Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [149]
Suginamiki (; Cryptomeria Ave) is a 2km stone path beside the busy lakeside road connecting Hakone-machi and Moto-Hakone, lined with some 400 cryptomeria cedars that were planted nearly 400 years ago. Between the cedars and Moto-Hakone is the Narukawa Art Museum (83-6828; adult/child ¥1200/600; 9am-5pm), which houses an impressive collection of modern Japanes paintings.
It is impossible to miss Moto-Hakone’s Hakone-jinja (83-7213; treasure hall ¥500; 9am-4pm) with its signature red torii rising from the lake. A pleasant stroll around the lake to the torii leads along a path lined with huge cedars. A wooded grove surrounds the shrine.
For a bit more exercise, a 3½-hour walk leads you back to Hakone-Yumoto along the Old Tōkaidō Hwy. Start up the hill from the lakeside Moto-Hakone bus stop, and along the way you’ll pass the 350-year-old Amazake-jaya Teahouse (83-6418; 7am-5.30pm), an isolated, traditional-looking building where you can enjoy a cup of amazake (warm, sweet sake; ¥400). You can also stop in the small village of Hatajuku, and end your walk at the historic temple of Sōun-ji near Hakone-Yumoto Station.
SLEEPING
Moto-Hakone Guesthouse (83-7880; fax 84-6578; www.fujihakone.com; r per person ¥5250; ) A popular spot with foreign tourists, this place offers simple but pleasant Japanese-style rooms without private facilities, and an informative website. From Hakone-machi or Moto-Hakone, take an Odawara-bound bus to Ashinokōen-mae (adult/child ¥210/160, 10 minutes), from where the guest house is a one-minute walk.
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IZU-HANTŌ
The Izu-hantō (Izu peninsula), about 100km southwest of Tokyo in Shizuoka-ken, has a cool surfer vibe backed by plenty of history, particularly the famed Black Ships of US Commodore Perry. It also packs lush greenery, rugged coastlines, abundant onsen, and foods such as himono (sun-dried fish) and mikan (mandarin oranges). Weekends and holidays can be very crowded on the east coast, particularly in summer. It’s always quiet-er on the west coast, which has Mt Fuji views over the bay of Suruga-wan.
An easy loop takes you by train to Itō on the east coast (reachable by JR from Tokyo), from where you can enjoy drop-dead coastal views on the train or bus to historic Shimoda. Then journey by bus across a landscape of hilly countryside, farms and rural townships to Matsuzaki and Dōgashima on Izu’s west coast. Finish at the intimate onsen village of Shuzen-ji before catching the Izu-Hakone Tetsudō line to Mishima to connect back to the JR.
Atami
0557 / pop 40,000
Atami may be the gateway to Izu, but this overdeveloped hot-springs resort has little to detain foreign travellers, aside from its museum. Overlooking the coastline, the sleek MOA Museum of Art (MOA;84-2511; www.moaart.or.jp; adult/student ¥1600/800; 9.30am-4pm Fri-Wed, closed 4-14 Jan & 25-31 Dec) has a collection of Japanese and Chinese paintings, ceramics, calligraphy and sculpture, spanning over 1000 years and including national treasures. Take the bus from stop 4 outside Atami Station to the last stop (¥160, eight minutes).
Discount tickets to the museum (¥1300) and town information are available at the tourist office (81-5297; 9.30am-5.30pm), at the station building.
Because of Atami’s popularity with domestic tourists, rooms are overpriced; head down to Itō or Shimoda to find more reasonable lodgings.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
JR trains run from Tokyo Station to Atami on the Tōkaidō line (Kodama shinkansen ¥3570, 46 minutes;