What other travelers are saying about Owakudani Valley
A nice area with a scenic cable car ride and the opportunity to eat black hard boiled eggs made from the local spring water. Eating one is said to add a few years extra to your life. On a clear day, you can usually get some good views of Mt Fuji from here. This place gets packed with tourists but we never felt overwhelmed personally. We felt like a few hours was the perfect amount of time to spend here between the cable car, the eggs, enjoying the sights, and enjoying the shops.
Although we didn't get to spend time at the hot springs due to the weather not cooperating and high winds. We thought it best to head back down and not be stuck at the top. Everything was enjoyable from the train ride up/down it was totally spectacular. I have never experienced so much beautiful land scape, trees etc. God in His infinite glory shared this beauty with us. I would love to give place a go again, hopefully another time. I can't wait.
Went on late March on a cloudy day but we managed to get good view from the observatory deck and the ropeway. It was quite fascinating from the ropeway, although Mount Fuji was covered. Sulphur smell was rather strong but expected. On top of a mountain, there’s a museum with 100JPY admission which gave a good information about Owakudani’s history, how hot springs work, etc. worth a visit for that price! There’s also a cafe (great black curry bread!!) and souvenir shop. Of course we had to get the black eggs, personally it doesn’t taste that different but good to try.
Check the weather before going. We went on a windy, cloudy day when the cable car was barely open, and it was fairly uncomfortable with a limited view. There is substantial geo-engineering going on to stabilize the mountain, and I would have liked more details of how the process works. There is also a nice, though small shrine.
Make sure you book for the tour of the mountain to get closer to the peak and see where they cook the eggs.
This is a cool little tour with a guide and lots of translation though the guide may only speak Japanese.
You get a nice flute rendition at the end.
Easily traversable but they are not kidding about underlying respiratory problems, two guys on our trip had to bow out as they lost their breath or couldn't stop coughing.
Lots of interesting things to see up close.
