Fuji Business Hotel Hisashi

... taro root and soba noodles. It actually was all pretty good.
A shinkansen (bullet train) took us back to Tokyo. By this time I was just out of it, seeing as I still had not been able to sleep. Thankfully last night I got a full nights sleep so feel much better.
A reception and dinner last night wrapped it up at the hotel.
All the Japanese are so nice and polite. We are having a wonderful time!

... had baths with views of Mount Fuji- oh yea, we managed to get one of the 100/365 days when you can get a clear view of the Fuje- but it also had a proper outdoor bit with a bubbly spa pool, hot lake pool, ceramic bathtub pool and bamboo bath pool- spoilt for choice really and absolutely gorgeous after a long day hiking! We also got their taster dinner one ...

Hakone wreszcie pozwoliło nam odpocząć od świątyń i uciec od betonowego Tokio. Jest to popularny górski kurort położony dość blisko stolicy. Cały teren to wnętrze wielkiego, starego 40 km krateru wulkanicznego. Główną atrakcją oprócz samych gór są onseny – japoński gorące źródła i ryokany -tradycyjne japońskie hotele, zajazdy, których początki datuje się na XVII wiek ...

... better, the weather got worse and we found ourselves in misty clouds just barely above freezing with gusts of wind that could knock you over if you weren’t careful. We had been making fun of all the people dressed like they were climbing Everest but they got the last laugh!

Meera and I made good time for a while as it was easy to navigate around people. We made it to the last of the huts before the top and the sign said we had 1.2km to go. It seems ...

... cake that had been dipped in soy sauce and then grilled. It was pretty tasty although not what we were initially expecting.

After that we went to the Sengen Shrine which was very peaceful. On the way in Mickey told us that deer were very important and brought the message of God. However we all thought she had said ...

... shuffled (as quickly as we could) to our respective changing rooms, feeling a bit stupid. The onsen itself was amazing and soooo relaxing, and was just like a huge natural outdoor Jacuzzi, and the water felt so hot compared to the cold air. I did spend a while waiting for Sam to come out of his changing room before realising there were separate onsens for men and women.

Afterwards, and back in the changing room I reluctantly donned my outfit once more and tried to leave ...

... hut was safe and wise indeed. I got really scared while I was trying to sleep on the thin and damp futon mattress of mountain hut, bothered by the noise of strong winds swirling outside. Prior to clmbing, we also discussed about the weather and we knew that it would be raining the next day. As soon as we left the top, it drizzled as we were heading toward hevy mist. The rain was getting harder as we were descending ...

... things I couldn't/wouldn't eat, I had finally found a line that they had drawn. "I am in invincible!" I thought. Fishhead teacher took one of the two pieces. Then: "Sebastian dozo!" "Ah!...nan desu ka" The teacher indicated with his increasing mastery of charades that it was frog. Frog?! That's where the line was drawn...piece of cake! I proudly gorged on the amphibian...my eager performance was followed by something along the lines of: "Wow ...

Staying in a traditional Japanese ryoken at the base of Mount Fuji - just about to head off for ...

... science in contemporary Odaiba, as well as the original museum of science where we were able to check out the Great Robot Expo....some neat robots, but Asimo was a tad disappointing. The 360 degree theatre made up for it though! Crazy! Coming of Age Day was also January 14th, where girls turning 20 dress up in their best kimonos and visit a local shrine. There are some new photos from Fuji ...