Golden Week is probably the most awaited time in Japan for a week-long vacation. Golden Week (ゴールデンウィーク) is a series of 4 national holidays in Japan from April 29 to the first week of May. It is also known as 黄金週間 (read as Ogon Shukan) or 大型連休 (read as Ogata Renkyu)[1]. Nowadays young people call it 「GW」.
Quick kanji lesson about the Japanese terms for GW.
黄金週間
黄金 = Golden/Prosperous/Superb
週間 = Week
大型連休
大型連休 = Large/Large scale
連休 = Consecutive holidays
This year's GW, I was blessed to travel with my friends to nearby prefectures. Japan has 47 prefectures, 43 of them we address as "ken" (県) while some have their own designation (e.g. Kyoto-fu, Osaka-fu, Tokyo-to and Hokkai-do)[2]. In this 2 days 1 night trip, we went to famous tourist spots that are in 3 prefectures: Yamanashi-ken, Kanagawa-ken and Shizuoka-ken. My friend drove for us the entire trip because she's the only one who got the driver's license. Thanks much, my friend!
If you want to travel around Mount Fuji, this itinerary is perfect for you. You don't need to follow everything, and you can definitely commute but I don't have enough time to narrate how to commute from one place to another in this post. Maybe some other time. 😇
Day 1: Yamanashi-ken and Kanagawa-ken
7 AM: Meetup at Tokyo
My friends and I met up at the station where the car was parked. The car was from a car sharing app which my friend's a member of. Better than rental cars, you can sign up if you have driver's license and credit card.
8 AM: Departure from Tokyo
And off we go!
11:30 AM: Fuji Shibazakura Festival
Fuji Shibazakura Festival is held in Yamanashi-ken and this area is covered by a lot of pink moss. I shared it before which you can read here: #SpringInJapan: Pink, pink, pink! Colorful Fuji Shibazakura!
Fuji Shibazakura Festival is only held from mid-April to mid-May every year so you can look over the alternative I prepared beforehand. Even during mid-May, the area is not so colorful anymore so please be careful about that.
Alternative: Visit the Fuji Five Lakes or Fujigoko (富士五湖) which are lakes around the infamous Mount Fuji. The view is breathtaking all year round. I've been to 4 of 5 lakes. The lakes are so calming and with magnificent views of Mount Fuji. If I've be given a chance to go back, I would!
2:30 PM: Left Fuji Shibazakura Festival for Hakone
We're on the road again after we strolled around the festival area. The exit road from the festival site was a bit bumpy, which they need to improve on. Once in the main road, it was a smooth ride with a little traffic here and there.
4:30 PM: Arrival at Hakone and Check-in
Hakone, finally! Hakone is a town located in southwest Kanagawa-ken and there are a lot of things you can do and see here!
We arrived at Moto-Hakone and immediately checked in to Hotel Musashiya, a Japanese-style hotel which is called Ryokan (旅館). It's not the cheapest one but definitely not the most expensive ryokan. You can read more about it here: My Very First Ryokan Experience in Hakone | 初めての温泉旅行の宿
Day 2: Kanawaga-ken and Shizuoka-ken
10:00 AM: Checkout and Sightseeing Cruise
We had a wonderful stay in the ryokan but sadly, we shall bid them farewell. After checkout, we planned to go straight ahead to Hakone Shrine but we made a detour and the next thing we knew, we're in the sightseeing cruise.
There are two kinds of boats that sail in Lake Ashi (or Ashinoko, in japanese: 芦ノ湖). The pirate ship is more extravagant with a luxury space and more expensive than the other one. For the regular cruise, it costs 1,480 yen per person. They have deal which includes the ropeway but we were in a hurry that time, we didn't really notice the good deal. We didn't plan on doing the cruise so we went with whatever's available.
Before, the cruise will go all the way to Togendai but recently they removed Togendai in the route. So the route of this cruise is Moto-Hakone → Hakone-en → Hakone Sekisho Ato. What's great is you can get off from each port and ride again without having to pay additional charges.
We got off at Hakone-en (箱根園) and thought we could reach Owakudani from there. There are many fun things to do in Hakone-en. It's a park after all. Wait, did I mention that it's a park? More like a low key amusement park. Aside from the Komagatake ropeway, there's an aquarium where you can also see the show performed by the Baikal seals, a small zoo popular among the children, adventure rides, arts and crafts shop, souvenir shops and many more.
We didn't have enough time so we didn't get off in Hakone Sekisho (箱根関所, in english: Hakone Checkpoint) where one could be immersed by the culture and feel like you're in Edo period. If ever I'll be back in Hakone, I'll make sure to stop by.
11:40 AM: Hakone Shrine
It was almost lunch time when we finished the cruise but we didn't feel hungry because we're so full from the big breakfast at the hotel. Before leaving Moto-Hakone, we paid Hakone Shrine a visit. Hakone Shrine is pretty famous for its torii, the Red Gate of Peace (or 平和の鳥居, read as Heiwa No Torii) that seems like it's floating on water, and with views of Mount Fuji on clear skies. Read more about it here: The Iconic Hakone Jinja
1:30 PM: Left Moto-Hakone for Togendai
The road going to Togendai was so curvy, and mind you, my friend's a beginner.
2:00 PM: Arrival at Togendai and Exploring Owakudani
We made it in Togendai after all the curves! I think my friend graduated from being a beginner in driving from all that. 😅 Moto-Hakone is actually just near Togendai, the station to take the Hakone Ropeway going to Owakudani. Owakudani's a gem and definitely should not be missed when in Hakone. If I can come back there, I would definitely do the walking tour to see the steam up close, and also to see how the black eggs are prepared. Read more about the Owakudani exploration here: This May Be The Secret To Long Life: Black Eggs of Hakone
4:00 PM: Left Hakone for Gotemba
Off to Gotemba! Gotemba is located in Shizuoka-ken, the last prefecture we will visit for this trip.
5:30 PM: Gotemba Premium Outlets
Did somebody say shopping? The Gotemba Premium Outlets are actually pretty famous for those wanting designer stuff but with a low price. This outlet contains over 200 stores, and we kinda regretted that we arrived here late, hardly exploring the place (but still managed to buy stuff Hehe). Next time, we shall spend the whole day here! 💸
The outlet has great views of Mount Fuji. It's one of the biggest outlet malls of Japan. There are even direct buses from Tokyo to the outlet.
7:00 PM: Left Gotemba for Tokyo
We didn't stay long in the outlet mall because 
11:30 PM: Late Dinner at Tokyo
It's almost midnight but we found a restaurant that's open til late.
That ends our hectic but memorable and fun 2 days. The road trip was fun, even though I took a nap for a few minutes. Special thanks to my friends, they know who they are, from driving, touring around, reserving the hotel, taking photos, you guys are the best!
Thanks for reading!
See you around!
明日お祝いなので、また旅行に行きます！じゃあ、またね！
Credits:
[1] Source: Wikipedia - Golden Week
[2] Source: Wikipedia - Prefectures of Japan
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.
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