Day Two in Hakone

After the museum day 2 in Hakone continues, and we are on a mission to have a beautiful Mt. Fuji sighting!

According to area guide books, the best way to view Mt. Fuji is from the "Hakone Loop", which is a giant route around Lake Ashi with 4 modes of public transportation including: train, ropeway, boat, and bus.

We took the train from our hotel to the museum, so now onto the famed "Hakone Ropeway".  Similar to the ropeway up to Mt. Misen on Miyajima Island, we had to get off in the middle and board a second ropeway. 

Ready to board the first ropeway!

Climbing up to the halfway point... it's getting a little cloudy and foggy.

This is the spot that is rated #1 for spectacular views of Mt. Fuji! 

Advertisement for your reference, if the clouds were not in the way...

Switching to the second ropeway... again you cannot see a darn thing!!

We have arrived at mode of transport #3: the boat ride!

Crowds of people are running to get on these old Spanish pirate ships!  Thank goodness the boat cruise isn't cancelled due to inclement weather today.

#2 rated spectacular view of Mt. Fuji... this weather makes me so sad.

Here's what I should have been seeing!

At least I could enjoy a fun boat ride. 

(If the boat tour had been cancelled, we would have had to backtrack the "loop" via ropeway(s) and trains again!)

Transport #4: our empty bus ride back to the train station. 

This is the least crowded we've seen anything all weekend!  Yesterday there was not even extra standing room.

We arrived at Odawara shinkansen station much earlier than planned.  We had reserved a train several hours later because we had expected to spend lots of time photographing the majestic Fuji-san!!

So we decided to explore the town of Odawara.  First stop = Odawara Castle.

This castle is also a replica (like Nagoya) and has a museum inside.

But it still looks darn impressive from the outside!

I must admit the golden dolphins of Nagoya Castle are way bigger and way cooler than this guy.

View of the castle grounds and Pacific Ocean.

View of Odawara city from the lookout on top of the castle.

On our walk back to the train station, I saw a poster for these cool-looking car-shaped treats you put in children's lunchboxes.  I'd like to think they are made of yummy colored fudge, but the more likely ingredient is mashed up beans and vegetables.

Let's do a little food shopping in the station, too. 

Mom couldn't quite imagine my birthday cake at work where everyone got a different piece of cake, so here's a typical bakery counter.  The pieces are all sold individually. 

Holy GREEN bananas!!  Will these things ever turn yellow?!

Apparently there are two sizes of grapes in Japan:

golf ball-sized or pea-sized... but they still taste pretty good!

Tarynn and a vine of edaname!  We had no idea these things grew in a clump on a vine, they are always separated and individual by the time it makes them to the consumer!  (~$6.38)

Good thing KG loves green onions--this one is giant!  (~$2.84)

So the weather was a major disappointment and shy Mt. Fuji never made an appearance, but Tarynn and I still managed to have a good time in Hakone, and we also learned an important lesson...

visit in winter next time!! 

The lake is calm, the weather is clear, and Fuji-san is almost always in perfect view!

Weekend in Hakone

Hakone is affectionately known as "Tokyo's Playground".  It is about an hour outside the big city, and Tokyoites flock here to relax in the onsen (hot springs) and enjoy breathtaking views of Mt. Fuji.

This is one of the busiest travel periods of the year, and Tarynn and I waited a little too long (like the night before) to book our train to Hakone, so the only seats left were in the Green Car (first class). 

Here we are riding in style!

KG has arrived in Hakone and is ready to see the sights!

River in Hakone

Exhibit #...  well, I've lost count, but Japan still needs swimming pools so people aren't forced to cool off in rivers and streams.

We have arrived at Lake Ashi for a sightseeing cruise, but this port is closed because of low-lying clouds and rough water.

The water is a little high, too!

Ancient Cedar Avenue, which was planted in 1618, along the Tokaido highway in order to provide comfort for the foot travelers from the hot sun of summer and the snow of winter.

KG certainly enjoys the shade on this hot summer day :)

Path less traveled... Tarynn and Kerri found a small portion of the Avenue without cars passing constantly.

Hakone Sekisho

Checkpoint for all travelers in Japan back in the Tokugawa era (since 1618).  The Tokaido highway was the main passage and it was nearly impossible for someone to get from Tokyo to Kyoto with passing through this area.  It was known as the biggest and most important checkpoint in Japan.

The main purpose was to control weapons entering Edo area and women attempting to leave Edo!!  LOL.  Hakone Sekisho was notorious for its strictness and primary responsibility of keeping women from escaping!  Can you imagine?!

Special Arms Room:

Filled with guns and bows with the main purpose of intimidating travelers!

Arresting Implements:

Tools used to catch criminals!

