Ian Lewis' Blog

It's been a little while but I'm back with the comings and goings of day 2 of our trip to Hakone. So without further ado lets get started!

	Reiko and I woke up early at our Ryokan, and went for an early morning walk down to Lake Ashi to see if we could see Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately that objective was doomed from the start but we had a nice walk, enjoying the crisp morning air, and brilliant sunshine. After the walk we had great breakfast at the hotel which from what I'm told is part of the charm of Japanese Ryokans. We were planning to take the tour boat across Lake Ashi that day so after that we planned to head to take the tour boat early so we could see Mt. Fuji easier so we checked out of the hotel about 8:30. But we realized when we got to the dock that the tour boat starts at 9:30 and we checked out of the hotel too early.
	So we wandered around for a bit and then found that the ropeway that we had ridden the previous day was open at 9:00. So we decided to take the ropeway up to Oowakudani, where we went the previous day, and back. The idea being that we could see Mt. Fuji from the Ropeway. That turned out to be a brilliant idea since, being early, we got our own private car and a gorgeous view of the mountain.
	Our timing was perfect because getting back from the trip on the ropeway we had just enough time before 9:30 to get on the tour boat. The boat was pirate ship themed and wasn't terribly interesting itself. It was pretty nice to take in the lake scenery in the morning sunshine though.
	After that we went to the Hakone military checkpoint which is a small tourist destination in Hakone City. It's kind of an outdoor museum of sorts and has clay statues so you can try to get an idea of how the Samurai and workers used the rooms and spaces in their daily lives.
	After the checkpoint we headed to the Hakone observation building which is in Hakone Park. From there we got a great view of Lake Ashi and Mt. Fuji. I imagine that area is a favorite for photographers. The building was a kind of western style building but inside they had some Nebuta. Nebuta are huge parade floats created for Nebuta festivals, the most famous being in Aomori prefecture in northern Japan.
	After the observation building we headed to Hakone shrine. The grounds are quite large and has several smaller strines. I tend to like shrines because they are oasises of quiet and often have lots of plants and architecture built out of stone. So you feel like you are in a much more natural environment than in normal life.

After Hakone shrine we took the bus back to Hakone Yumoto station and took the train back to Tokyo, ending our two day vacation. I have to say that Reiko scheduled the trip at a perfect time. Both she and I were getting tired from working hard and needed some time outside of the city. The weather also smiled on us during our two days and was also perfect timing since the remnants of a typhoon came through the next day. All in all, a satisfying vacation. I hope I can live in a quiet place outside the city sometime. The city is just too hectic.

Yesterday, Reiko and I got back from Hakone. Reiko planned a nice trip for my birthday. We left on Saturday and came back the next day. Hakone is about two hours away on the Odakyuu train line. We went to Hakone for the nature scenery, but most people go there for the Onsens (hot springs/hot baths), and health spas, since they are all over the place. It seems every other bus stop is named 'something something onsen'.

Anyway, we had a lot of fun. Here's the rundown of the first day,

After we arrived at Hakone Yumoto Station we changed to the Hakone Touzan (Mountain Climbing) Line and rode that to Goura. The line zig zags it's way up the mountains, often stopping and going back the other direction.

After we had lunch at Goura, we got on the Hokone Touzan Cable Car. There is only one cable "train" with two cars so it was quite crowded. Standing room only. The train itself is slanted and hard to keep footing. There also isn't much to see so, while the fact that it's a cable car that gets pulled up the mountain is interesting, it wasn't much fun to ride it.

After we arrived at Souunzan station, we changed to the Hakone Ropeway. The ropeway runs from Souunzan to Tougendai, where our hotel is. It's nice since you can see a lot of scenery from up high. It's also too dangerous to have a lot of people in one car so it was a lot more comfortable ride than the cable car.

Halfway to Togendai is one of our touristy destinations, Oowakudani (大(Big)涌(Boiling)谷(Valley)). Essentially, it's exactly as the name says. About three thousand years ago the mountain erupted in a big explosion leaving an empty valley or crater that continually vents sulfuric gas. You might wonder why you would ever want to go there but it's actually pretty interesting seeing the water boiling out of the and the gas jets. They also have a tradition of making black eggs which if you eat will lengthen your life by 7 years (or so they say). Though it must be kind of an Asian thing since there were TONS of foreigners around but all of them were Koreans, Chinese, and Indian. Very few westerners. I saw a Russian or Eastern European group of about 3 but that's about it.

I don't like eggs, and after not too long we couldn't stand all the people and the smell, so we continued on to Tougendai and checked into the hotel. The hotel is a nice Japanese style Ryokan. We had a tatami floored room and they set out a tea set so you can have green tea. We arrived a bit early, so after check in, we went for a walk in a nearby park next to Lake Ashi until dinner. Traditional breakfast and dinner are included per-usual for Ryokans.

Well that's it for now. I'll get to day two, when we take a sightseeing boat across Lake Ashi and check out Hakone Shrine, later.