The Hakone Free Pass is a masterpiece of mass tourism—and a trap. It funnels you through the same chokepoints as twenty million other visitors. The car unlocks the ridge roads, the 7 AM solitude, and the milky-water onsens that don't exist on the tourist map.

The Tobu Railway gets you to Nikko Station. That's not Nikko—that's the edge of the map. The real destination sits 700 meters higher, behind 48 switchbacks, and the bus system can't get you there efficiently.