Hakone area is also known for its special "black eggs".  They are regular chicken eggs, but cooked in one of the numerous volcano geysers (which also produce the hot springs) in order to turn them black.

You can bet I wasn't eating one of those black eggs, but I did buy a souvenirs plastic black egg from a kid's toy machine!

We moved on to the next port of Lake Ashi, but by the time we got there that tour was also cancelled due to the low clouds and poor visibility. 

I was upset because I wanted to ride this sweet boat!

See the rolling clouds... this pic was taken right after I walked off the dock. 

The visibility was unbelievably poor.

Since the boats were shut down, everyone had to leave by bus!!

After a couple of buses and trains, we finally made it to our hotel.  Since we were a little late planning this trip, we booked the only hotel room (2 days before we left) that we could find available.  As it turned out it was a "Single" with a twin bed...

That's all part of the adventure, right?!  Since the town (including restaurants, bars, and gift shops) closed at 7pm, I read a novel and then went bathing in the hotel onsen before trying to get snug and cozy in our tiny bed ;)

Hopefully tomorrow brings clear skies and calm weather!

Nagahama bus trip

My friend who owns the kimono shop organizes a bus trip to Nagahama each year to take a boat cruise on Lake Biwa and watch some fireworks.  This year she invited me along!

The streets of Nagahama, known for stained-glass making.  Even the light posts are stained glass lanterns! 

Lunch is oomi niku.  A beef bowl that was quite tasty!

After lunch we decide to try our hand at stained-glass making!!

Yuriko and Gemma pick out their glass tiles.

I'm making a picture frame, and it's all ready to go!

Kerri and Gemma get ready to use their tools!

Step 1: Line all of the glass squares in sticky gold foil. 

I'm halfway done.  This is trickier that you'd think because the gold foil needs to be overlapping on the front and back equally, and the sticky stuff didn't have much staying power.

Step 2: Arrange glass exactly how you want it (but backwards), and "paint" some clear liquid all over the gold seams.

I wish I could tell you what the sticky gold stuff was or the clear paint, but alas all of the instructions were in Japanese, so I just followed along as well as I could!

Step 3: Put on one goofy glove, grab the heating element in your other hand, and start soldering away!

Everyone is hard at work making their masterpieces!!

Gemma, Kerri, & Yuriko show off their finished projects!!

I would have done this tiger window, but I thought I might run out of time.

Maybe next time I'll make a kaleidoscope!

After all of that intense concentration (it took about 2 hours!), we needed a snack.  Or rather, we needed dessert!

Here is my ichigo (strawberry) cake.

Gemma orders shaved ice with azuki (sweet red beans).

Yuriko enjoys chestnut cake and coffee.

Green tea ice cream parfait with azuki.

Kerri shows off her muscles while wandering the streets of Nagahama!

Time to get ready for the boat ride and hanabi (fireworks)!

FYI - I was the fastest person to put on my yukata (we were all in the same room), and everyone was amazed that I didn't require any help.  Several people have never seen a permanent bow (like mine) and were quite curious how it was made!!

Yuriko, Gemma, & Kerri change into their yukatas.

So many ways to tie an obi!

Just a few of the ladies after getting dressed.

There was about 30 of us in total, and each man, woman, and child had on a yukata! 

You probably didn't get invited on this bus trip if you didn't buy a yukata from my friend's shop!

Ready to enjoy the boat cruise.

And may I present your ride for the evening!!

Here is our boat, and everyone is wandering around waiting for permission to board!

Four friends from the Wine Party:  Kerri, Yuriko, Gemma, & Nobue (she owns the kimono shop)

Nobue and her family: Ema (daughter), Toshi (husband), and Kiichi (son).

Ema is 3, and the extent of her English is "Heeeelllllllooooo, Kerri-chan!".  She loves to say it whenever she sees me at the kimono shop (which is every time I go since their house is in the back of the shop).

Eating bento (lunchbox) for dinner inside the boat.

Wind in my hair, water misting my face, and the boat gently swaying... I love being on the water!! 

I need to find more friends with boats in Japan!!

By the way, we are cruising around Lake Biwa, which is the largest freshwater lake in Japan. 

It's 670 square kilometers, or about 8 times larger than Houghton Lake, Michigan's largest inland lake! 

Are sunsets prettier in Japan? 

Not necessarily, but I think any sunset from a boat is a gorgeous one!

Finally, hanabi (fireworks) time!

I've seen some pretty sweet fireworks shows in my time, particularly those sponsored by Toyota in E'ville and Cinci.  So most fireworks shows don't get me too excited anymore.  In fact, I fell asleep a couple times during this show.  I'm pretty sure the rocking boat and beers helped me along the way though. 

Here's a quick video, if you want to judge for yourself.  (You must go directly to the blog to view it.)