Hakone/Mt Fuji

Ancient Cedar Forest on the way to Hakone-machi. The forest was planted during the Edo period to give travelers on the road a sense of peace and welcoming.
see all photos »

What a trip!  We took the train to Hakone (1.75 hours), a town famous for its natural hot springs and beautiful scenery.  On the train, we had our first Japanese infatuation experience with how tall Phil is and how 'strange' my hair is.  We're pretty sure that by the end of our conversation with this Japanese couple, they were convinced that Phil is a professional soccer AND basketball player and that I am a movie star.  :)

We checked into our ryoken (hotel where you sleep on tatami mats), Ichinoya.   We took the "switchback train" (Hakone Tozan) to a mountain town named Gora.  Now, you're probably wondering what is a switchback train?  Well, we learned that lesson...the hard way.  It is a train that zig zags up/down a mountain by switching its direction.  We thought the train had mechanical problems and we were heading back to the starting point.  But when no one seemed to be bothered by this (the train was packed) and nothing around us looked even remotely familiar, we just assumed that we had entered the Twilight Zone.  :)  Lo and behold, we read in our tour book, that we were on a switchback train.   Gora is most well-known for its open air museum...we decided we'll wait to do this with Kelly & Steve (who are coming in December)!  We walked around Gora Park and then headed back to Hakone.

Our bed...on the floor!!!
see all photos »

Our ryoken was similar to a bed & breakfast, except dinner was also included.   Our dinner experience was hilarious!  We sat down and literally had no idea what to do.  We had a stone pot full of vegetables and raw meat on a burner in front of us. There was a plate of half cooked kidney beans, some other kind of beans, and purple rice next to the burner.  Our appetizer was some sort of cooked shellfish (delicious though)!   Our Japanese waitress turned on the burner and tried to explain directions. We observed other tables and figured out that we were supposed to eat the food on the burner (once it cooked) first.  When one of the waiters saw Phil eating the half-cooked beans and purple rice, he quickly came over and told us in broken English that we were supposed to pour that plate into the pot once we finished our vegetables & meat.   And these things were just the appetizers!!!  Then came the fish...the entire fish!  We think it was red snapper.  Everything was delicious!

Owakudani, a smoking valley formed by a volcanic explosion...it smells like sulfur!
see all photos »

Breakfast, however, wasn't as successful.  Unless you like meatballs, little sausage links, COLD soft boiled eggs, rice, or porridge (which was labeled as "groul") for breakfast, you wouldn't have enjoyed this Japanese breakfast.  Kristin has a smile on her face in the picture, but was not a happy camper with this meal.  Afterwards, we had to stop at 7-11 to buy Kristin a yogurt.

Hakone is ABSOLUTELY beautiful!  We had perfect weather...well, a bit cold, but incredible views of Mt. Fuji.  There is a loop which consists of a train ride, boat ride, ropeway (gondola), and cable car around the Hakone area.  All in all, it took us about 4 hours (including several stops in towns along the way).  We can't wait to go back!

This area is famous for their "Black eggs." We wondered...what were these black eggs? How did they get their color? Were they safe to eat? Luckily, this sign cleared everything up.
see all photos »

Other big news...we bought a car!  It's a Toyota Fun Cargo (a very compact SUV/minivan)!

Love, Phil & Kristin

p.s. Japanese word for the day:  "Onegai-shi-mass" which means "please" (as in please give me).

pps.  We are moving into our house tomorrow, so we won't have internet or phone for several days.