箱根海賊船 – Hakone Sightseeing Cruise

[Original Travel Date 11/30/2013]

When in Hakone, a highly recommended activity is to take a trip on what in English is called the “Hakone Sightseeing Cruise”.  The Japanese name for it, however, more accurately highlights the appeal – “Hakone Pirate Ship”.  That really is the main draw for riding it.  We watched many Japanese young children filled with excitement as they began to board the closest thing they would ever get to the highly popular anime, One Piece, in real life.

The boat we road was named “Victory”.  It was quite a pleasant ride, and as recommended by the ryokan staff at Yoshiike, we took the early morning departure and were rewarded with a (slightly clouded) view of Mount Fuji.