Hakone Sight Seeing Pirate Ship (April 10, 2026)
You had me at “Pirate Ship.”
It’s one thing to do a tour of a lake on a boat. That’s fun enough by itself, but sailing in the front of a Pirate Ship? Now we’re talking!
Yes, please! Let’s cruise Hakone Lake Ashinoko in a Pirate Ship (Arrr!)
Yes, silly backdrop … but with a captain’s steering wheel!
Violet expressing how we’re all feeling being on this Pirate Ship
The whole family with Mount Fuji peeking out behind that mountain
Okay, quick back story. When Elena, Violet and I were here back in October (see related post), we came to Atamni JUST TO SEE MT. FUJI! But it rained. And I mean a torrential downpour the entire 4-day visit! We jokingly assumed Mount Fuji was like Snipe Hunting and that we were being made fools for searching for something that doesn’t exist.
Even the morning we arrived in Hakone, it was … wait for it … yes, it was raining. Downpouring … again!?! “That’s it,” Elena said, “if the weather doesn’t clear up and we don’t see Mount Fuji, I’m declaring it a prank and giving up hope of ever seeing it again.” Totally on the same page.
THIS is what we came for. This is Mount Fuji in all her glory!
I first saw Mount Fuji on the bus headed to our Pirate Ship excursion. I tried to take a picture, but between the bus moving at 60 KPH and all the trees, there were no good shots. However, on the boat, we saw many angles as we toured around the lake.
And, of course, the Pirate Cruise wasn’t ALL about Mount Fuji. Sure, it was the star of the show and why we specifically came to Hakone, but we were traveling around in a PIRATE SHIP. There was much more fun to be had. Lots of pictures from all the angles on and off the ship. This was our first sunny day here in Hakone and we were taking full advantage of the nice weather.
For lunch, Will, Violet and I had the steak, but Elena opted for a chicken skewer. Will and I were both amused that the skewer was “on brand” as a long sword. This was a great way to wrap up our lake cruise and a wonderful transition to the Hakone Ropeway. We’d call the gondolas, but when in Japan …
Sword skewer with a ton of attention to detail on the handle
We waited in a line as long as one of the more popular lines at Disneyland (or Universal if that’s your preferred theme park). Thankfully, it only took 40 minutes to get through the line as the gondolas were moving quickly and before you knew it, we were traveling up the mountain for a bird’s eye view of … yes, it was Mount Fuji again. We wanted more since that’s what we came here to see first and foremost.
Long day. Lot’s of walking and exploring. This felt like the right kind of adventure day here in Hakone. Tomorrow, we visit the botanical garden. That should be fun.
