Favorite part of Japan trip was not Tokyo; it was small town of Hakone

A highlight of my family's visit to Japan was Hakone, a town I had not heard of before this trip. To simplify planning, I booked a family tour through Intrepid Travel that went to Tokyo and Kyoto, but the tour also brought us to the quaint, quirky mountain town of Hakone, which is southwest of central Tokyo and about a 90-minute railway ride away.

Visiting the town turned out to be my favorite part of the trip. Hakone is full of onsens, or natural hot springs. I tried a bucolic onsen overlooking the lush green mountains, a traditional onsen that was segregated by gender and required visitors to disrobe completely, and a series of themed baths at Yunessun, a hot-spring theme park — including an onsen shaped like a ramen bowl and baths filled with coffee and wine.

My kids joked that we were experiencing what it felt like to be cooked on a stovetop, and my skin felt smooth and soft when I left. The whole family had a blast at the Hakone Open-Air Museum, where larger-than-life interactive sculptures replaced traditional gallery exhibits.

Japan, Hakone

hakone, japan, tokyo, kyoto, intrepid travel, onsens, hot springs, yunessun, open-air museum, themed baths