Hakone loop clockwise or counter clockwise?

Hello,

I booked a stay at Mount View Hakone ryokan on May 14th. I plan to take the shinkansen from Shinagawa station to Odawara station.

I am not sure if I should take the Hakone loop clockwise or counterclockwise. The ryokan is closest to Sengokuhara-bunka-centa mae bus stop. I do want to do the general sites that the Hakone free pass is eligible for such as Togendai, Owakudani, Open Air museum, etc.

Thank you!

I would consider going to the hotel first and dropping off luggage, in which case traveling in a counter clockwise direction makes the most sense. Keep in mind that Owakudani is closed indefinitely at the moment due to volcanic activity.

I was going to use the luggage delivery service, so I won't need to go to the hotel right away.

I'm not sure about the relationship to your hotel -- but we were just there a couple of weeks ago for a day trip. We were directed to start at the lake and take the boat to the Ropeway ...up the rope way and past stop #1 to the 2nd stop. Then because the 3rd section was closed (due to volcanic activity), we were returned by ropeway to the 1st stop....and then bused.

We were certainly not disappointed in this route as we were able to see the fumaroles from the volcano between stops 1 and 2, and on the way back down we were treated to foggy views of Mt Fuji (that we were told was scant chance to see that time of year).

Hope this information is helpful to you.