Hanaono An Ito

... here they call it a ropeway) from Togendai to Souzan with a brief stop at Owakudani to see the volcanic sulphuric steam. Again, this was supposedly a fantastic vantage point to see Mt. Fuji - but not today.

On reaching Sounzan we took a cable car down to Gora, from which we jumped on a local train heading back to Hakone-Yumoto. From there another hour spent on a different train heading back to Tokyo ...

... 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!

... its way back down the mountain to Hakone-Yumoto. Making our way back to Odawara we had another ride on the bullet train – this time a super express over to Kyoto (an ancient capital). A kind gentleman on the train pointed out Mt Fuji again for us (they take such pride in this majestic mountain).

Finally arriving at Kyoto we had a short walk to K's House, our hostel. More like a small motel than your average hostel, this ...

... write more about this tomorrow after we travel on the mountain cable car, the ropeways and the boats on Lake Ashi with views of Mount Fuji (weather pending of course).

Our room is the traditional Japanese room with tatami straw mats on the floor, futon beds rolled up in the corner, rice paper panels covering the windows and a central table low to the floor with cushions around it. We have a beautiful view out our huge window overlooking scenic bushland and a ...

... 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.

... and tea. And just what our cold cold bodies needed!

There is a tradition that you call someone or send a post-card from the top of Fuji, and I had brought addresses with me but the line for the tiny post office looked like it would take another 30 minutes and with the exception of it getting light out, our situation had not improved and the gusts of wind seemed to be getting worse.

So we took a few commemorative pictures and started down the never ...

Five million hours and as many trains later, we finally arrived at dusk in the beautiful Hakone National Park (the site of Mount Fuji) where after taking in the breathtaking scenery we caught the local bus up the steep road to our guesthouse. Following the ‘no shoes inside’ rule, we were proudly given our guesthouse slippers, and shown our room: a traditional Japanese ryokan (beds = Tatami mats on the floor with a futon on top, surprisingly comfortable) with ...

... style bed, dinner & breakfast for the next two nights. This 300 year old building set adjacent to a small river and densely surrounded by thick bush. Walking closer to the ryokan, the building looked just like they were in the photos and it was very quaint and charming. I ...

... in Tokyo, there are approximately 6 times more people in sight than I've ever seen in my life (not counting those few days in London, but that was still only four times as many people). We actually live in Saitama, a prefecture (read: state) north of Tokyo, but it's pretty much one continuous blur of humans and concrete. It's still part of the Greater Tokyo Area. Now, picture spending every Thursday and Friday morning packed in with hundred of other commuters ...

... Lake Ashi for a boat cruise. The cruise once again had views of Mt.Fuji and also a temple by the lake complete with torii on the water's edge.

People then had the option of taking the bus back to Tokyo which could take three hours or taking the Shinkansen fast train back to Tokyo. As we had a rail pass we took the train at no extra cost and were back in Tokyo within the hour. It was exciting to take our first ride on a Shinkansen!