Gora Tensui Hakone

... weird, but once you crack them they just look a regular old hard boiled egg. They give you some salt but no pepper!
After that we took a cruise on Lake Ashi which is a lake made by a volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. It was a little rough on the lake due to a windy day so we rode in the enlosed part of the boat.
Lunch was at a local restaurant and we tried some interesting foods ...

... first stop on the bus – still going up the mountain – was Gora where we boarded the cable car which took us up at a very steep angle to the top of the mountain (or so we thought...). We then jumped on the first of two ropeways (a gondola hanging from a cable strung up to hundreds of feet above the ground). The views over the foothills, countryside and mountain peaks were just breathtaking. We caught our first glimpse of ...

... the bullet train for now and jumped onto a packed train heading for Hakone Yumoto. This area has been for ages a holiday destination for Tokyo residents – it has hot natural springs, dormant (and not so dormant) volcanoes, mountain settlements and views of Mt Fuji. Just our luck, this weekend is a holiday weekend in Japan as they are celebrating national sports and health day (yeah seriously).

There are holiday makers and day trippers everywhere; the ...

... 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 ...

... 261; własne niewielkie onseny, które mogą być wykorzystane prywatnie (co jest praktycznie niemożliwe w dużych hotelach). Właśnie z takiego tradycyjnego zajazdu - ryokana skorzystaliśmy. Dzięki temu mogliśmy zakosztować kąpieli pod gwiazdami bez towarzystwa innych ludzi.

Właściciele polecili nam jedną z pobliskich knajpek. Różniła się nieco od tych, do których na co dzień chodzimy w ...

... particular, provides low-fat, healthy, relatively low cost, prepared take home food.

The everyday local fish markets in Japan are outstanding! Even coastal towns and cities in Canada cannot compare, selection, quality, or price wise.

Here in Japan I never tire of wandering up and down the aisles of amazing, unusual food products.
I have no idea what to do with most of it, but am slowly learning.

... what we mistakenly thought was the appropriate dress code for a remote Japanese town (when in Rome...) From the numerous stares we received, it appeared we were very, very wrong. Seeing Sam hobbling through the streets wearing some wooden wedge flip flops, a silk Kimono and holding a washing basket will remain one the highlights of my trip. Arriving at the onsen, and realising everyone else was dressed in the somewhat less traditional ‘jeans and t-shirt’ combo ...

... down slanting sheets that it made us almost invisible ahead of us. At one point, Fredrik’s eye glasses were all clouded that he had to take it off; he was descending the steep hill half blinded. My water proof jacket began to absorb the water and my feet inside of hiking boots were all wet. My awesome gregory rucksack was also getting heavier as the inside (including my passport) was getting wet. When I started ...

... arrived at "Resort Inn Fuyo". We rested shortly at the restaurants attached to the hotel and then went to see the Himatsuri, the Fire Festival.

The first day of two days festival called Yoshida-no-Himatsuri (the Fire Festival of Yoshida) at the base of Mt. Fuji. The first day at night of Chinkasai (the calming ...

... pocico rectangular que no había visto antes. Voy para allá esperando que sea lo que me imagino. -Oh sí, agua helada. Me sumerjo por completo, no sin antes dudarlo porque el agua está realmente helada, y salgo como nuevo. No creía que esto pudiera tener mucho efecto, pero tras un rato allí, me he olvidado de Tokyo, de hoteles, de taxis y también de que me tengo que marchar de allí. Realmente una experiencia formidable. Me voy medio zombi, estando como suspendido en el aire, de vuelta a mi ...