What is worth seeing? What has better shrines? What has better nature/hiking? If you only could see one, which would it be?

"Shrines and Temples of Nikko" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so they must be pretty good, right? ... On the other hand, Mt. Fuji is holy mountain number one. So which do you think is better? For hiking, there are great trails around Nikko and Hakone. I think Hakone is set up as a more integrated circuit for tourists. Nikko requires a bit more work.

If I could only go to one or the other, it would depend what mood I was in. If I were looking to be pampered at a posh spa resort and not have to do a lot of thinking in advance, I'd head for Hakone. For a break with some history, some driving and some hiking, I'd choose Nikko.

Sounds like Hakone is a little bit easier to navigate, which might be ideal since I will not have a car. It also sounds like Hakone has a little better advantage for the "nature" standpoint because of Mt. Fuji. Any particular Fuji-based ideas you suggest I do while I'm in Hakone? Perhaps a Mt. Fuji viewpoint? Is it close enough to Fuji to do some hiking? Any particular hiking trails or hiking tours?

I recommend that you read a guidebook.

I tend to find guidebooks about as helpful as this post.

Seriously? I find guidebooks and coffee table books to be ideal for developing an idea of what to expect in a place. Sure, I could say "Hey. Nikko has a volcano too," but ... I think the OP needs to look into this and see some pictures, and read some descriptions. That's what I advise. Sincerely. What's your advice?

I tend to find this post as helpful as the OP's post, which consists of nothing but questions without anything to help us figure what she might find important or useful to her.

I could tell her that I love The Hakone Prince Hotel, the view of Mt. Fuji from the beautiful shore of Lake Ashi (during the winter...still hard to get a good glimpse of it in the summer), and all the quaint little attractions in the area, but that might be out of her price range, and she might find it all a bit tacky. So I offer no further comment on the matter without further details.

I prefer hiking, nature, and enjoying scenic landscapes. Any good hikes in the area?

If you want to evaluate the possibilities for walking in both places you could do worse than referring to the Lonely Planet Japan guidebook on hiking in Japan:
http://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-.../dp/1741040728

(Other books on the topic are available).

Perhaps rjque will moan that I'm not living up to my duty to be helpful ... but really a guidebook is your friend in this situation.

You don't need a car to access most of the major sites in Japan, including Nikko, because there is a well-developed system of trains and buses that will take you almost anywhere. For example, you can access Nikko by direct private railroad express train from Tobu Asakusa or, if you have a JR Pass, by taking the Tohoku Shinkansen to Utsunomiya and transferring to the Nikko Line. Once you're in the area, buses can transport you to spots such as Lake Chuzenji.

A further consideration is that Hakone is on the way between Tokyo and Kyoto, so it may make more sense if you have limited time, and the whole Hakone Free Pass circuit of trains, buses, funiculars, aerial tramways, fake pirate ships, and so on can be kind of fun and is very easy to follow.

As for seeing Mount Fuji, no matter how close you are, you have a better chance of actually seeing it in the winter than in the summer, due to the high humidity in the warmer months. I've mentioned this on Flyer Talk before, but one summer I visited some people who lived only 10 miles away, and the mountain had been invisible to them for weeks. On the other hand, the first time I ever saw it was from the roof of the library at my university in central Tokyo one crisp November day.

You have no duty to be helpful. I'm just suggesting that you be polite. I'm not sure why this forum is so much more abrupt and unfriendly than the other Flyertalk forums, but it is. (And I think suggesting a specific guide book, as you have, is a very helpful thing to do).

I personally find guide books to be much less useful now than they were 10 years ago. Flyertalk is a great resource, but I don't have an answer to the OP's question because I haven't been to Hakone since 1993. I very much enjoyed Nikko when I was there on a day trip a few years ago, but I don't have enough information to really help the OP there.

Contrary to your view, I find this forum to be way more helpful and friendly than many others. It's just that some of the regulars get tired of answering questions that are readily answered in guidebooks, including some online guidebooks that are free, such as Japan guide.

I think the OP will get the best use from this forum by asking specific detailed questions, instead of the travel equivalent of "Are apples better than oranges?"

More like "are fruits better than some other fruits?"

Flyertalk is replete with threads asking broad unanswerable questions. How the regulars respond to them varies greatly from forum to forum. This forum is not nearly as bad as the old AA forum, but it's certainly no San Francisco forum.

Why is it "bad" to ask for information that is needed to help someone?