Tuesday, August 1, 2017 – Tokyo to Hakone, Japan
It was time to leave Tokyo behind and embark on the next leg of our journey. I have visited two countries and only experienced the principal city – in France I have only been to Paris and in South Korea I have only been to Seoul. On this trip we wanted to be sure to experience the diversity of Japan, not just the vast metropolis of Tokyo. There is no way to experience the diversity of an entire country on a 12-day trip –but we did the best we could. The next couple of days would be quite a contrast to the Tokyo metropolis.
We took a train from Shinjuku Station to Hakone. It was a standard train, not the Shinkansen (bullet train). That would come later in the trip. As we traveled out of the center of Tokyo it was an hour before the urban surroundings finally gave way to outskirts and then countryside. A final reminder of the vastness of Tokyo.
Hakone is a small town near the base of Mt. Fuji and near Lake Ashi. It is in a thermally active area with many hot springs, some very sulfurous and protected in the Fuji Hakone Izu National Park and many others with resort lodgings called Ryokans built around traditional Japanese baths fed by the springs. Our home for the next two days was a beautiful setting called Senkyoro Ryokan https://senkyoro.co.jp/english/room/room.html.
A Ryokan is a traditional Japanese lodging with baths, excellent service, and incredible food. Our room had a small sitting area with two regular chairs and a coffee table and a larger bamboo-floor room that has a low table during the day and becomes the bedroom at night. Breakfast and dinner are included in your stay at the Ryokan and they change the room while you are at the meal.
The word “incredible” is not adequate for the food. I have had the good fortune to eat in many fine restaurants over the years, but this was over the top for quality and presentation. I didn’t have my camera at Tuesday night’s dinner, so I will include more details and pictures of the food in the post for Wednesday.
Public transportation is extraordinary in Japan, even in areas like Hakone. We bought a pass which covered the bus that stopped in front of our Ryokan and connections to the ropeway, cable car, railway, and boats. We would try all of the above over the next couple of days.
Once we checked in to the Ryokan, we took the Hakone Ropeway (elevated cable car, ski-lift style) to Owakudani. Owakudani is a very active thermal area. The tourist trap there is that they boil eggs in the volcanic water, which turns them black. The area where they cook the eggs was closed to visitors due to gas, but they were still selling the eggs so of course we each had to get one. The gas in the area was pretty bad. There was a little odor of my favorite molecule, hydrogen sulfide, but the bigger issue was sulfur dioxide – very biting, much like hydrochloric acid fumes. They did a good job of closing the areas at and downwind of the points where the gas was being released.
(OK – quick explanation of the favorite molecule comment. My vocation is in wastewater odor control where the primary odor-causing compound is hydrogen sulfide. Since this little molecule has provided me with a career it is my favorite.)
We left Owakudani and continued on the Ropeway to the top of the mountain where we took the Cable Car (train pulled by cables, San Francisco style) down to the main train station. The railway has three switchbacks going down the mountain, but it is too steep for the cable car to make a turn. So the car heads into a spur then out in the opposite direction.
When we returned to the Ryokan it was time to check out the bath. Stripping down and getting into a bath with other guys took a little getting used to, but it was a great experience. Aaron and I went to the Grand Bath on Tuesday, which was indoors but with windows open to the outside. Soaking in the natural hot spring water while looking out at the forest was very relaxing. A perfect way to decompress and prepare for dinner after a day of travel and sightseeing.
Where Are We Going Now? 