Hakone

Truely great place to visit, really close to Tokyo so you can do a weekend trip. Each season has different great activities… we went in autumn so we could see the red leave and the susuki field which was probably my favourite part. Going by car has its advantages but on the whole, train would be better for traffic.

This area has some great onsen and lots of neat areas to explore. I will warn you though, sections of it are very touristy. There are lots of little, faded ‘museaums’ that are pretty much collections of random stuff.

We stayed at a hostel called Kappa Tengoku Ryokan. The place had good and bad points. The baths themselves were fabulous. The yukata, futons and tatami mats were comfy. But, other than that, the place was a bit colorfull. The floors in the halls tended to be 70s linoleum that had been worn through in spots. I’d managed to avoid squat toilets until we arrived. The greeting we got from our hosts was them commenting on what big boobies my friend has.

Anyway, we got a huge, traditional room for not much money and we had a great time there.

very convenient daytrip from tokyo, fabulous selection of hot springs. and there’s a really yummy soba place.

My first experience to the hotspring….. naked….hahaha
hotspring is so nice… will never get enuf of it!!!

Stayed at the Fujiya. It was great!

it rained the two days we were there. we enjoyed the hot springs at our hotel, but missed out on the lake and the mountains due to heavy rains.

oh.. if you take a walk in the area during the rains, be careful of the land crabs.

Most people would be tempted to scale Mount Fuji or be told to take photos at a rather decent Photo Stop at some Petrol Kiosk along the highway. I did that once.

But on my second trip back, we discovered that a cheap packed lunch by Lake Ashi in the Hakone district was equally charming. You could opt for a packaged Ferry and Cable Car ride from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, stroll along the famous Cedar Avenue, feast on the famous longevity Hell Valley Black Eggs or simply loose yourself in the Hot Springs in the area.

But what brought me here really, was the opportunity to get a shot of a Shinto Gate in the lake. Not perhaps like the famous photos of Japan, but at least I tried. =)