Hakone in weather is cloudy?

Wondering....if the only day we have available to visit Hakone is supposed to be cloudy, is it still worth the trip or is it advisable to skip it?

Hakone is one of the few places that can be really greatly enhanced in cloudy/misty weather, so I would say it is definitely worth a trip even in otherwise bad weather. Of course, you won't be able to see Mount Fuji in that case, but the chances of see Fuji from Hakone are relatively low anyway so I wouldn't recommend going there solely to see Fuji anyway.

Agreed. we were on the lake when a cloud came flowing down the mountain and it was one of the most amazing things I'd seen. Also the Picasso museum is nice in cloud and mist.

I'm also planning a trip to Hakone in May 2016. Weather forecast shows rain/cloudy. I'm worried I can't see the Mt Fuji also. This is like my 4th attempt to see Mt Fuji.

Besides Mt Fuji, what else would you recommend at Hakone?

Is the ropeway working already?

I've been to Hakone for 4 days and havent seen Mt Fuji from there. I've been to Enoshima 3 times and each time I've seen Mt Fuji - from about 7AM for an hour or so.

I wouldnt go to Hakone just to see Mt Fuji. Hakone is nice to stay for a few nights in a ryokan. The Picasso museum is pleasant and the lake and cedar grove are pretty. Some people like the Gotemba outlets. But I think that the attraction more is to relax and enjoy the onsens (very sulphuric).

For an overnight stay it is nice but I'd probably much rather Enoshima, or maybe Kamikouchi, which has the volcano puffing away nearby. There are hotels with onsen at both of them.

I'm also planning a trip to Hakone in May 2016. Weather forecast shows rain/cloudy. I'm worried I can't see the Mt Fuji also. This is like my 4th attempt to see Mt Fuji.

Honestly, Hakone is one of the worst places in terms of getting a chance to see Mount Fuji. I'd give it a probably of around 20% give or take. Better to go to Fujigoko where you're chances are way higher, maybe more like 80%.

Besides Mt Fuji, what else would you recommend at Hakone?

It always makes me a little sad when people ask this as Hakone is a major major attraction in its own right, while the view of Mount Fuji is a rather minor point. Check out these pages for more info:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5200.html

Is the ropeway working already?

No, consider it closed indefinitely.

Fujigoko - means Lake Kawaguchi area?

We've been there previously; sad to say we didn't get to see Mt Fuji either. No luck.

Well the clouds usually roll in around 10, so try to arrive before that and you'll have a pretty good chance of seeing the mountain on most days. After 10 and the visibility drops off a lot.

Would this apply in early July when I've read that visibility is least likely? Are there just not many clear sky days?

If you want clear skies, go in winter. Otherwise it would have be a pretty unusual day (random chance).

Thank you yllwsmrf and Lazy Pious. Because of your encouragement, we went to Hakone this past Wednesday (last Wednesday of April 2016). It was a cloudy day, but it was wonderful.

I am happy to report that you are now able to use the rope line. There are 3 sections of it and the first two (starting from the pirate boat landing in the lake) are open. If you ride up as far as allowed, you will then ride the rope line back to the half-way point where you can continue on the cable car.

We were pleasantly surprised to be able able to view the fumaroles emitting steam from the volcano....and wondered: if we could get this close via the open rope line sections, how close can you actually get via the closed section.

I am pleased to report that on the trip back via rope line we were able to view Fuji.....shrouded in foggy mist, the snow at the top was evident....and we were so excited.

We bought the 2-day freepass because we were traveling from Tokyo and it was the cheapest way to travel even though it was a day trip. There was an option for the (train) Romance Car -- approximately $10 usd more (can be purchased both directions - double the price). The advantage of the Romance Car is that is it about 15 minutes faster, you get reserved seating, and you can buy food during the travel. We'd had a really early breakfast (the sun rises so much earlier there than where we live in States - and we sleep with the drapes open), so we ordered something as a snack. There were 1/2 dozen options - we ordered the pork sandwiches....yummy. (A little girl seated next to us got a delicious looking ice cream treat).

Hakone was not what I expected it to be as I was planning our trip to Japan. If I had truly understood what it was, I may have arranged for us to have an overnight stay there. My husband has an interest in trains, so I thought we were going for a train ride. In the final assessment, the train ride was NOT the reason to go to Hakone. We have decided that Hakone would make a lovely place for a honeymoon or other special occasion stay. It is lovely and somewhat secluded. There are all of the advertised modes of transportation and there are hiking trails. There are little shops and restaurants all along the way. The views are breath-taking!!

We had lunch at a little restaurant across from the boat dock near the bus drop off. The outside sign said Coffee Grill. (Our first option looked like it had German food, but it was closed.) Coffee Grill was operated by a Japanese couple....very nice folks. It was quiet and quaint. The 3 of us all ordered Pizza Toast. It was about an inch thick slice of white bread smeared with a thin coat of tomato "sauce", cheese, and onions. It was delicious. There were other options, but we all enjoyed this.

We arrived in Hakone about noon and by necessity had to be able to make the last train back to Tokyo -- so we were only there for the afternoon. I agree with those who say that Hakone deserves more than an afternoon. We didn't have time for the open air art museum or any of the many other fun things....but, for the amount of time that we had, we did all that we could and enjoyed everything that we did.

Again - thanks for the encouragement to go on the "cloudy day"....otherwise we would have missed this entire day of adventure.

One more thing...if you are going from Tokyo and desire to purchase your freepass at the train station, if you ask train employees they will direct you to stand in a long line to purchase those tickets (communication issues?/we don't speak Japanese). While family members stood in that LONG/slow line, I wandered past several offices nearby. I walked by one that said Freepass and had no customers....walked in and asked if I could purchase the freepass there -- and absolutely !! yes, we could. I pulled my folks out of the other line and in 10 minutes we had purchased our tickets and were on our way (folks in the other line had still made no progress....so happy!)

By the way, over the last several months, people on this board have been immensely helpful to the planning of our trip. I am so very thankful to anyone who offered help, direction, suggestions. We enjoyed our trip ...and we couldn't have planned it without the assistance of this forum.