Active volcanic valley in Hakone National Park with fumaroles and sulphur-boiled eggs said to lengthen life; free access to the viewpoint, ropeway extra.
Owakudani —whose name literally means "great boiling valley"— is the most spectacular and accessible point of volcanic activity in Hakone, a heated valley where sulphur and water vapour continuously gush from cracks in the earth, colouring the rocks yellow, white and black. It formed about 3.000 years ago after the eruption of Mount Hakone. The main attraction is the kuro-tamago: eggs boiled in the volcano's sulphurous waters whose shell turns completely black. According to local legend, eating one lengthens life by seven years; they are sold in bags of five for 600 ¥. The main Owakudani viewpoint is the stop of the Hakone Ropeway and access to the basic viewpoint is free if you arrive on foot from Owakudani station; the ropeway has its own price (~1.400 ¥ per leg or included in the Hakone Free Pass). Warning: during periods of high volcanic activity the area may be partially closed. Always combine it with the ropeway to see the views of Mount Fuji.
