The famous Mount Fuji.. A day in Hakone area, Japan

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We wanted to organize this trip alone and even now we are convinced that it was possible, however, having at least two days trip to the area's most popular in Japan. But having only one day and certainly not entirely convinced that he understood the connections between buses and trains, we decided to rely on different (in spite of ourselves) to a tour operator. We got a brochure of the hotel that had occurred around a congenial to us and then, thanks to the duty manager of the hotel, we booked for one day of full sun of our holiday (also magically predicted by the same duty manager). The tour operator is called the Grey Line and offers numerous opportunities for trips to Tokyo and beyond. We chose an excursion to Mount Fuji and Hakone tour of the region of the cable car up to the geothermal area of Owakudani and crossed on a magnificent boat of the pirates of Lake Ashi and back to Tokyo by Shinkansen super-fast train. All this, with lunch, at the modest sum of 16,000 yen or about € 150 per person. This morning around 7:40 we do find in the hotel lobby and after waiting 20 minutes to get incredibly out of breath, the lady who gives us the adhesive corresponding to our tour and it makes us sit on a bus that will take us to the sorting area . Unfortunately, this was really unnecessary stage throughout the day (and maybe our visit to Tokyo): we got up at 6.30 and at 9.30 we were still at Tokyo Station after the space of a number of hotels to pick up other customers. Damn could not tell us to go directly to the station at 9.30 am?? Finally we start and we are about a dozen and we have a guide who speaks English very easily and gives us many particulars about the day that the traditions of Japan. I must say that the information on the excursions were very clear and easy to understand for me that I can not call myself a fluent English! Towards the 12 came to Mount Fuji Station No. 5 at 2400 meters (the highest mountain is over 3700 meters). Not very cold but there is a lot of fog so we do not have a great panorama below us. Several hundred feet above us we see the tongues of snow fall as well as some snowboarders who have ventured down in the summer. It 's all very impressive, however, unfortunate that the support is only 30 minutes and that time is not the best. The minute this thing will be constant throughout the day: it was all very nice but our guide did not tell us nothing more than "15, 20, 10, 30 minutes" quite stressful especially for us who are used to make us our trips for us ... then we go back and enter the downstream area of Hakone heading towards the Hakone Lake Hotel to eat the meal at 14.00 "west style." A pay crap to know we ordered a la carte and we would have saved (lunch cost us about € 20 per head): We ate a fish soup (horrible), a piece of roast chicken, baked potato, salad and a mini slice of cake to finish with tea and coffee. In Rome, it seems a real "one." Okay let's move on. Let's go in the volcanic area of Hakone and take the cable car that takes us Owakudani area where there are numerous sulfur springs. The air is stifling at times but we go in the area of the tanks where they cook the eggs in water at 90 degrees by becoming the taste of black color. 5 eggs for 5 € and you have had the satisfaction. Here, too, becomes a must-stop shopping for souvenirs or to buy a snack. Then running (it must be said) to Lake Ashi for the trip (a 40inta of minutes) of the lake on board a pirate boat unlikely (because the pirates on a lake?). Every so often we in the haze of the day to see the snowy cone of Mount Fuji from a distance that we appreciate more than when we went on the trip ... the lake is nice and we see numerous hot springs along the banks some of which senbrano be also quite luxurious. Once delivered, we take our bus to go to Odawara station where we decide to take the train to save and return by coach. The experience of the Shinkansen is interesting and the speed that is reached is very impressive. In about 30 minutes we are at the Tokyo Central Station. The only flaw is that they gave us the tickets without booking and we struggled just to find two seats considering the time of returning to Tokyo for business commuters. ... Interesting thing to note about these trains:
1. Presence of a wi-fi internet connection
2. Ban on mobile phone use. Obligation to vibracall and especially the conversations should be conducted only between a wagon and the other for not to disturb other passengers!
3. None FIATA and no talking! You do not hear a pin drop only the clicking of the keyboards of laptops disturb the hiss of 300 per hour
4. Unfortunately there are some coaches who advise you to avoid smoking carefully to avoid dying of suffocation!
The tour with the Grey Line can also be carried out without lunch and return as coach for the way: in this case, instead of 16,000 yen will pay 13,000 yen or 120 € (instead of € 150). We return by train is also liked because we earned a lot of time coming to Tokyo before 18, but certainly we would have avoided that dinner joke!