Overview
The lake is 40 metres deep at most and has no natural outlet to speak of, which keeps it cold and clear; it is stocked with trout and smelt. The pirate ships are frankly silly and are also the practical transport between Moto-Hakone, Hakone-machi and Tōgendai, all covered by the Freepass. At Hakone-machi the reconstructed Tokaido checkpoint shows how the shogunate controlled movement along the road, with a museum of the documents travellers had to carry.
Highlights
Sit on the open upper deck facing north for the Fuji view; it is on the right side going from Moto-Hakone. The best chance of seeing the mountain is the first crossing of a winter morning. The old cedar avenue along the shore is a twenty-minute walk and the quietest part of Hakone.