Hakone Shrine

If you’re taking the ‘pirate ship’ from Togendai to Moto-Hakone, don’t forget to pay a visit to the Hakone Shrine, whose red torii gate can be seen from the waters. Said to bring luck in battle, its powers have been trusted by the likes of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu and 12th-century ruler Minamoto no Yoritomo. For a double dose of spiritual clout, continue your walk for another ten minutes to Kuzuryu Shrine, which draws on the legend of a nine-headed dragon that managed to calm a poisonous monster that terrorised Lake Ashi way back in the Nara period (710-794). This shrine is known as a bringer of luck in both money matters and love.