Mt. Taikan Observation Deck — Attraction in Hakone

Only accessible by car or motorbike. It is a rewarding drive up Mazda Hakone Turnpike from the base of Daikanzan.

I came at the time when the clouds were still covering Mt. Fuji. But is indeed a sight to behold with the whole of Hakone Valley & Mt. Fuji as the backdrop. It was still early Winter, so my friends & I didn’t get to see snowing, but we did saw small patches of what would be considered ‘dirty snow’.

Highly recommended place to visit if you have the opportunity. The observatory is also a prime meeting spots to see local JDMs cars & motorbike if...

An absolute must for Japanese car/Initial D/MF Ghost fans. When I was here in Nov 2019 it had a stunning view of Mount Fuji and it was busy with families and car nuts alike. More recently in June 2023 I was there as a typhoon rolled through and this was obviously not the case. We still stopped in for a quick bathroom break, though! Besides the obvious Hakone Turnpike there are plenty of other fun roads in the area and the car-based gashapons were a plus. You do, of course, need a car to get to...

The place use to be a popular roadside rest spot where it had shops and restaurants. All it left now is the outdated food court and tiny shop who sells local vegetables and some souvenirs. Unfortunately, the place didn’t survive after all those years while majority of motorists prefer alternate and possibly more convenient routes. The Mountain View from the observation deck is quite spectacular, and it’s definitely worth a visit on a...