Ichinoyu Shinkan Hakone

... town, we got off and walked through the picturesque cedar avenue to the next town, Hakone-Machi. From here we got on the sightseeing boat to cros the lake (Ashino-Ko) - a pirate ship nonetheless. I kid you not! We also managed to not get a glimpse of Mt. Fuji all this time (the whole reason for coming this way) because of the poor visibility and low cloud. At the other side of the lake we caught the ...

... 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 ...

... which consisted of a variety of small soups, fish, sushi and rice dishes all with unique tastes, textures and colours, a great place to experience some traditional eats and relaxation.

Only there for a short time but it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip and a key souvenir spot! I've never seen so many cartoon fuji-chan souvenirs! Endless!

... and Mone won "Best Voice." I won the "Best Karaoke Virgin" award:)

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On my last day, Kyoko went off to work and for another overnight stay in Tokyo. Again, the place to myself. I had come full circle:) What an amazing week!

I gathered my things and plotted my course to Osaka by way of the famous Shinkansen bullet train - off for another adventure into the unkown!:)...
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... 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 ...

... to the thick mist (which is apparently very common) we couldn’t see a thing and had to settle with the picture-perfect postcard we were given on arrival. Our trip finished with a boat ride across the huge lake which was really beautiful. We caught a bus back to Hakone train station, collected our backpacks from the storage lockers we’d hired for the day and boarded the Shinkansen to the small mountain town of Takayama, where we would be spending the next few days.

... 8211; 1) get nude 2) soap and rinse your whole body prior to entering the baths 3) slowly enter the hot spring 4) sit down and 5) enjoy. It is unforgivable to put your hand towel into the water so don’t do that, and thus I folded it and placed it on my head, just ...

... to drop off a rental car.
14pm: Took a fujikyu line to “Otsuki “station.
15pm: Took a JR chuou rapid Tokyo line from “Otsuki” to “Hachiouji”. Heavy rain outside.
16pm: Took a JR yokohama line from “Hachiouji” to “Fuchinobe”.
16:45pm: Arrived home
18-20pm: Dinner at home with my family.

We were over optimistic in a way. By the time we ...

... or so was pleasant as we were passing thorough the dense forests of many mountains.

From the "Fujiyoshida" station, we walked on the main street (where the fire festival will be held), passing through the north end big Torii gate, along the big torches and food vendors, who were preparing for the festivals ...

Today we visited the Pola Museum of Art and the Samurai Museums in Hakone but first we went on a hunt for coffee. In Tokyo coffee was available on every corner at any time you wanted it (sometimes at 9000 to 10000 yen -$9 to $10 dollars a cup). In Hakone, coffee, what coffee we don't do no stinking coffee. We found a coffee shop the night before but when we trekked to it this morning it didn't open until 11:30. WHAT KIND OF ...