokan with a private rotenburo in the room (you bathe in peace without an audience, ideal if you still feel awkward), or a day-bath complex with multiple pools where you simply walk in. Important to know: in shared baths you go in naked and wash yourself thoroughly on a small stool beforehand; swimwear is not allowed. If you have a tattoo, check the policy in advance: some onsen still refuse them, others are fine with it or let you cover it. Once you're in the hot water with mountains around you, you'll immediately understand why all of Japan comes here to unwind.

From Tokyo it's straightforward: the Odakyu Romancecar runs directly from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto in roughly 85 minutes (comfortable, reserved seating), or take the shinkansen to Odawara and change there. From Haneda Airport you'll arrive in about two hours with a connection. In Hakone itself you travel with the Hakone Free Pass: the mountain train, cable car, ropeway, boat and buses together form a logical loop around the caldera. You don't need a car, and on the narrow mountain roads it's more awkward than useful anyway. Travel light: many ryokans will forward your large suitcase if you ask, so you can do the loop with just a day pack.