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Hakone Revisited
Apr. 5th, 2023 11:40 amMy three-in-one Japan trip (in the rather theological sense that I'm here representing not only myself but two who couldn't come, as per my last post) has continued fairly frenetically over the last few days, as I cram in All The Japan Things.
Sunday started in a fairly relaxed way, with a visit to my friends Miho and Hiroshi, where I had a very nice brunch:
Then it was on to the Odakyuu's Romance Car and off to Odawara, where I had been planning to stay with Yuko at my "bessou" while W and C spent the night in the ryokan I'd booked for them. In the circumstances, however, Yuko and I decided to stay there instead. So, in what was a repeat of my very first visit to Japan 8 years ago, I unrolled my futon in the Kintoki room of the 17th-century Ichi no Yu, while the roiling waters of the Haya River serenaded us, and the other ryokans nearby lit up like something out of Spirited Away, and I was relieved to discover that what had seemed magical back then was magical still.
Last time I'd been so jet-lagged as to have very little appetite, but now I was equal not only to the shabushabu (my old nemesis) and an understandably lugubrious bream, but even to a pretty substantial breakfast the next morning.
Then we went to do tourist things in Hakone, with an emphasis on the bits I'd never got around to on my first visit - particularly the sulphurous valley of Owakudani (where they turn eggs black in the fumes and sell them to tourists with the promise of an increased lifespan), and Hakone Jinja. I'd taken the ropeway up to the smouldering caldera of Owakudani before, but hadn't disembarked as I'd been worried about catching a bus. This time there was no such restriction, thanks to Yuko and her shiny red car. Then, I'd hoped to see Mount Fuji from the ropeway, but it was a mizzly day and it was totally invisible. This time, however, Fuji came sunnily into view to our right, set off nicely by a Tartarian pit to our left.
The sulphurous yellow was no more visible than the sulphurous smell was nosable. It's easy to see why someone thought of eggs - but they really went to town with the idea. There were black eggs everywhere, and of course we tried some - although, beyond the shell, they seemed pretty normal.
Hakone Jinja was a very pretty, fairly modest shrine, with some wonderful moss going on, and a self-deprecating line in dad jokes (ダジャレ in Japanese), such as the attached cafe's "Jinja Ale"... But the main attraction was the chance to pose below the torii gate on Lake Ashinoko, with its Miyajima vibe. We joined the queue, which was long but looked manageable. What we didn't realise was that everyone would take up to five minutes to get a variety of poses, so in the end we waited an hour and a half. I think it was worth it, though.
The next day took me to Nagoya and the new Ghibli Park, but I've probably clogged up your screens enough for one day, so I'll wait till the next entry for that.
Sunday started in a fairly relaxed way, with a visit to my friends Miho and Hiroshi, where I had a very nice brunch:
Then it was on to the Odakyuu's Romance Car and off to Odawara, where I had been planning to stay with Yuko at my "bessou" while W and C spent the night in the ryokan I'd booked for them. In the circumstances, however, Yuko and I decided to stay there instead. So, in what was a repeat of my very first visit to Japan 8 years ago, I unrolled my futon in the Kintoki room of the 17th-century Ichi no Yu, while the roiling waters of the Haya River serenaded us, and the other ryokans nearby lit up like something out of Spirited Away, and I was relieved to discover that what had seemed magical back then was magical still.
Last time I'd been so jet-lagged as to have very little appetite, but now I was equal not only to the shabushabu (my old nemesis) and an understandably lugubrious bream, but even to a pretty substantial breakfast the next morning.
Then we went to do tourist things in Hakone, with an emphasis on the bits I'd never got around to on my first visit - particularly the sulphurous valley of Owakudani (where they turn eggs black in the fumes and sell them to tourists with the promise of an increased lifespan), and Hakone Jinja. I'd taken the ropeway up to the smouldering caldera of Owakudani before, but hadn't disembarked as I'd been worried about catching a bus. This time there was no such restriction, thanks to Yuko and her shiny red car. Then, I'd hoped to see Mount Fuji from the ropeway, but it was a mizzly day and it was totally invisible. This time, however, Fuji came sunnily into view to our right, set off nicely by a Tartarian pit to our left.
The sulphurous yellow was no more visible than the sulphurous smell was nosable. It's easy to see why someone thought of eggs - but they really went to town with the idea. There were black eggs everywhere, and of course we tried some - although, beyond the shell, they seemed pretty normal.
Hakone Jinja was a very pretty, fairly modest shrine, with some wonderful moss going on, and a self-deprecating line in dad jokes (ダジャレ in Japanese), such as the attached cafe's "Jinja Ale"... But the main attraction was the chance to pose below the torii gate on Lake Ashinoko, with its Miyajima vibe. We joined the queue, which was long but looked manageable. What we didn't realise was that everyone would take up to five minutes to get a variety of poses, so in the end we waited an hour and a half. I think it was worth it, though.
The next day took me to Nagoya and the new Ghibli Park, but I've probably clogged up your screens enough for one day, so I'll wait till the next entry for that.