Where to stay (Nov 2023) around Hakone, Fuji

Hi everyone ,
Trying to figure out logistics for my itinerary
On where to stay/make as a base.

Fuji wise, I want to visit lake Kawaguchiko but if anyone has suggestions one other areas of the Fuji 5 lakes to visit, that would be great.


Ifll be in Tokyo on 8th Nov and want to go to:
Hakone and mt Fuji from the 8th day time to 10th midday
10th : arrive in Toyoma- Toyoma is because we want to use that as a base to visit Gifu and takayama - if anyone has any other suggestions on where to stay instead of Toyoma that would also be appreciated

Ifm wondering where to stay for the 8th-10th night around hakone/mt Fuji that has decent views/convenient to see things in the area but also convenient to then go to Toyoma after ?

We will be doing public transport.
I was thinking odawara but Ifm not too sure logistically whatfs the best option. Want to avoid traveling back to Tokyo but also noticed it might save time if we do that.

And if anyone has any suggestions on must visit areas in any of those areas that would be greatly appreciated 😊

Thank you!

I am questioning your choice to stay in Toyama if what you actually want to see is Takayama and Gifu. Stay in Takayama instead. Btw, what do you mean with Gifu? Gifu city (relatively close to Nagoya) or Gifu prefecture (quite big and mountainous)

So my choice would be Tokyo - Hakone stay in Hakone, if weather is fine do day trip from Hakone to Kawaguchiko (or Yamanakako). If weather is bad stay in Hakone and enjoy museums and onsen. Then leave from Hakone to Odawara, Shinkansen to Nagoya. Visit Gifu city (if thatfs where you want to go) on the way, go to Takayama and stay there.

Presumably you mean Toyama instead of Toyoma but I saw the same misspelling in another post. I donft normally correct peoplefs spelling, but if you donft get it right for searches, etc. you will have trouble looking up information online, including transit.

I agree that Toyama is not a good base for visiting Takayama (I would probably go with LikeBikefs suggestion myself), but if you do end up going to Toyama and want to do some sightseeing, one venue I can recommend is the glass museum. The building it is located in happens to be a public library, but the architecture is very interesting, and I really enjoyed the museum.
https://toyama-glass-art-museum.jp/en/

I have always thought that going to both Fujigoko (e.g., Kawaguchiko) and Hakone in the same trip was too much bother with transit and would probably just pick Hakone, although it isnft as good for viewing Mt. Fuji. If you only stay one night in Hakone you could do a lot there on the arrival and departure days, and then maybe spend a night in Nagoya on the way to Takayama, basically just to sleep. Or you could leave Hakone a little earlier on the second day and do something in the Nagoya area. Nagoya itself isnft a particularly exciting destination, but there are a few places there, or near there, that are well worth visiting depending on your interests. But if you have your heart set on doing both Fujigoko and Hakone, I think LikeBikefs suggestion is good. Note that there are some places around Shizuoka that also have views of Mt. Fuji and could possibly be done during the day en route from Hakone to Nagoya. I sort of liked Miho no Matsubara, with views of Fujisan from the beach.

Regarding Toyama, on one of my Japan trips I once spent a couple of nights there and then proceeded to Takayama from there. If you go back to Tokyo after visiting Hakone, you can take the Hokuriku shinkansen to Toyama, and if you spend two nights there you could make a nice day trip to Kanazawa (or possibly Shirakawago, if that floats your boat). Anyway, I did this once (with a visit to Kanazawa) and it was quite enjoyable. The train ride from Toyama to Takayama is scenic, but there are very few limited express train departures so you have to be careful with your timing. Doing this route would give you a chance to transit through a different part of Japan. I think the Hokuriku shinkansen is one of the best shinkansen rides in Japan, especially the last hour or so en route to Kanazawa. Presumably you will have a JR pass (this suggestion would be pretty expensive otherwise).

I have never spent the night in Hakone but have had nice day trips there from Tokyo. But if you really want to do a lot there (rather than just proceeding through the standard loop at a fairly fast pace) and enjoy some onsen bathing, it definitely warrants an overnight stay. My own traveling style would probably have me hole up for a longer period in Tokyo and do Hakone and possibly Kawaguchiko on day trips depending on weather (remember, you can easily get skunked as far as viewing Mt. Fuji goes). But the trips to both Hakone and Fujigoko involve some non-JR transit, which can be annoying if youfve shelled out for a JR pass, and doing round trips to those places makes the non-JR costs sting even more.

Regarding Kawaguchiko in rainy weather, I went there a few weeks ago and the tourists there were miserable. Rightfully so.
http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2023/06/ride-out-to-fuji-rain-a...

Regarding Toyama , agree on the glass museum. It is in a building by Kengo Kuma (famous Japanese architect who built for example Nezu museum in Tokyo or the Olympic stadium. )

http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2017/10/day-28-kuronagi-onsen-t...