Riding the Hakone Lake Ashi Pirate Ship 'Queen Ashinoko' — 30 Minutes on Deck with Two Children

In Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, the tour boats that circle Lake Ashinoko (芦ノ湖) are commonly called 'pirate ships.' Once you actually ride one, you learn that each boat has its own…

Kanagawa · Ashinoko Pirate Ship

In Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, the tour boats that circle Lake Ashinoko (芦ノ湖) are commonly called 'pirate ships.' Once you actually ride one, you learn that each boat has its own name. The one we boarded was the Queen Ashinoko, with a golden hull and red cabin — a relatively new vessel with 'SINCE 2019' engraved on the stern. It departed from the Togendai (桃源台) terminal and crossed toward Hakone-machi and Moto-Hakone. We were on the water for just under 30 minutes.

From the Terminal to the Boat — The 5 Minutes Before Boarding Are Best for Photos

Walking out onto the pier, the boat is moored right alongside. The crew members wear black uniforms and peaked caps — one loosens the mooring lines while another takes tickets at the gangway. This brief window is surprisingly important. Once you board, the crowds make it nearly impossible to fit the entire boat in a single frame. It's better to snap a side shot from the pier, then step back a few paces to capture the bow from another angle.

Crew members in black uniforms handle mooring lines beside the golden pirate ship docked at the Ashinoko pier, with green mountains and another pirate ship visible in the distance — A crew member loosening the mooring lines beside the docked boat. Another pirate ship floats in the distance on the lake.

Seen from the front, the boat is larger than you'd expect. It's a three-level structure with three masts, and a golden goddess statue adorns the bow. The pier floor is painted red with white lines, like a helipad, creating a wide, open space perfect for children to run. Indeed, our kids immediately let go of our hands and bolted toward the boat. There are some sections of the railing with wider gaps, so it's safer to hold a young child's hand while walking.

An adult and two children walk across the wide red pier toward the docked pirate ship with three masts and a golden goddess statue at its bow — Just before boarding. This is the last vantage point to capture the entire boat.

Deck Seating Wars — Aim for the Bench by the Smokestack

Once aboard, everyone heads for the upper deck. There's an enclosed cabin, but in May's weather, there was no reason to sit inside. The problem is that despite appearing spacious, there are only a few seats on deck. Beneath the black and gold checkered smokestack sits a set of iron benches and wooden tables — all of which fill up before the boat even departs. We claimed the bench beside the red smokestack as soon as we boarded. Once we had both children on our laps, we could finally breathe.

An adult and two children sit on an iron bench beside a red and gold checkered smokestack, with a golden staircase and red cabin decoration visible behind them — The bench beneath the checkered smokestack. One of the few spots on deck where you get both shade and a backrest.

The wind was quite strong. The sky in the photos looks blue, but thick clouds drifted overhead, and once the boat started moving, the wind chill became noticeable. It was wise to have brought windbreakers for the kids even though it was May. People who boarded in just short sleeves headed inside halfway through the journey.

The middle of the deck remained perpetually crowded. Tripods stood planted, people craned their necks at the masts, and others waited in line in front of the smokestack. The layout makes it easy to lose a child's hand, so we gripped one child in each hand as we moved about.

An adult holds hands with two children on the crowded deck, with the red cabin marked 'QUEEN ASHINOKO' and golden masts with folded white sails visible behind them — The center of the deck is always this crowded. The boat's name 'QUEEN ASHINOKO' is engraved on the cabin wall.

The Best Spot for Souvenir Photos Is the Front of the Red Cabin

If you want a clear shot of the boat's name, the front wall of the red cabin is the answer. Beneath a crown emblem, 'QUEEN ASHINOKO' and 'SINCE 2019' are inlaid in gold, and the entire wall features red arabesque patterns that photograph beautifully. Step back to include the masts in the frame and shoot from below upward to make the boat appear even more impressive. However, this spot does draw a line. We passed it twice before finally getting our shot on the third attempt.

An adult and two children stand in front of the red arabesque cabin wall, with 'QUEEN ASHINOKO SINCE 2019' in gold lettering and the masts with folded sails visible above — The 'QUEEN ASHINOKO / SINCE 2019' engraving. Shooting from below captures the masts in the frame.

Views on the Lake — The Real Sights Aren't the Boat, They're the Shoreline

As the boat moves toward the middle of the lake, the deck commotion dies down for a moment. Everyone gathers at the railings to look outward. The lake water is a deep blue-green, and dense green ridgelines rise on both sides. If you look closely at the shoreline, you can see a red torii gate standing in the water — the 'Heiwa no Torii' of Hakone Shrine. From the boat, it passes by very small and quickly, so if you don't want to miss it, position yourself at the right railing as the boat approaches Moto-Hakone.

The deep blue-green water of Lake Ashinoko with green ridgelines beyond, a white building and small red torii gate visible on the shore, and moored boats — The small red torii gate appears on the shore. The right railing offers the best vantage point for this view.

Mount Fuji didn't appear that day. The clouds were too thick. Over several visits to Lake Ashinoko, I've learned that seeing Mount Fuji is rarer than you'd think. If you board expecting Mount Fuji, six or seven times out of ten you'll be disappointed. It's easier on the mind to board simply for the boat itself and the lake ridgelines — that's already plenty.

Location and How to Get There

The location pictured is Lake Ashinoko (芦ノ湖) as shown on the map below. Hakone sightseeing typically starts from Odawara or Hakone-Yumoto and loops through a series of mountain cable cars, ropeway, and finally the pirate ship, making the boat ride a natural continuation from the Togendai terminal reached by ropeway descent from Owakudani. Rather than buying individual tickets, most visitors use a combined pass like the Hakone Free Pass, which includes the boat fare. Since prices and schedules change seasonally, it's wise to verify the details on-site or check the official schedule before departure.

The boat is one-way transport. To return to the terminal you started from, you'll need to take the return boat or catch a bus. Overlooking this detail when planning can throw off your timing.
Service intervals aren't frequent. Miss one boat and you'll wait quite a while at the terminal for the next one.
The wind is strong. Choose a hat with a chin strap, and bring a light jacket regardless of season.
Strollers are fine up to the pier but get stuck at the deck stairs. If traveling with a baby, a baby carrier works better.

Postscript — What We Ate During That Day's Outing

While sorting through photos, I found one shot that had nothing to do with the boat: a boiled egg with a blackened shell, taking a bite to reveal the white and yolk inside. The background is an indoor café table, so it wasn't taken aboard. This is the famous black egg (kuratamagо) from Owakudani, where sulfur from the volcanic hot springs adheres to the shell and turns it jet black. Only the shell is black — the inside is just like any other boiled egg. The taste isn't particularly special either. If anything, the yolk was slightly drier than a regular boiled egg. These eggs come with a legend that eating one extends your life by seven years, but we bought it more for the novelty of peeling a blackened shell than for the promised longevity.

A hand holds a black-shelled boiled egg with a bite taken, revealing the white and yolk inside, with an indoor café table and chairs in the background — The black egg, shot indoors rather than aboard the boat. Only the shell is black — the inside is ordinary.

After leaving the boat at the Moto-Hakone terminal, you can walk to the torii gate. Our kids seemed to remember the 5 minutes spent running around the pier more vividly than the 30 minutes aboard. If we return, I'd like to try the first boat of the morning — to drift across the water with an empty deck.