Let's change transport from pirates boat to cable car, in order to reach Owakudani Valley.

If you take a glance over the vast, dreary piece of land, you’ll notice a white pillar of smoke rising from the bare surface of the mountain… Owakudani is one of most famous viewpoints in Hakone, where you can observe the intense volcanic activity from up close. It is said that this place came to be thanks to a phreatic eruption and pyroclastic flow that occurred almost 3000 years ago. The peculiar sulphur smell that spreads throughout the area was the reason behind its second name from the past, Jigokudani (Hell Valley). One of the local specialities is the “black eggs”, whose main trait is in the shells that turn black due to a chemical reaction with geothermal energy and volcanic gas. Head to this unique site using the ropeway, and enjoy a nice view of Hakone and Mt. Fuji along the way. We get on cable car from Togendai where we get off the pirates boat. Cable car costs ¥1,200.

Hokokuji (報国寺, Hōkokuji) is a small temple of the Rinzai Sect of Zen Buddhism. Originally founded during the early years of the Muromachi Period, Hokokuji was the family temple of the ruling Ashikaga Clan and was later also adopted as the family temple of the Uesugi Clan. Appearing rather unassuming as you arrive, the path to the temple leads past a relatively modest gate and through a small garden to the main hall, which was rebuilt in the 1920s after the original building had been lost in the Great Kanto Earthquake. The hall houses a statue of the historic Buddha (Shaka Nyorai), the temple's main object of worship. To the left of the main hall stands a unique looking bell tower with a simple, thatched straw roof, which was also a feature of the original main hall before it had burnt down. Hokokuji Temple, however, is best known for the beautiful, small bamboo grove found behind the temple's main hall, which lies thick with over 2000 dark green bamboo stalks. A few narrow pathways lead through the bamboo to a tea house where, for a small fee, you can sit and enjoy a cup of macha tea while enjoying views into the bamboo grove. Also located behind the temple are a series of shallow caves carved into the hillsides, which are believed to hold the ashes of some of the later Ashikaga lords.

Hasedera (長谷寺) is a temple of the jodo sect, famous for its eleven-headed statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The 9.18 metre tall, gilded wooden statue is regarded as one of the largest wooden sculpture in Japan and can be viewed in the temple's main building, the Kannon-do Hall. According to legend, it was carved from the same tree as the similarly tall Kannon statue worshiped at the Hasedera Temple in Nara Prefecture. Adjacent to the main hall is the Kannon Museum, a small museum that requires an additional entrance fee. It exhibits some more of the temple's treasures, including Buddhist statues, a temple bell and a picture scroll. Explanatory signs are in Japanese, and an English pamphlet with basic explanations is available. On the opposite side of the main hall stands the Amida-do Hall with an almost three metre tall, golden statue of Amida Buddha. Hasedera is built along the slope of a wooded hill. The temple's main buildings stand halfway up the slope on a terrace which allows for nice views of the coastal city of Kamakura. There is also a small restaurant where Japanese sweets, meals and drinks are served. Along the stairs leading up the slope stands the Jizo-do Hall with hundreds of small statues of the Jizo Bodhisattva who helps the souls of deceased children to reach paradise. The temple entrance is located at the base of the slope. A pretty garden with ponds welcomes visitors as they enter the grounds. A small temple hall in the garden is dedicated to Benten (also known as Benzaiten), a goddess of feminine beauty and wealth. Sculptures of Benten and other gods can be found in a small cave (Benten-kutsu) next to the hall

The Great Buddha of Kamakura (鎌倉大仏, Kamakura Daibutsu) is a bronze statue of Amida Buddha, which stands on the grounds of Kotokuin Temple. With a height of 11.4 metres, it has long been the second tallest bronze Buddha statue in Japan, surpassed only by the statue in Nara's Todaiji Temple and some recent creations. The statue was cast in 1252 and originally located inside a large temple hall. However, the temple buildings were destroyed multiple times by typhoons and a tsunami in the 14th and 15th centuries. So, since the late 15th century, the Buddha has been standing in the open air.