**Edit:** Gah! In our haste we booked flights to Japan and skimmed advice from the [Smart Traveller](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/japan) website 😔🙃
We’re still hopeful and have booked a backup flight (switching out Japan for Malaysia) if Japan borders continue to be closed off to travellers.
Thank you for the advice and feel free to continue sending through your thoughts!
Hi all!
My partner and I will be embarking on a three-leg trip to Asia, travelling to Japan, Korea and Singapore in late September. We’ve visited Japan several times and decided this year to spend less time in the cities, strap in our hiking boots, take to the road with a drone and enjoy the scenic side of Japan before spending a few days in Tokyo shopping and visiting our favourite places to eat 🙂
The plan is to make the Ryokan (Hakone) base camp (thinking Hakone Ginyu) and travel around. We’d also love to take some great views of Mt Fuji and capture some drone footage.
We have a loose itinerary and haven’t arranged these in a logical order (where/when to go). As you’ll see below, I’m worried that we’ll be done at each location within an hour or two, and we haven’t made the most of the day.
I was wondering if the friendly people here can share their experiences travelling Shizuoka and recommend areas/locations/eateries to visit along the way. Oh, also open to Ryokan suggestions!
I also have a few questions:
* is central Shizuoka is worth a visit, or are there cities worth walking through (I’m bound to miss the city after a day or two)
* Are drones permitted? I’ve seen a few YouTube videos capturing magnificent drone footage.
####Day 1
* Land at Narita Airport (10am) and drive to Ryokan
* Izunokuni Panorama Park
* Shuzenji and walk around the bamboo forest
####Day 2
* Drive along and explore the West Izu Skyline
* Dogashima – perhaps do the cave tour and do some hiking
####Day 3
* Kawazu – hike the ‘7 waterfalls’
####Day 4
* Lake Tanuki
* Shiraito Falls
Thank you all! 😊
8 comments
Be sure you’re aware of drone laws and regulations in Japan. It can be pretty limited where you can use them.
– [Complete Guide to Flying Drones in Japan](https://livejapan.com/en/article-a0003529/amp/)
– [Fly Your Drone in Japan](https://en.japantravel.com/article/fly-your-drone-in-japan/67509)
– [DGI Flight Map](https://www.dji.com/jp/flysafe/geo-map)
I think starting in 2022 drones are all supposed to be registered in Japan but no idea if that applies to tourists bringing drones in or not since tourism has been and still is closed. Before planning to bring/use your drone in Japan be sure to carefully research for any updated regulations before your trip. Would hate for you to get here and not be able to bring in an unregistered drone or not be able to use it all.
The seven waterfalls “hike” will not take a full day—it’s more of a lazy walk. While it’s beautiful and I highly recommend it, it’s not really a real hike, if that’s what you’re after. Be sure to bring a bathing suit because there’s a mixed gender onsen at the base of the biggest waterfall! One of the best parts, in my opinion!
For me this just does not really make sense do to this “from Hakone” considering you have 3 days in Izu peninsula. I would just get a ryokan in Shuzenji-onsen for day 1 to 3. If you want to rent a car, you could rent if from around Mishima station if you do not want to drive all the way from Tokyo.
If you are really set on staying in Hakone, it could make sense for the night of day 4 only.
No comment about the details of the trip, but it’s totally unnecessary and ill advised to rent a car at the airport and drive from there. Take public transportation to Izu/Kanagawa and rent a car just for use around there. Drop the car off there when you go back to Tokyo, no need for a car there, and back to the airport
Do NOT drive from Narita to Hakone. Traffic, expensive tolls, very expensive gasoline, etc. Not worth it. Also, good luck finding cheap, if any, parking in Hakone.
With your plans, I would probably choose a ryokan in Shuzenji as it would avoid another hour+ of driving to Hakone.
Are you actually going to spend time in Hakone itself? If so, there are some decent hikes around there. Also the Hakone Open-Air Museum is great.
If you want Mt Fuji but also more urban vibes you could go to Lake Kawaguchi? Great hikes of different lengths, more restaurants etc. Plus the incredible Itchiku Kubota Art Museum and gardens.
Hakone Ginyu is a wonderful place to stay. I also recommend the Open Air Museum not too far away.