Hi all, currently in Tokyo after the first few days of my trip (best vacation of my life already)
I have booked a hotel in Gora in Hakone for tomorrow (payment has now been taken so no longer refundable) and I had already booked the Romancecar so I am now locked in to visit.
Unfortunately the forecast as the week has gone on has switched to showers and for significant portions of the day.
If I had the ability to switch my plan, I would have based on other visitors suggestions, however because I am now committed, can I get an itinerary or at least some ideas for a plan B so I can try to enjoy my time there in the off and on rain? Appreciate its not ideal however I have to do my best with it.
Also, the original plan was to get the Free Pass on the assumption I’d be doing the loop. I havent bought this yet. Should I still do so? I wanted to do the loop and Amazake Tea house.
Any help appreciated!
16 comments
Embrace the rain and cool weather
Get an umbrella
Get an umbrella, enjoy fewer crowds, tea house in the rain sounds dreamy honestly.
If it really looks terrible, maybe you could look for an onsen ryokan or hotel with a nice outdoor bath that allows day visitors and enjoy sitting in a steaming bath while watching the rain come down. I love an onsen in the rain and at a nice place with several baths, lounging space, etc I can easily kill a couple hours.
I had the same issue when I visited Hakone last week – bad weather shut most of the loop down. I still enjoyed the visit because the main reasons I went there were the nice ryokan that I stayed at and the onsen. If you’re doing both of those things, I think you’ll still have a great time. If not, maybe skip it. The romance car ticket was like $10 when I bought it so not much of a sunk cost there.
Relax and enjoy the onsen. Look to see what is nearby the hotel you are staying in. Some things may be walkable or you can take a bus there. The whole loop will not be worth it likely but if you can get places by bus or taxi, the temples/shrines can be gorgeous in the rain.
– [6 Hakone Sightseeing Spots for a Rainy Day](https://www.hakonenavi.jp/international/en/article/851)
– [Rent a private riverside onsen at Hakone Yuryo](https://maps.app.goo.gl/ezLXoBsjxVbXmAm77?g_st=ic)
– [Tea at Amazake Chaya](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Lhq1FWbk3H119zHJA?g_st=ic)
– [Gora Brewery and Grill](https://maps.app.goo.gl/MeQpK5ywXnWKQNBTA?g_st=ic)
– [Gyoza Center](https://maps.app.goo.gl/sVJrUwvGQusbE2et5?g_st=ic)
– [Okada Art Museum](https://maps.app.goo.gl/NMpgtx7nUPkXHEKT6?g_st=ic)
– Wear a rain poncho and wander through the [Hakone Open Air Museum](https://maps.app.goo.gl/u84ECYsfA93EdgeH7?g_st=ic)
You’re cancelling plans because of a bit of rain?
Bro.
I think the bigger issue with the bad weather will be poor visibility of Mt Fuji. If you don’t mind this then just get an umbrella and enjoy it for what it is
If you are staying in Gora and enjoy craft beer, I highly recommend checking out Gora Brewery. I popped in for a few drinks at their Pub Stop (separate from the restaurant) one afternoon and ended up staying until they closed. Whoops. The saison was my favorite and the staff was incredibly friendly, who I made fast friends with! I ended up meeting a ton of foreign travellers as well.
But yeah, as others have said, definitely try to find an outdoor bath where you can enjoy the rain. Not sure about this, but you might be able to find an outdoor supply store to pick up a trustworthy rain jacket if umbrellas aren’t your thing. I’m sure you would have a much better opportunity for a clear picture of the torii gate on lake ashi on a rainy day when less tourists are out. Enjoy! Not a day goes by that I’m not daydreaming about being back in Hakone.
It’s cheezy, but Yunessun can still be visited in the rain. The majority of its themed onsen are inside. The naked ones are mostly outside, but I actually find sitting in an onsen in the rain sort of nice. It helps balance the heat of the water. (Though sitting in the snow in an onsen is even better!)
I’ve been to Hakone in the rain, We didn’t do the route between Gora and Moto Hakone, because my daughter is deathly afraid of heights and I didn’t think could manage the ropeway. (Owakudani was also closed for volcanic activity, so it seemed pointless and I hate the pirate ship.) We took a bus to get to Moto Hakone from our hotel and the fog coming in off the lake was splendid. It made everything looks very mysterious. We did go to Hakone jinja, which I thought looked nice in the rain, and since this was June all the hydrangea were in bloom and looked stunning.
It was a quiet day, but sometimes those are nice.
Good luck!
I would love to try Hakone in the rain. It would be such a cool complement to the hot springs
I feel like the Open Air Museum in the rain would be sick as hell
Omg I thought you were asking about the form of birth control called Plan B, especially after mention of a romancecar🤣
We didn’t end up doing the loop because it was pouring the day we went (just last week) — I’ve heard that a lot of the pull for the loop is the view and the rain definitely impacts that. We ended up spending a few hours at Hakone Craft House and making some accessories. If you like crafts and want to take home a homemade souvenir you’ll likely enjoy it! If the rain was lighter we would have enjoyed the gardens as well as it’s located in Gora Park.
Other than that we enjoyed the on-site onsen in our ryokan which was a nice contrast to the rain.
Go in the opposite direction and take some amazing pictures of the water gate in the rain in the morning. We did Hakone the day before Typhoon Hagibis in 2019 and it was beautiful, though no Fuji to be seen sadly
I’m going to Hakone on Tues-Friday. Weather looks like it’ll be ok. I’ll be renting cars at fun2drive for full day of driving.
The same thing happened to me when I went in December. It was disappointing that I couldn’t do some things I had planned, but the rain and mist did give it a different vibe. The tea house and the lake deep in fog are both way cooler, and lucky for you it won’t be barely above freezing! Change up your plans and go with things that are enhanced by the weather.
Rainy days are the best days in Japan