Pay your respects to mighty Mount Fuji
As a volcanic archipelago, Japan is home to many mighty mountains – but none are greater than Mount Fuji. The highest peak in Japan, Mount Fuji stands at 3776m (12,388ft) tall, and its photogenic cone, covered in snow for half the year, is an instantly recognisable symbol of the country. Countless artists, poets, and writers have drawn inspiration from “Fujisan”, including Hokusai (1760–1849), whose woodblock series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji is among the most famous Japanese artworks.
Mount Fuji dominates the landscape around Hakone. Views of the famous mountain are best enjoyed from Lake Ashi, a mirror-like sliver of beautiful blue which hugs the southwestern edge of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park's Hakone Area. Your first port of call on the lakeshore should be Hakone-jinja shrine, the most famous Shinto shrine in Hakone and one of the most picturesque in all of Japan. With the lake on one side and the forest on the other, the entrance to the shrine is heralded by a vermilion torii gate, its base submerged in the waters of the lake. Head up the steps and into the forest and you’ll reach the shrine itself, an atmospheric group of small pavilion-style buildings which date back to 1667.