Day 3- Hakone

The day started with great promise  weatherwise, though the forecast was calling for rain.  We left most of our belongings (both our larger duffles)at the Westin, hoping we will find them intact upon our return in a few days.  We were going to spend the morning getting to our ryokan (B&B) in Hakone and wanted to travel light.  Hakone is a resort town, northwest of Tokyo, that has been popular since the 9^th century.  Its primary draw is the underground thermal activity leading to hot springs and fumeroles.  The area extends across the collapsed caldera of a volcano that last erupted 3,000 years ago (hopefully not due in the next 24 hr.). We started out on the subway from the hotel via subway, the first of many modes of transport today.  Next we took a surface train to the ‘Bullet Train” station where we got our first glimpse of this futuristic high speed transport.  It really looked like something from a sci-fi movie.  The train has a maximum speed of around 300 kph (about 180 mph).  It is also so smooth that at times you can hardly tell you are moving.  Most impressive is when another bullet train passes in the opposite direction.

From here we went from the future to the past via a city bus up into the mountains to eventually reach our B&B, the Mikawaya Ryokan.  This is a beautiful old classic Japanese B&B with gardens and hot spring baths.  

As we entered the ryokan, we removed our shoes and put on slippers provided.  The only problem was that I think Japanese men must have delusions of grandeur because the slippers they had could only have been worn by Sasquatch, but we persevered.  

We checked in and left our luggage  with plans to get into our room when we returned from seeing the area.  We put on our shoes (at least some of us put on our shoes)and headed out to the bus stop. Jeri commented on how odd her shoes felt after wearing the slippers in the ryokan. 

 As we approached the bus stop, she looked down and realized that they felt funny because they weren’t hers, similar, but not quite. Quite embarrassed, she ran back to change. 

We got a lot laughs out of that one. 

A short bus ride (with the right sneakers) took us to the mountain railway station.  From here we took a  mountain train,

                                                

 cable railway up a steep mountain, 

and finally a gondola (which they call a “ropeway”). 

This took us up to the highest point in this area overlooking the collapsed volcanic caldera with sulfur fumes and steam vents. 

We disembarked and hiked up to a hut along the hillside where they cooked hard boiled eggs in sulfur fumes crating a black shell. 

They were, of course, for sale, but not being a fan of HB eggs or sulfur, I couldn’t believe that mixing these would produce a more palatable product.  The eggs are cooked for an hour in 80 centigrade sulfuric steam vents before they are fit for consumption.  

This area is one of the better areas from which to view Mt Fuji as long as there are no clouds.  Not today.  It started raining on our way up to the hut, and became a downpour before we got back to the gondola station. 

We continued our journey around Hakone by taking another gondola down the other side of the mountain to Lake Ashi to board a pirate ship (yes a pirate ship) to cross Lake Ashi to the town of Moto Hakone. 

There is no good explanation for a pirate ship in the middle of the mountains of Japan, other than someone thought it would attract more visitors.  The weather improved and the scenery was quite beautiful, but I had a hard time with the pirate ship thing.  It would have been much better with a normal boat.  The lake was reminiscent of the Norwegian fjords with mountains dropping sharply into the water.  Fall is near peak here in Japan , and the colors were really starting to pop.  Not quite NH but still very pretty (I guess I’m biased). 

In Moto Hakone, we visited another Shinto Shrine.  The area is surrounded by huge old cedars dating back to before 12^th century.  

There were several shrines scattered around the property with the main shrine at the top of a long set of stairs.  

The other end of the stairway was another tori gate at the end of a stone pier out in the lake.

In another area of Moto Hakone we found a reconstruction of the Seki-sho Barrier Gate.  

This was a checkpoint used by the samurai to control movement of people (primarily women) and weapons between Edo (old Tokyo) and Kyoto.  

We got a glimpse of the side of Mt Fuji  just as the sun was setting, but the top and most of the rest of the mountain was enshrouded with clouds.  We decided we would try again tomorrow on the way to Kyoto.

Another bus ride on the “meandering road” back to the ryokan.  When we arrived, we were greeted in very broken English and shown to our room.  Here we met our personal attendant, Kana, who explained that she would be coming in fist o set our table for dinner, then to serve us dinner, and finally, to set up our futons (pads on the floor that we used as beds).  Our room was furnished with only a low table with kneeling seats.  The floor was a tatami mat and our slippers, that we wore throughout the rest of the ryokan had to be left at the door.  The toilet had special sandals  used only in there to keep your feet clean.  I had a hard time remembering to take them off when exiting.  We also had an open air shower and private bath fed by the hot springs.  Kana showed us how to stir the water before getting in to avoid getting scalded.   Before dinner, I gave the bath a try.  Definitely have to get our hot tub going again when we get back.  The water temperature was about

110 °F. 

After my bath, I put on the provided kimono taking great pains to put it on correctly with the left side over the right.  Apparently it is an affront to your host to do it the other way around. 

Kana then returned with tea, and a bit later, to set the table for dinner.  

                                     

This process was took about 10 min, a little different then throwing a napkin and some silverware on the table.  They don’t even have silverware or napkins.  The set up was very precise and esthetically done.

Dinner was then served consisting of about 10 or twelve (albeit small) courses.  Kana had difficulty telling us what each item was, but used hand gestures to show us at least how to eat it .  

                                     

The most animated conversation we had was about “shabu shabu”  which we thought was a “how to” and not a “what is”.  The dish was paper thin sliced beef that was about 90% fat (taking marbling to a new level), boiling milk (turns out that it was soy milk), and special sauce.  

She kept gesturing in a swirling motion over the milk and sauce and saying “shabu shabu” .  It seems that it is quite a delicacy here, Japanese fondue. It didn’t taste bad but the consistency and fat content made it hard to get down.   (Marty, this would have been the only thing you would have even considered putting past your lips!). 

We also had something that looked a lot like chicken soup with matzoh balls.  Who new we had so much influence?

With dinner completed, the table was moved to the side of the room and the futon made up in the center of the floor. 

Not  bad for camping.  I was worried we would have to use one of those wood blocks for our heads, but thankfully a pillow appeared.  It seemed to have some type of bean bag material in part of it, but still better than a block of wood.

Hopes for a glimpse of Mt Fuji tomorrow on the way to Kyoto.