Next stop Hakone.

/ lburnett163

Running short on time so I’m going to share the Hakone experience thru captioned pictures.

Our train at Tokyo station arrives for our 30 minute trip to the Odawara Station.
Great views of Mount Fuji. This year has set a record for the latest snowfall on the mountain.
After another short train ride to the Hakone station, we had our luggage transferred to the hotel so we could catch a bus to board one of three ships that run the length of the lake.
The great weather we had had started to change as the remnants of a typhoon that had hit Taiwan earlier in the week started to arrive
After disembarking we headed to the “ropeway” that would take us to the top of the mountain.
Once at the top, we visited the visitor center where the monitor for volcanic activity.
Steam and sulfur surface from the underground water that feeds the mineral baths or Onsens of Hakone
Eggs boiled in this water mysteriously turn black so an industry around these eggs developed.
We rode down the mountain on a jammed pack car of the funicular railway to catch the shuttle to the hotel
Very nice room with a view.
Once settled in it was time for dinner at the hotel. A five course meal of foods that were an adventure on their own.
Fish cooked at the table
With the help of a bottle of Saki we were able to work our way through dinner with only a few dishes proving to be a bit much.

The next day we got into the spirit of things and paraded around the hotel in our bathrobes.

There was even a Picasso exhibition!
Heavy rains most of the day but there was a break that allowed us to get in a little sightseeing.
First Gora Park
Bird of Paradise
Then the Venetian Glass Museum
All these leaves and flowers are made of glass. There were several Chihuly originals not pictured as the rain picked up and it was time to head back to enjoy the Onsen Baths at the Hotel.

No Pictures Allowed in the Onsen

The rain cleared out overnight so Sunday was a perfect day for sightseeing
One of the highlights was the Open Air Art Exhibition. This one was not that impressive from the outside
But from the inside!
Many more great pieces
This was my favorite
It even had a Picasso exhibition
Next up was a quick stop at the Pola Museum of art and a room full of floating fish.
All in all a great visit to Hakone. Time to prepare for our departure to Kyoto.

One thought on “Next stop Hakone.”

Leave a reply to vaughanlauramimi Cancel reply