Hakone Komagatake Ropeway

What makes it special

The cable runs 1.8 kilometres up the side of Mount Komagatake, and the summit station opens straight onto a wide, open deck. On the clearest days the view from it carries well past the lake and Fuji, out to the Pacific and as far as Tokyo.

A short path from the station leads to Hakone Mototsumiya, a small shrine whose torii gate stands on the bare summit. Its name means original shrine, and it is now part of Hakone Shrine on the lake shore below. Stand at the torii for a while in the mountain wind: the shrine is small, and the setting is the reason to come up.

Beside the shrine, look for the boulder wrapped in shimenawa, the thick sacred ropes. It is called Umayoriishi, and it is said to be the rock where the god came down on a white horse.

Visiting

Catch one of the cars from Hakone-en, which leave on the hour and at twenty and forty past. A Hakone Free Pass gets you a discount here rather than a free ride, so show it at the ticket window. One-way tickets are sold if you plan to walk back down.

At the top, go out onto the deck first. Then take the short path to Mototsumiya, its torii and the roped stone beside it.

Ride back down from the same station before the last car leaves. If the trail is open, you can instead walk down through dense forest in about two hours. Walking up from the station is harder work, so riding up and walking down is the easier way to do it.

Tips

Bring a warm layer, because the top is high enough that its weather can differ sharply from the lake. Wear trainers and long trousers as well.

In the rainy season the mist can close in until you see only a few metres ahead on the walk down. November is the most popular season for the ropeway, so aim for the first cars of the morning.