Originally Posted by
AnitaBryant63
I ended up deciding on Hakone. Since I'm visiting some shrines and the giant Buddha statue in Kamakura, as well as a visit to Kyoto, Nikko just seems like overkill with shrines for my trip. Hakone might be a nice change of pace with its hiking activities, Mount Fuji stuff, and Onsen.
A good choice, IMHO. Certainly no lack of hiking opportunities in Hakone.
I'd just get off at Hakone Yumoto station, walk past all of the storefronts, climb the first staircase into the mountain that you see while heading up the mountain, and go wherever the path takes you.
(BTW, plenty of mountain hiking opportunities in Kamakura as well!)