Lake+Hakone

Lake Hakone, also known as Lake Ashi and formally known as Ashinoko Lake, is a crater lake surrounded by volcanic mountains such as Mt. Fuji. Ashinoko Lake actually translates into "lake of reeds." It is located in the Hakone National Park. Lake Hakone is known for it's stunning views of Mt. Fuji and also for it's many hot spring locations. It is also famous for the boat rides going around the lake, especially the boats themed as pirate ships.

Before there was Lake Hakone, two previous calderas and a valley existed: the Northeast and Southwest Calderas and the Haya-kawa valley. The Southwest Caldera was connected to the valley, while the Northeast was not. Dating back to at least an estimated 300 years ago, it is said that Mt. Hakone one day awoke from dormancy and began to erupt. Because of the eruption, the Northeast collapsed into the valley and from there it became Lake Hakone. Its gorgeous view of Mount Fuji did give it plenty of attention, and from there become a highlight of any Japanese tour.

Today, the lake is still populated with tourists. One thing of interest at Lake Hakone are the various hot spring locations. The second would be it's amazing view points of Mt. Fuji. However, due to the poor weather conditions (mist, cloud coverage, etc.), the chance of its sight is very slim. The perfect time for the tourist trying to get Fuji's view would be in early spring / late winter and in the morning. Boat rides are also extremely popular when heading over to Lake Hakone, taking as long as 20 minutes to 3 hours on board. The boats come in various forms, such as the pirate ship or the regular cruise.