Hakone

So all of my friends and I went to Hakone from the 28-29th!

Hakone is a a tourist spot about 45 minutes from Mishima to the the northeast.

We took a (long winding mountain path) bus to get there!

Here's a map of Hakone:

It's famous for it's hot spring resorts and nice view of Mt. Fuji. It's also got a few tourist-y things too. Like this boat which takes you across Laki Ashi to the main attractions.

The boat also had an old guy dressed like a 17th century British boat captain who went around taking pictures with people and trying to get them to buy the pictures for $12. I thought he was a bit old for his job. xD;

On the way across the lake, we saw this lovely view Mt. Fuji:

The boat takes you across the lake to the main area of Hakone, where there are museums and things. We didn't go to any of the museums. Instead, we went straight for the cable cars.

The cable cars take you up the mountain so you can see some pretty natural settings, Mt. Fuji, and natural hot springs!

Hakone is also famous for their black eggs, which are (I presume) normal eggs that turn black after being boiled in hot springs. The legend is that if you eat one, you will live longer. You can buy one for 100 yen, or buy packs of them at the souvenir shop there. All in all, they tasted like ordinary boiled eggs. But if my life is longer, hey I'm not complaining.

Hello Kitty poses with a (oddly adorable) Hakone black egg.

After that, we at some lunch in a sky lounge (tempure over rice!) and then rode the cable car back down to the lake and the boat back across the lake, where we rode a bus to our hotel, called Utanoyu Hotel.

It's a really great hotel! Our friend's father owns (or runs--the distinction was not made clear) it, so he hooked us up with all the amenities. There was free karaoke, ping pong, computer usage, manga (Japanese comics), and onsen (hot spring) usage, plus dinner and breakfast was included.

The room two people and I stayed in--very nice!

The (awesome) karaoke room! :)

Once we arrived, we all quickly donned the typical onsen resort regalia:

And then we played some jenga and uno, then we went to dinner!

I'll tell you what, dinner was a DELICIOUS 6 course meal. 6 COURSES. I was indeed stuffed afterwards.

Course #1: Sashimi

Course #2: Potage

Course #3: Mixed vegetables in a jelly like dressing

Course #4: Crab legs over salad


Course #5: Lightly battered chicken with a fruity seasoning (mango I think)

Course #6: Cheesecake with tofee, apple ice cream, some kind of custard, raspberry drizzles, and cocoa powder (SUPREMELY DELICIOUS)

EVERYTHING on the menu was amazing, especially the crab legs. They were perfectly seasoned with lemon, absolutely to die for. My mouth waters at the thought.

Then after that we went to bathe in the onsen (hot springs)! First we had private rooms, so we could each go in 2s or 3s or 4s instead of in big groups (of course males and females were separated). These were indoor baths. First you have to wash yourself outside of the bath while sitting on a little stool, then you put your clean body into the hot bath, which is, by the way, naturally hot from the ground. By the way, it's really, really, REALLY hot. I'm not a fan of the indoor onsen, because the water is hot and the air is hot and there is just no escape from the heat. x_x; However, it is very cleansing and very good for the skin.

Unfortunately, I was unable to take pictures of these baths, for obvious reasons. :)

Then we had karaoke fun! :D

After karaoke-ing it up, we went to the hotsprings again! This time, it was midnight, so we opted for the public bath, believing no one would be there at that time. We were right! So we females all went together and enjoyed a nice relaxing outdoor bath. Did I mention that at this time it was 30s outside? So there was this strange mix of really really really HOT water and really really really COLD air. I couldn't decide which I wanted more. Eventually I opted for the bottom half of me in the water and the top half out. It was a good balance. :) (Once again no pictures, for reasons I need not explain. xD)

Then afterwards, I went to bed (because I was exhausted and feeling a bit overheated from the hotsprings--not such a good balance after all?), and the next morning we woke up bright and early for breakfast (7:30 x_x). Breakfast consisted of a creamy soup, a salad, a bit of corn flakes in yogurt, a bread roll, and rice and miso soup if you wanted it. A bit of a strange breakfast by American standards, but still tasty nonetheless. :)

Then we did the round of going across the lake and up the cable car again because a new member had joined us. We went a little farther along the cable car to see what was there (there wasn't anything xD) and then came back, had lunch at a local restaurant, and then went home.

A cool view from the cable car. It was not as fast as one might believe (or hope). xD

So that's Hakone! Really there isn't that much to tour unless you've got the time for museums and stuff, so the most attractive thing about Hakone is the onsen resorts. I highly recommend it if you want some great relaxation time. I also highly recomment Utanoyu Hotel, which is a really great place with lots of amenities for not too expensive a price. :)