Hakone loop: clockwise or counter- ?

Hello,

I am planning my first trip to Japan and I will be visiting Hakone for two days. I plan to do the loop, and in my research, it seems most people follow the route counter-clockwise and I was wondering if there was a particular reason for that?? Are there disadvantages/advantages of going one way or the other (i.e. view, comfort, etc)??

Thank you in advance for any help available.


Vchan

I don't think that it matters and that either direction has any general, major advantages or disadvantages. If you stay in the Hakone area, I recommend to select the direction based on where your accommodation is located.

The attractiveness of Hakone is the changes of the scenery. Two of the best views of Hakone must be Owakudani and Lake Ashi. The view of Owakudani is frightening like a hell, while Lake Ashi is heavenly beautiful. If you take the route counter-clockwise, you will see Owakudani first, which, I suppose, makes your feeling much better when you see beautiful Ashi lake.

However, if you happen to visit on saturday/sunday, the clockwise route might be better, especially on consecutive holidays(Mar20-22,Apr29-May6).