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.
Absolutely stunning. Really no words to describe the smell and the scene of sulfur and the presence of volcanic vents all around you. Hard to tell where the clouds end and the steam starts. Utterly amazing the power of mother earth.
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.
The actual location is a solid 3. But the cable car ride bumps it up a point. I REALLY don't like being that close to volcanic activity. The black egg stuff was interesting but what was the beginning and the end of that location. It was like. "We make black eggs! Now go to the gift shop" and that was it. Again. I'm mostly just saucy to be that close to volcanic activity without our tour guide warning us or letting us opt out.