Hakone - fried fish, wasabi ice cream and hot spring baths.

We soon left Tokyo and drove out to Hakone - more particularly, the Fuji-Hakone National Park. During the trip there were a lot of false alarms regarding sakura sightings - essentially the pink/white flowers that only bloom for a short period of time in Japan - when it happens, it is quite breathtaking, but the blooms don't last long. Apparently it's quite a big deal amongs tourists and locals alike to have sakura viewing parties - people hold spots under trees for days waiting for the blossoms - and then drink themselves silly. Quite funny - we were just a few days early for the blossoming so we only saw sporadic flowers, but it was amusing to see people so worked up over some flowers.

We had lunch next to Lake Ashi (beautiful, pristine lake surrounding Mt.

Hakone) - we got to fry our own tiny little fish (caught from the lake) and pieces of pork and veggies. Again - quite yummy! After our huge lunch, my mom tried the wasabi ice cream - so brave!!! (it really tasted like wasabi). Then we boarded our boat for a little cruise. Nothing too exciting but gave me some time to digest all that food! When we stopped we took the Hakone Ropeway to get an aerial view of the Mt. Fuji vicinity - including the Owakudani Valley - with steaming hot springs, volcanic peaks, etc. One of the activities here is to try one of the eggs boiled from the sulfuric hot springs - turning the eggs black. It's said that eating one could prolong one's life. (I had two so I should live very very long). :)  This was a nice stop but quite smelly (sulfur stinks!) and I was glad to leave.

Afterwards, we headed to the Atami Resort and was welcomed with a lovely reception - traditional music and a pink "sakura" drink. The resort is a bit outdated, but takes you back into time - the rooms are styled in the traditional tatami fashion. It also is situated in an impressive manner, hangoing alongside a cliff overlooking the waves. The baths were fun - apparently the tradition is to bathe before dinner, after dinner and in the morning... after our formal keisikei (sp?) dinner, we were way too tired to take another bath.