Gora Ichinoyu Hakone

... an hour on this train we switched to another bound for Hakone-Yumoto. Once we arrived we changed to a bus heading for Moto-Hakone. The further along the journey we went the colder it got. Unfortunately the bus we got on took us on the indirect (and possibly less scenic) route (about 40 mins), but it was irrelevant as the weather was so bad you couldn't see much, certainly not Mt. Fuji!

Arriving at the ...

Today we had a great day exploring outside of Tokyo at the Hakone National Park. It is about 80 km outside of Tokyo. We took a bus to the park where we took the ropeway (gondola) up to the area where there are sulfur springs due to the volcanic activity in the area. We had beautiful views of Mt. Fuji, who had had her first snow the night before. Once we got to the area of the springs, our guide told ...

... 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 ...

... sztuki na świeżym powietrzu, w którym znajduje się także niezwykle interesujący pawilon poświęcony życiu i twórczości Picasso. W drodze powrotnej zatrzymaliśmy się w Odawarze, żeby zobaczyć rekonstrukcję starego zamku. Korzystając z okazji, zdecydowaliśmy się także przejść nad brzegiem Pacyfiku, który przykuwa uwagę swoją plażą, na której znajdziecie ciemny, wulkaniczny piasek.

... 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 ...

... that one bathes in the NUDE! Luckily I had my own private in-room hot spring so here I come!!! But the water temperature was a bit too cool ~32degrees so I decided to gather some courage and visit the communal baths. They were of course sex separated. The whole process is ...

... crowded. He looks Guido and armed with an askew baseball cap, gold chain and camcorder. Just how stereotypical can you get without being ironic? I feared he'd be heading to teh same place I was and the force of gravity between Americans would mean we were doomed to have awkward conversation. Thankfully, he got off at Fuji Q Highland, a Six Flags type of amusement park at the base of the mountain. Figures he's not aiming to do any ...

... 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 ...

... wall. As we went up the stair uncertaintly and opened the door, it lead to the shoulder to the one side of the two-way multi lane roads and had a little shelter, kind of looked like a bus stop. I looked around to find the clue of whether we were the right place or the right side of road (the south bound to the Fuji 5 ...

... shrimp in chilli sause, and chinese chicken stir fry while conversing the social ills of the world. Greg meandered to sleep while Zaid decided to brave the temperate pools of the attached Onsen, even though he is definitely going to wear a pair of swimming trunks. Food: Breakfast Sushi Dried Squid and KitKats Japanese Fried Chicken Shrimp with Chilli Crazy softserve ice cream People: Yeu (Hakone) Tour Club Owner Location: Himeji Castle Hakone House