Mt. Fuji.
Being the forwarding thinking traveler that I am, I had suspected that by this point in the trip we'd be mentally and physically exhausted. We'd been on the road and jet lagged for almost a week at this point, and having just climbed a mountain the previous day, it seemed appropriate to take some time to indulge ourselves. Which is why both Zach and I were extremely happy to be heading to Hakone, which is a mountain hot spring resort town on the road back to Tokyo. We had booked ourselves into another family run inn like we had in Kyoto, and the location came with complimentary access to a private indoor hot spring, as well as an outdoor hot spring to soak our weary bodies in. Today promised to be a good day.
The shinkansen ride to Hakone was our first and only mistake while traveling through Japan.
Mt. Fuji at sunset as we descended from Owakudani.
Due to the way the Japanese write their dates as compared to the way my American education had taught me, we ended up having tickets issued by the Hiroshima JR ticket office for May 9th, not May 8th. Of course, we didn't learn this until were were approximately 4 stops into our journey when a very polite and friendly Japanese couple informed us when the boarded the train that we were in their seats. Being the customer oriented organization that they are, the conductor for the train managed to figure out a way for us to remain on the train despite the fact that we didn't really have valid tickets for the ride. An embarassing gaijin (foreigner) moment, to say the least. One bonus to essentially stowing away on this train was that it happened to be a fairly clear day, and that meant that part of our ride included lovely views of Mt.
Me enjoying the view of Mt. Fuji.
Fuji (closed during this time of year, otherwise we'd have been there in a heartbeat).
Regardless, we made it to our stop at Odawara after a short layover in Osaka after about 5 hours. From Odawara, we had to catch a bus that would take us up the mountains into Hakone, which was much more intimidating then it sounds. As I previously mentioned, I have a severe fear of heights, so taking a barreling bus up winding mountain roads in a country where the roads tend to much smaller and narrower then you are used to wasn't exactly the best thing that could have happened to me, and I can vouch for Zach feeling the same at this point. The 50 minute bus ride felt like an eternity, as the bus darted back and forth over gorges and around bends, steadily weaving it's way to higher altitutes.
Zach enjoys the view of Mt. Fuji in Hakone.
While the fear was strong, it wasn't strong enough to distract us from the fact that we were approaching an amazingly lush and beautiful stretch of solid forest near the top of the mountains.
Checking in to our hotel was a simple task, and we were quick to reserve some time later in the evening to soak ourselves in the hot springs. With the rest of the afternoon to pass and dinner to eat before we spend the night boiling ourselves in volcanic sulfur water, we leaped back on the bus (against our better judgement) and headed toward Lake Ashi. The first thing you notice when you exit the bus at it's terminus at Lake Ashi are the large and garish pirate ships floating on the lip of the lake. Apparently these are tourist sightseeing vessels that make regular stops at points around the lake and provide riders with stunning views of the mountainsides and, on a clear day, nice views of Mt.
Our black eggs. That's 14 years of life right there.
Fuji. After some wishy washy discussion, we decided against the overpriced pirate cruise and instead decided to pay for an (over-priced) ropeway ride futher up the mountain to view the sulfur pits at Owakudani. This turned out to be an excellent decision, as the cable cars provided even better views of Mt. Fuji then we could have ever hoped for. As a bonus, the ropeway in Hakone functions on two wires unlike the shaky one in Miyajima, which made for a smoother and more comfortable ride for yours truly.
As we slowly ascended toward Owakudani, Mt. Fuji began to peak it's head slowly around the lesser peaks in the Hakone region. It's snow capped heights were unmistakeable as we slowly creep higher into the sky.
The ropeway to Owakudani.
The sky was clear in our area, but swarms of clouds seemed to envelope Fuji-san in the distance, which seemed to enhance rather then detract from the view. Zach went crazy with the camera, probably going through a good 100 shots before he was satisfied with the few that "turned out". Mt. Fuji is arguably THE site the people associate with Japan, so despite the fact that we were unable to scale the mountain due to the timing of our trip, I was more then thrilled to actually be able to experience such stunning and pleasant views of it.
Once we reached Owakudani, we headed out of the ropeway station and were immediately assaulted by the pungent odor of sulfur dancing about in the air. The area we were in was an interesting contrast, essentially yellowed from the volcanic activity up and down this side of the mountain and yet framed by the unbroken rolling green canopy of the trees around it.
Fisherman enjoy a quiet day in Hakone.
We wandered further from the station, taking in the plumes of smoke rising from the landscape and taking in the repulsive (yet interesting) odor. I made sure to stop by a shop selling black eggs, which are chicken eggs boiled in the sulfuric springs all around the mountain side. A chemical reaction between the egg shell and the sulfur in the water causes the shell to turn black, yet the inside tastes and looks just like any other hard boiled egg. Each egg eaten is supposed to give you an additional 7 years of life, so I made sure to purchase the 5 egg value pack.
Owakudani also has a great viewing platform erected to view Mt. Fuji from. Taking this opportunity, Zach and I took our obligatory "Tourist in front of foreign landmark" photos.
Mt. Fuji.
Mom will be proud when she sees it. The sun was starting to set, so we decided it was a good point to head back down the mountain and find some dinner before jumping into the hot springs at our inn. We made our way down the narrow roads back in town toward what we were told was an excellent homestyle Japanese restaurant, but despite being a large tourist area the signage was all in Japanese and we weren't able to track it down. Instead we stopped at a Chinese noodle and dumpling shop, where we enjoyed ramen bowls with curry dumplings. Absolutely delicious, and left me wanting to order some dumplings to go.
It was finally time for the long awaited hot spring dip. Our first appointment for the evening was the indoor spring.
Our comfy little room at the inn.
I had made sure to reserve the last 1/2 segment of the evening for the outside spring, because I think there's just something nice about being outdoors, in the dark, naked and boiling in a vat of naturally hot water. The indoor spa was the appetizer. To enjoy a Japanese onsen (hot spring bath), the etiquette is similar to almost any other Japanese bathing. You're required to strip naked and cleanse yourself in a showering area away from the actual hot spring area. Throughly work through cleaning your body and your hair and rinsing off. Once this is complete, you can make your way into the hot spring, dipping every part of your body below your neck into the water. It's not very polite to dip your head in, and you should keep any towel you've brought out of the water as well.
Our outdoor hot spring.
At this point, your job is to sit back, and enjoy the warmth that wraps its loving arms around you. Being reserved privately, it was nice to just kick back for a 1/2 hour in a hot spring with Zach and just talk about the trip we've taken so far. It was truly something we'd remember for the rest of our lives, not only as a our first vacation together, but also as the fulfillment of our life dreams (me to return to my homeland, and him to visit the one country that has intrigued him his whole life).
The outdoor bath was even more fun then the indoor spa. The same procedure applies, regardless of it being an outdoor location. The one bonus of being outdoors is that when you get overheated while sitting in the pool, you can remove yourself from the water and wander around the enclosed area cooling off, hot steam rolling strangely off your naked body.
Sulfur pits steaming on the mountain side.
It was the perfect break away from the "go go go" mentality of the past few days, and signaled the tail end of our trip. One more day of sightseeing after this before the dreaded flight back to Chicago, and back to real life.
